A close game reminds Bears Hockey not to get too comfortable

After gaining a 2-0 lead thanks to the dangerous pairing of Carter Chorney and Ethan Sundar, only to lose in overtime, the MacEwan Griffins have to be thinking, “what just happened?” And not for the first time. The Golden Bears Hockey team sealed their weekend sweep over the Griffins this past Saturday on November 9, after a stressful third period comeback.

This wasn’t the first time the Bears have made a comeback win against the Griffins. On October 4, at MacEwan, the Bears gained a five-goal third period to steal a win after being down 2-1. This marked the first of two embarrassing home game losses for the sixth-ranked team in Canada West this season.

But how did the Bears let such a close game happen? Well, that’s what we’d all like to know. The Canada West leaders have certainly been playing at the top of their game lately, and “they’re just touching the tip of the iceberg,” head coach Ian Herbers said. So could this be a result of over-confidence? Possibly, but if it is, this means that the Bears can recognize this trap and escape it just in time.

Consistent leaders this weekend take home the win while some players slide under the radar

Sean Tschigerl was an absolute beast this weekend. After scoring the game winning goal eight seconds into overtime, he maintained his Canada West scoring leader title. This strong positional player has come in and helped lead the team to a now 9-1-0 record. With 21 points and a 0.407 scoring percentage, Tschigerl is certainly settling in as top-shelf player.

On the defensive side was the 6’6 defensemen Marc Lajoie, who was successful when pinching and racked up the assists. Lajoie does a remarkable job of staying hidden to help drive home the win with critical and stealth plays. When paired with the Canada West assists leader, Aidan de la Gorgendiere, the two secure the blue line to keep the play locked in the offensive zone.

With all these standout players, you might be wondering, “what happened to Brett Hyland?” The Bears’ dynamic left winger has slid under the radar this weekend after doing nothing but standout the last few weeks. This may not be all that odd for Hyland, who stayed off the scoreboard his first two games against the Griffins. Which is unsurprising when you consider that Hyland does best when driving the play into the offensive zone.

However, the Bears’ defence saved the weekend by keeping the play in the offensive area. Of course, we can’t forget that Hyland was coming off an illness heading into this weekend’s games and may not have been playing at 100 per cent.

What are we seeing on the special teams?

The Bears headed into Saturday night’s game with a league-best power play record only to drop to second at the end of the night with a 26.8 per cent efficiency rate. After scoring two power play goals the night before, the Bears had none to show for Saturday night’s game after three power play opportunities.

On the other hand, we’re seeing better performance on the penalty kill. The team went from giving up two goals against on the shorthand the night prior to none on Saturday. This is undoubtedly a step in the right direction for the Bears.

Pretty odd though that the Bears did a complete switch on the special teams. This hasraised questions on how each unit will develop into next weekend’s games against the Regina Rams.