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Dramatic comeback propels Airdrie Bisons to second round of AEHL playoffs

“When you’re able to get those games to overtime, you always give yourselves a chance. We did feel confident with the way the third period had gone and momentum-wise, we were a shot away [from winning it], just like they were.”
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The Airdrie Bisons U18 AAA boys' hockey team is moving on to the second round of the AEHL playoffs.

The Airdrie CFR Chemicals Bisons are onto the second round of the Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL) post-season, after defeating the Calgary Royals 2-1 in their best-of-three, opening-round playoff series.

Airdrie's U18 AAA boys' hockey team opened the series with a 4-1 win on Feb. 23, before the Royals tied the series up with a 4-2 win on Feb. 26 in Airdrie to force Game 3.

Playing in the deciding game on Feb. 27 at the Stu Peppard Arena, it looked like the Calgarians would move onto the next round, after the Royals took a commanding three-goal lead in the first two periods.

But Airdrie scored three unanswered third-period goals to rescue their playoff run and cause a 4-4 tie. 

Then, defenceman Carsyn Crawford sniped a bar-down winner on a counter-attack in overtime to win the series and propel the Bisons into the next round. 

“It was a feeling like I've never had before," the 17-year-old said of his series-winning snipe. “It was pretty crazy trying to take it all in. It's pretty exciting, obviously.”

Picking up the puck in his own end, Crawford said he initially intended to pass to a teammate, but with plenty of ice ahead of him, decided to carry it into the Royals' defensive zone by himself. 

“As soon as I walked past their blue line, I saw a lane to shoot, so just let it go,” he said. 

Brad Bourke, the Bisons' head coach, said Crawford's winning goal – his second of the game – caused an eruption among Airdrie's fans in the stands. 

“It was an exciting third period,” he said. “There were three goals from the 13-minute mark down to the last minute and a half, when we scored the tying goal. There were a few of those eruptions in the crowd.”

The Royals took a 4-1 lead into the third period, but the Bisons rallied back with two goals from Owen Jones and a tally from Matthias Bessey in the final 20 minutes.

“We weren’t really happy with the first two periods, [considering it] was an elimination game,” Bourke said. “The Royals did play us pretty tough. It was one of those games where it seemed they caught all the breaks in the first two periods, and we caught them all in the third, and ended up on the right side of it.”

Bourke credited the Bisons players' work ethic in practice for securing the Hollywood-inspired comeback.

“I would say this group is the hardest-working practice team that I’ve seen at this level,” he said.

“I [doubt] there are many teams in the province that practise as hard as we do. I look at that when you talk about character. When you improve so much in that area, sometimes you get rewarded for it. We had a good stretch of hockey there. I feel we were rewarded for practising the right way.”

Winning in overtime was a fitting way for the Bisons to clinch the series. The Bisons have played in overtime in 12 AEHL games this season, and three of their four regular-season fixtures against the Royals went to the extra stanza. 

Bourke added the Bisons have featured in more overtime periods than any other AEHL team in 2021-22, and the players have developed a comfort in knowing how to approach the additional playing time.

“We’ve given ourselves the chance to win a lot of games this year,” he said. “When you’re able to get those games to overtime, you always give yourselves a chance. We did feel confident with the way the third period had gone and momentum-wise, we were a shot away [from winning it], just like they were.”

While they celebrated moving onto the next round, the Bisons didn't have much time to rest on their laurels. Their second-round opponent is the Calgary Flames, who finished the regular season as the top-seeded team in the AEHL South Division, with a 29-5-4 record.

Crawford said the Flames are a tough opponent, but added Airdrie went 2-2 against them in the regular season, which bodes well for the Bisons to put up a serious fight. 

”I think we just have to treat it like any other game and keep doing what we've been doing the last couple of games,” he said. ”We know what we're working towards.”

The series got underway March 1 (after press time). Airdrie will host the Flames on March 5 at 7:15 p.m.

This year marks the Bisons' first time competing in the post-season since the team relocated to Airdrie in 2017. 

”It feels pretty good," Crawford said. "I've been watching [the Bisons] since I was little, and have always looked up to them. Being a part of the team is awesome. And getting into the playoffs and making it past the first round is great. 

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