The Bears have the duty to strike down the Kings in the first round of the playoffs.
In an early playoff preview, the Banff Hockey Academy Bears staged a 4-2 victory over the Strathmore Wheatland Kings Tuesday (Feb. 2) just before their Heritage Junior Hockey League playoffs matchup.
It is the second consecutive year BHA has made the playoffs.
Nathan Cohen-Wallis, Kenta Tanaka, Spencer Selby and Rei Kikuchi all scored for the Bears.
After going down by two in the first, Banff fought back into the game with four unanswered goals.
“The boys, I think, are in a good headspace in terms of we can play in these games,” said Coach Bill Doherty. “We’ve been talking that there’s a way to win every hockey game and (the game Sunday) was an example of that.”
The team will need continued consistent solid goaltending from Joel Lepper and Jacob Anthony, said Doherty.
Banff’s assistant captain and forward Mitch Wainman said the biggest keys to success during the first round is playing disciplined and executing the team’s game plan.
“You can see we’re getting chances; we’re going strong and hard and if we just put that puck in the net and stay out of the box we’ll be golden,” Wainman said.
Wainman assisted in both goals in a 3-2 loss to the Coaldale Copperheads in Banff’s final home game of the regular season on Sunday (Jan. 31).
Late in the second period, Wainman said, he wished he could redo his shorthanded breakaway after he was stuffed by Coaldale goalie Dylan Swanson.
“I was going in and I saw the blocker side there, but as I was shooting the puck it let up on my stick,” Wainman said. “I went for the rebound and got jumped from behind.”
Banff forward Philip Schader will return to the lineup for the final game of the season Friday (Feb. 5) against the Okotoks Bisons after a two-game suspension for a check from behind that shelved the 18 year old.
