More often than not in hockey you’re only as good as your goaltending.
Fortunately for the Okotoks Bisons the duo of Matthew McDonald and Draven Rees in between the pipes stepped up and delivered to backstop the squad to three wins in as many days last weekend in Heritage Junior Hockey League action.
“Good goaltending always helps,” said Bisons general manager Brent Trevors. “You’re only as good as your goaltending.
“It was a really good team effort all weekend. It was nice to see because it has been kind of a Jekyll and Hyde group.”
Okotoks showed its good side to take out a trio of division rivals in consecutive days.
The herd opened the weekend with a convincing 6-2 romp over the Strathmore Wheatland Kings Friday on home ice.
Leading scorer Josh McCulloch paced the offence with two goals and an assist, Big Robbie McLean chipped in with a goal and three points with Nicholas Murrell, Spencer Bender and Jaret Bordt also finding the back of the net.
McDonald stopped 27 of 29 shots in the win.
The Bisons followed it up with perhaps its most impressive win of the season on Saturday.
Okotoks handed the division-leading Cochrane Generals just their second home loss of the season in a 6-3 triumph.
“The guys simplified their game against Cochrane – who were really our big test,” Trevors said. “The guys took the body and were hard to play against. Any hockey team that’s hard to play against, the results usually come.”
Rees was the first, second and third star in the victory in turning aside 54 of 57 shots.
McCulloch repeated his two-goal, three-point performance, McLean and Kyle Becker potted a goal and an assist each while defenceman Taylor McNeill and rookie forward Kyle Harrison added the other markers.
“Number one – that tells you where you need to be. It’s always big for confidence to know you can beat these teams if you play the right way,” the GM added. “Realistically, we’ve had more issues with the mediocre teams in our league than the top ones.”
That was almost the case again in Okotoks’ weekend finale.
The Bisons were less than stellar in eking out a 3-2 victory in overtime Sunday over the Medicine Hat Cubs – the bottom team in the South Division.
Becker secured the win in the extra-session in the Hat. Bender and McLean scored the other Bison goals.
McDonald made 31 saves for his second win of the weekend.
“We didn’t play our best,” Trevors said. “But we played good enough, we found a way.”
Following a tough start to the month, Okotoks won six of its last seven and finished November with a record of 6-3.
The third seed in the South, Okotoks (14-8) trails Coaldale by just one point for second spot.
The Bisons open December with a pair of home dates.
First, the Banff Bears are in town on Dec. 2 for an 8 p.m. puck-drop while Medicine Hat makes its first visit of the season to Murray Arena on Dec. 4 at 1:15 p.m.
For more information go to okotoksbisons.com
