A postponement was followed by a positive introduction for the Bisons.
The Okotoks Carstar Bisons (25-2-0) saw three additions make their season debuts in a 4-2 road win Jan. 13 over the Strathmore Wheatland Kings to extend their winning streak to eight games in the Heritage Junior Hockey League.
“They come out extremely well (against us) and their goaltender (Corey Ross) played extremely well and kept them in the hockey game for the most part,” said Bisons head coach Brad Cobb. “Once again, we were outshooting our opponent and just couldn’t find the back of the net as much as we wanted.”
Following a postponement of its Friday home date against the Medicine Hat Cubs, the Bisons made up for lost time with another strong effort against a tough Strathmore squad.
“Only having the one game this weekend, our energy was a little low for some of it,” Cobb said. “But for the most part, we played pretty well.”
Daniel Tainton, Adam Kirkpatrick, Brayden Kapty and Kegan Law tallied in the victory. Kapty paced the offence with a three-point effort, notching the game winner midway through the final frame.
Jady Shigehiro, a midseason addition, had a season-best three assists in the win.
“(Shigehiro) is just a competitor, working hard all of the time and extremely explosive,” Cobb said. “I knew it was going to take a little time for him to get back to the touch he has with having a full season off last year.
“But he’s hitting his stride at the right time for us and every game is just getting stronger.”
Grady Nicholas made 22 saves for his league-leading 21st victory.
Forwards Dryden Harding and Nolan Smith and goaltender Logan Maroni were in the lineup for Okotoks after joining the team earlier in the week.
Harding, an Okotokian and affiliate player with the Bisons in 2022-23, was with the Kootenay International Hockey League’s Kimberley Dynamiters to start this season.
“Dryden, we were lucky enough that he decided to come home and play,” the coach added. “To have a guy like him, a big, tall, fast moving forward that’s already been around our winning success last year, he’ll be able to contribute that way going into playoffs this year.”
Smith, from Turner Valley, joins Okotoks after a season with the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s Kindersley Klippers. The 6-foot-1 forward scored at over a point-per-game clip with the High River Flyers in 2022-23.
“He decided to come home to probably get a little more playing time and some more exposure and we were lucky that he picked our program,” Cobb said. “He’s a really good, strong player who plays 200 feet and you can put him in any situation and he’s going to excel for us.”
Maroni, also from Okotoks, is a 2006-born netminder who played last season with the Foothills U18 AA Bisons and suited up in three games for the Flyers.
“We were looking for a backup to Grady and Logan was out in Manitoba trying out some Junior A opportunities,” Cobb said. “He chose to stay close to home as a 17-year-old and we were lucky that he practised with us a couple of times before he went out to Manitoba.
“I made him an offer that will hopefully work out well for him.”
This week, Okotoks remains in divisional action with a pair of road dates.
The Bisons are in High River for the Battle of the Foothills on Jan. 19, an 8 p.m. start, and make the trek southeast on Jan. 20 looking to take two points out of the Snake Pit in Coaldale.
The High River clash will feature siblings on each side with Nolan Smith’s younger brother Connor a top goal scorer with the Flyers.
Okotoks’ next home date is Jan. 26 against the Cubs, who trail Okotoks by seven points for tops in the Southern Division. In the North, the Sylvan Lake Wranglers have a gargantuan 23-point advantage atop the division.
For more information, go to okotoksbisons.com.
