Debriefing Bears’ loss to Huskies: What this means for playoffs

That was a long ride home.

The University of Alberta Golden Bears hockey team’s 4-3 and 4-1 losses to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies on January 24 and 25 threw a wrench in a career high season, overcome by injuries and blended lines. And most importantly, the Bears lost that oh so coveted bye in the first round of playoffs by head coach Ian Herbers.

All it took was one weekend sweep, the first of the season.

A close game one night and a disaster the next. It’s hard to come by for the Bears who are now longing for the days where no one was injured and they were sending away “the disappointed dogs” from Clare Drake in what feels like a lifetime ago. Or was it 200 penalty minutes ago?

Despite a cool, calm, and collected first two periods, the Bears’ final five saw thirty minutes of game misconduct and more time in the box than on the ice for some players. Take away Friday’s game and 10-minute misconducts, and the Bears still spent 23 minutes short-handed — not a good way to win games and not a new problem.

The Bears have been struggling to keep their cool all season. Now, they find themselves almost 100 penalty minutes above the second most penalized team in Canada West. The gap from second to third is around 20.

That’s the path to victory these days. The Bears’ dominant penalty kill was the key to putting the Bears on the board this Saturday after a quick backhand from Brett Hyland, which is second nature for this team.

Credit to wear credit is due — the Huskies’ top ranked power play met its match this weekend.

The Bears, who looked like a short-handed threat this weekend, need to keep their head down, soak the calls, and not sit for half a period. We’re not saying the penalty kill is anything to be ashamed of, but a two-minute game misconduct from the bench is.

First goal sets the tone

Part of that is big bodies playing a fast aggressive game. Marc Lajoie and Mason Ward, both six feet and six inches tall, are the two most penalized players for the Bears. Ward is the most penalized in Canada West. Part of it is due to frustration in a very important game.

Even worse than the obvious frustration, was the lack of energy radiating off the Bears’ bench. There was a depleted sense that the game was over. Maybe that happens when you give up the first goal of the game on Friday and never find a lead. Or when you’re down 3-0 with half a game left the next day.

No excuses though — they’ve been down before and Connor McClennon’s upper body injury or Hyland’s one-game suspension wouldn’t distinguish all their confidence. Nor should being down 1-0 or 3-0. It’s called a third period push for a reason, and we’ve seen them do it.

Can we chalk it up to a weekend fluke, never to be repeated, against an evenly matched team? Possibly, but with the Huskies two in hand over the Bears, all that matters is what this weekend cost them.

The Huskies, with two in hand, might have just won playoffs

It’s too early to say how playoffs will go, but it’s not too early to say who will host. Previously it looked liked the Bears would not only get a bye, but host the second and third round. Now that they’ve fallen from not only the first in Canada West, but first in the East division, they’ll host the first round and travel for the last two.

This isn’t terrible, but the Bears now face a harder road to the playoff final and secured position at nationals.

As of now, the Bears will play the Calgary Dinos at home, followed by Mount Royal University in Calgary, and if all goes well, play the Huskies in Saskatchewan.

However, if the Huskies lose their extra two games over the Bears, most likely against the University of British Columbia, they’ll tie the Bears in points, head-to-head, and win-losses. Then it all come down to goal differentials.

But hey, anything can happen in six games, even for the Bears who have to win four straight to stay in the race — but the push starts now, or it doesn’t start at all.