It’s all setting up for a showdown Saturday with a juicy rematch holding extra meaning.
The Battle of the Bisons will close the round-robin at the Hockey Alberta Junior B Provincial Championships with the Carstar Okotoks Bisons and Wainwright Bisons battling to earn a spot in the gold medal game with identical 2-1 records.
The combatants, who last played in the 2023 provincial final with Wainwright earning the gold, sit tied for second in the standings behind the undefeated La Crete Lumber Barons.
The St. Albert Merchants, host North Peace Navigators and NWCAA Stampeders sit fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.
A win for Okotoks or Wainwright (Saturday, April 6 at 6 p.m.) would guarantee a spot in the provincial gold medal game.
On Friday, Okotoks rallied from its only loss of the tournament by knocking off North Peace by a 5-3 score.
Jady Shigehiro scored twice with Connor Claughton, Trevor Bonham and Scott Brown also lighting the lamp. Grady Nicholas had 38 saves in the win.
The Bisons lost their second game of the tournament to the Lumber Barons by a 5-1 score despite a 50-24 edge in shots on goal.
Okotoks won its tournament opener in a thrilling 6-5 triumph over St. Albert with Adam Kirkpatrick notching the game-winner in the final minute of regulation.
Game broadcasts can be accessed through the HNLive platform.
For more information on the tournament, go to haprovincials.ca.
