One for the Memory Banks

Canadiens remain undefeated with 5-4 win over Bisons

People will be talking about this game for a while. The number one seeded St. Paul Canadiens hosted number two seeded, Wainwright Bisons on Friday evening on the Clancy Richard Arena. It was a true barn burning, action packed, back-and-forth, battle till the bitter-end hockey game.

“You could tell it was two teams that really wanted to win and send a message that’s it’s going to be a tough year whenever we play each other,” says Head Coach of the Canadiens, Joe Young. The Canadiens set the tone early by taking full advantage of a Bisons penalty, when Ryley Wozniak scored on the power play, thanks to the help of teammates, Zach Bendall and Morgan Greve.

“It was a high intensity game, no one was going to back down. Both teams just wanted to push the pace and play with a lot of physicality. It was one of the better games that I’ve been a part of; honestly, for the last two or three years.” The second period started with a goal from Bisons’ defenseman, Keenan Scott. Which lead into a goal from St. Paul’s Elias Chaulk, assists going to Brayden Goulet and Greve.

That’s when things started to get heated. Around the 16 minute mark an all out brawl broke out between the Canadiens’ Bailey Lonsberry and Bisons’ Carson Leggett; which lead into some real Junior B style rough hockey. For the remaining three minutes of the second, it got rough and somehow in there Wainwright managed to tie it up, to make it a 2-2 game.

“The crowd was so into it,” Coach Young says it was the electrifying atmosphere of the Clancy that propelled the team through the third. Tyler Fischer of the Bisons opened up the period with the go-ahead goal 20 seconds in; it took seven minutes for the Canadiens to respond thanks to a beauty from Captain Zach Sylvestre (assists Goulet & Bendall). It was short lived as Fischer advanced the Bisons again.

“With about four and a half minutes left we tied it (Sylvestre) and then won it on the powerplay (Bendall); that was a good feeling.” Coach Young says the team responded very well when they were down and had a much cleaner third period; that resulted in the win. “That will do nothing, but help us down the road. They know they can battle back and make it hard on the other team.”

The Canadiens have a rare Wednesday night showing in Saddle Lake this week and then will be back home Saturday to take on Lloydminister. WIN tickets to home Canadiens games on LCN!