They didn't pull together a win, but competing at the 2023 Circle K Classic still provided plenty of lessons for the Airdrie CFR Chemicals Bisons.
Airdrie's U18 AAA boys' hockey team went 0-4 at the fabled tournament, which returned to Calgary in its traditional post-Christmas schedule for the first time since 2019-20.
Sporting a young team and missing some key players due to injury, Airdrie lost to high-level teams invited to the Circle K Classic (previously known as the Mac's AAA Invitational) from Connecticut, B.C., Saskatchewan, and Okotoks.
Airdrie was in a preliminary group with the South Kent Hockey Academy from Connecticut, Yale Hockey Academy from Abbotsford, B.C., and the Regina Pat Canadians. The Herd opened their schedule on Dec. 27 with an 8-1 defeat to South Kent, before losing their subsequent round-robin games 6-3 and 6-2 to the Pats and Yale, respectively.
While their seven-goal loss to the American team was disappointing, Bisons' head coach Brad Bourke noted the level of parity between the Bisons and South Kent was likely a bit closer than the score board indicated. He also noted that the Connecticut team was older and faster than the Airdronians, even fielding some 18-year-olds in their line-up.
“Overall, we just didn’t have a great night,” Bourke said. “I wouldn’t say the 8-1 was an even score. We just had tendencies to give up Grade As and that team scored on every single one of them. It wasn’t necessarily an 8-1 game. We just had a couple of breakdowns and then lost confidence as the game went on. I think they scored four in the third to really put the game away.
“They were definitely a good team and no question they outplayed us and deserved to win, but I wouldn’t say it was an 8-1 game. It was just one of those games where we just weren’t happy with their effort, and the score showed it toward the end.”
Airdrie similarly struggled in their subsequent two group games on Dec. 28 and 29, conceding 12 goals and netting just five in their match-ups against Regina and Yale.
Their winless run in the prelims meant the Bisons were pooled in the consolation round of the knockout stages, where they lost in overtime to the Okotoks Oilers after a hard-fought 1-1 tie on Dec. 30 to end their tournament.
Bourke said the Bisons' best performance came in that last game against the Oilers. After going down a goal in the first period, Airdrie tied it up in the second stanza and managed to hold onto the 1-1 result until the end of regulation time. Unfortunately for the Bisons, Okotoks sniped the winner in OT.
“Both teams played quite well and the goaltending was great,” Bourke said. “You could have flipped a coin. It would have obviously been nice to have won but…both teams really played hard.”
Considering the Bisons' young roster, this year was the first time many of the team's current players have competed in the Circle K Classic, which is one of the most popular and prestigious annual U18 AAA hockey tournaments in western Canada. Considering the calibre of teams that take part, the tournament is attended by enthusiastic thousands of hockey fans and dozens of major junior, post-secondary, and junior A team scouts.
For first-year Bisons player Ryder Riddel, a 15-year-old right-wing, the opportunity to play in the Circle K Classic was quite special. Riddel noted his uncle won the tournament many years ago when he was a teenager and his dad played in the Mac's as well.
Overall, Riddel rated the tournament a nine out of 10, if not a 10 out of 10.
“It was really fun. It’s too bad our team didn’t get the result we wanted, but it was still probably one of the most fun times of my life,” he said.
The defending Mac's champions, Medicine Hat-based South Alberta Hockey Academy, eventually won the Circle K Classic, repeating their 2022 victory by beating the host Calgary Buffaloes in the gold-medal game on New Year's Day at a jam-packed Max Bell Centre in Calgary. It marked the first time since 2001 a team has won back-to-back at the Mac's tournament.
Now that the Mac's is over for another year, Bourke said it's time to shift the Bisons' focus back to the 2022-23 regular season. Airdrie is currently in the basement of their south division in the Alberta Elite Hockey League and have some catching up to do if they hope to qualify for the playoffs in the coming months.
Similarly to Riddel, the head coach was fully positive about the opportunity to play in the Circle K Classic, calling it a valuable learning experience.
“It was a bit of a disappointing effort on the first game, but we were able to build off the next three games,” Bourke said. “It was a great tournament with some really high-end teams. We actually had some of the best teams from a lot of the country [at the tournament], and then from those four or five prep schools in the States.
“When you look at our league, I think the [Buffaloes] were the only team that made it to the A side. It was great hockey and such a good measuring stick for the kids. Overall, an unbelievable experience again.”
