2017-18 Manitoba Bisons/USports Thread

Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
July 24: Lots of players are going pro.

I found a cross-section of official and unofficial stories, dealing mostly with players moving on from the CWUAA.

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Three Monkeys are on their way to play for the Flames, the Guildford Flames that is. The former Apes are Rhett Rachinski, Brennan Yadlowski, and Jesse Craige. Craige had already gone pro a year ago and the others had no further eligibility left. Guildford is moving up from the EPHL where they enjoyed immense success, to the EIHL. Remember that the Bisons face three EIHL teams in the pre-season.

Links:
¶ [U of A Story]


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The T-irds are losing their leading scorer from a year ago. Anthony Bardaro has signed with HC Asiago of the Alps Hockey League. He still had a year of eligibility left. The Alps league is Austria-based and is their 2nd tier league (behind the EBEL). The league also has the better teams from Slovenia and Italy.

Links:
¶ [UBC Story]
¶ [CWUAA Story]


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Bedrock U has no story posted but there are links for a few departures, all of whom played just one season for the Dinos. Two back-up players are moving down the hockey ladder. Darcy DeRoose is going to the Red Deer College Kings and Mac Colasimone is off to the S.F.U. Clown. Meanwhile, Parker Bowles is going pro with the Tillburg Trappers, a Dutch team playing in the Oberliga, Germany's 3rd tier league. Bowles had 12 points in 12 games. Colasimone dressed in 7 games and had 2 goals and 1 assist. DeRoose had 1 goal and 2 assists in his 11 games.

Links:
¶ [Tillburg Story on Bowles (in Dutch)]
¶ [SJHL Story on DeRoose]
¶ [SFU Story on Colasimone]


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Meanwhile, across town, the M.R.U. Bluegars will bid farewell to defenceman Emerson Hrynyk. He is off to the Dundee Stars of the EIHL. This former Dauphin King had a year of eligibility left. No word on whether Dundee has restaurants that serve perogies with haggis.

Links:
¶ [Dundee Story]


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Amidst the stories of departures, I also see that the Regina Banjo Cats landed a goaltender. Michael Herringer has the unenviable task of facing the onslaught of shots in the Regina goal. He'll see more rubber than ... ah forget it. He's had some OK numbers, so Regina must be happy getting a recruit from the Dub. They need many more of those.

Links:
¶ [Tweet from Kelowna]
¶ [Elite Prospects Page]
 
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Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
July 25: A T-ird wins gold

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Once again, the T-irds have more off-season news. Defenceman Kyle Becker helped Canada win gold at the Maccabiah Games, the "Jewish Olympics". There was a 5-team round-robin, where Canada went 4-0-0 to place 1st. In the final Canada beat USA 7-2 for gold. Russia beat Israel for bronze, and Germany placed 5th. There were almost 10,000 fans in the sold-out arena for the final game.

Links:
¶ [UBC Story]
¶ [Games Standings]
 
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Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Aug 4: Slow News Is Some News

The teams in the CW have not had much to say so far. UBC is the exception, albeit mostly with stories of players moving on lately.

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It is appropriate that Antilla the Hun is off to Hungary. T-ird grad Joe Antilla has signed with Hungarian team Alba Volán Székesfehérvár from the Austria-based EBEL. Bison coach Ryan Bonni played for that team back in 2008-09. That's a pretty good league.

Links:
¶ [UBC Story]


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The Banjo Mutts announced their annual Off The Leash Luncheon will be held November 2nd and guest speaker will be Brendan Shanahan. No doubt Shanny has always wanted to spray a fire hydrant.

Links:
¶ [U of S Story]


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The Bisons' British Tour is now only 3 weeks away. The tickets are fairly pricey. The Belfast Giants charge £25-£35 (C$41-C$58) for adults for two games, and for children its £14-£22 (C$23-C$36). Edinburgh Capitals are much cheaper, £5 for children and £10 for adults. Braehead's links for tickets are not up and running yet. But for their other exhibition games the range is £9-£27. So if I were on tour the tickets would cost me more than a season pass over here! In fact, AHL Moose tickets are cheaper.

Links:
¶ [Belfast Giants Announcement]
¶ [Edinburgh Capitals - Ticket Page]
¶ [Braehead Facebook Event Page] ∞ [Braehead Fixtures]


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Lots of CW (and CIS) coaches have made it big and two, former Calgary Dinos' head coach Willie Desjardins and former Saskatchewan Huskies' head coach Dave King, were named to Hockey Canada's coaching staff for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Desjardins will be the head coach. Mike Babcock (Lethbridge) was at the helm in 2010 and 2014, and Dave King himself led the way in 1984, 1988, and 1992. Clare Drake (Alberta) was one three "head coaches" in 1980, along with Tom Watt and Lorne Davis. George Kingston (Calgary) and Wayne Fleming (Manitoba) have served as assistants.

Links:
¶ [CWUAA Story]
 
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Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Aug 6: Merasty to Wichita, and more

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Shaq Merasty has been signed by the Wichita Thunderof the ECHL. He was one of the leading scorers for the Bisons and although he has been out of junior for 5 seasons already, he still had one year left. (He played in the NCAA3, got 2nd team all-American honours, red-shirted, and then spent 3 years with the Bisons.) In 28 NCAA3 games he was 22-16-38. His peak season in the CW was 14-16-30 in 2015-16.

Also, upcoming Bison opponent Edinburgh Capitals signed yet another Acadia alum, Dylan Anderson. That gives the Caps two former Cajuns and the Bisons one for that game coming up on August 29th.

Links:
¶ [Merasty @Elite Prospects]
¶ [Findlay @Twitter]
¶ [Edinburgh @Twitter]
¶ [Edinburgh Story]


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No post would be complete without a UBC story. This one tells us that the T-irds previously-announced exhibition games against the Trinity Western Spartans and the St.F.U. Clown are part of a tournament sponsored by the Vancouver Giants called the "Captains Cup". Seems silly, since the games are so spread out, but if it generates some interest so be it. The BCIHL schedule is still stuck at 2016-17.

Captains Cup Schedule
Sep 15 SFU at UBC – 7 p.m.
Sep 16 TWU at SFU – 7 p.m.
Sep 30 TWU at UBC – 2 p.m.

Links:
¶ [UBC Story]
¶ [UBC Schedule]
¶ [BCIHL Schedule]



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There has been nothing official from the Hørny Ønes in a long time. And there still has not been. Twitter tells us that Vancouver Giants' defenceman Jeff Rayman is going to Lethbridge. With 7 goals in 205 WHL games he is not being brought in to light up the scoreboard. They should find a 6'3" big guy in front of the net to be useful.

Links:
¶ [Findlay @Twitter]
 
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Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Bisons seem to head to Europe quite often.

They went in 2011 and 2013 as well. Way back they were Canada's reps in the 1931 World's and 1966 Universiade. Not sure if they had any exhibition trips in between.
 

Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Aug 19: A week away from 1st game, and CW gets new look

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The CW got a new logo, and a secondary abbreviation version. They even have different colour schemes for each team to use. I display the Bison colours here.

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MANITOBA BISONS (0-0-0, 0-0-0)
BELFAST GIANTS (0-0-0, 0-0-0)


Saturday, August 26th, 1:00 PM CDT @ The SSE Arena (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
Sunday, August 27th, 10:00 AM CDT @ The SSE Arena (Belfast, Northern Ireland)


The Herd opens the season in one week. They face the Belfast Giants on Sat Aug 26 and Sun Aug 27. There are a whole lot of links from the Irish. The Bison roster page is still on 2016-17.

Links:
¶ Launch Day: [Giants' Story] ∞ [Facebook Event]
¶ Roster: [@Elite Prospects] ∞ [@Giants] ∞ [@UofM]
¶ Elite Prospects career stats: [Paul Deniset] ∞ [Kevin Saurette]
¶ Giants': [Facebook] ∞ [Twitter] ∞ [Wikipedia]


The Giants have one of those free events for fans today. They are the EIHL's best franchise when it comes to putting fans in seats. So the Bisons should be in an AHL-type environment for the games.

The team is also quite successful on the ice. Founded in 2000-01, they have won the championship (finishing 1st overall) four times, and the playoffs twice (this is considered secondary in British hockey). In the last 8 years they have been 1st twice and 2nd three times, including last year.

The Giants have been successful because they identify with neither Irish nor British, nor Catholic nor Protestant. Sports teams over there usually do, which adds spice (and sometimes violence) to rivalries.

Two former Bison stars played for the Giants in the past but are now retired: Kevin Saurette and Paul Deniset.

Kevin Saurette was with the Bisons for 5 years starting in 2001-02 and finished his pro career in Belfast. He arrived there during the 2012-13 season and stayed for 2.5 years, finishing in 2014-15. His peak Bison season was 21-32-53 in 40 games (Elite Prospects included non-conference games in some stats) and his peak Giants' numbers were 31-34-65 in 52 games.

Paul Deniset was a Bison for 4 years starting in 2002-03 during which he was usually lined up with Saurette. He had two stints in Belfast, 2008-09 and 2011-12. Hard to choose his best Bison season. Is 34-22-56 in 42 games better than 26-25-51 in 32 games? He was a dynamic goal-scorer for the Bisons no matter how you look at it. His numbers were also impressive in Belfast, peaking at 27-39-66 in 39 games.

A smattering of Giants pictures shows they have a choice of colourful jerseys. And their fans seem to appreciate a tussle once in a while.

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Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Aug 22: Around the horn round-up

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The Bisons still don't have a new roster page. But we do have their new banner logo. And The Manitoban has posted a tour story with comments from Brett Stovin. Saturday the Belfast Giants displayed their four different jerseys for this season. I am not a fan of the heavy advertised Euro-look.

The Bisons also reposted the CW story on CanadaWest.tv. A hockey pass is $35.99 ($29.99 early bird) and other prices are stated in the story. The debut broadcast is an exhibition football game on Wednesday.

Links:
¶ [UofM rp @CW Logo Story]
¶ [Manitoban: Tour Story]
¶ [CanadaWest.tv Story]


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The Hørny Ønes made it official with four new recruits, bringing their total announcements to six. The new players are:

- Jeff Rayman - defence - Vancouver Giants (WHL)
- Taylor Fisher - defence - Selkirk Steelers (MJHL)
- Tyler Maltby - right wing - Sherwood Park (AJHL)
- Jonny Hogue - goaltender - Odessa Jackalopes (NAHL)
- Ty Edmonds - goaltender - Prince George Cougars (NAHL)

Maltby had committed to Arizona State but that fell through for some reason. He scored a ton in Junior A, just over a PPG.

They also continued their flood of new stories with word of a new assistant coach, Kevin Higo, who was the head coach of the Grand Prairie Storm of the AJHL.

Links:
¶ [UofL Recruiting Story] ● [rp @CW]
¶ [UofL rp @CW Logo Story]
¶ [UofL Higo Story]


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Nate Fleming became the 5th T-ird to sign a pro deal. He is going to the Manchester Storm of the EIHL.

Links:
¶ [UBC Story]


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The Bluegars have nothing at all on their website this off-season. But they have retweeted a few recruiting announcements.

- Bradley Kennedy - forward - Weeks (MHL)/Halifax (QMJHL)
- Mitchell Lipon - centre - Whitecourt (AJHL)
- Kord Pankewicz - defence - Brooks (AJHL)/Lethbridge (WHL)

All of them have split time between Major Junior and Junior A. Kennedy had been in the QMJHL until mid-way through last season. Lipon once played in the WHL but has been back in Junior A for 2½ years. Pankewicz had four seasons in the Dub before splitting last season between that and Junior A.

Links:
¶ [Kennedy retweet]
¶ [Lipon retweet]
¶ [Pankewicz retweet]


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The Banjo Mutts tweeted their CW conference banner and issued a press release with their recruits. They landed more players than I thought they needed. Here are the newest fire hydrant-cleaners:

- Taran Kozun - goaltender - Rosetown Red Wings (redshirt after minor league season with 4 teams)
- Collin Shirley - left wing/centre - Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
- Carter Folk - left wing - Victoria Royals (WHL)
- Taylor Sanheim - forward - Penticton Vees (BCHL)
- Jesse Shynkaruk - forward - Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
- Alex Forsberg - left wing/centre - Victoria Royals (WHL)
- MacKenzie Johnston - defenceman - Rosetown Red Wings (redshirt after MRU)

Links:
¶ [UofS Story]


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The Banjo Cats previously announced the signing of a goaltender. They have now announced more signings. They must be purring with five additions from the Dub, much more than in recent seasons.

- Michael Herringer - goaltender - Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
- Troy Murray - defence - Kootenay Ice (WHL)
- Zak Zborosky - forward - Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
- Ben Duperreault - forward - Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
- Jacob Cardiff - forward - Spokane Chiefs (WHL)

Links:
¶ [UofR Story] ● [rp @CW]
 
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Rob

Registered User
Feb 27, 2002
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Zak Zborosky is a huge addition for a team like Regina. They have been basement dwellers for so long now. He is the type of player that I would have expected to end up at UofS or UofA. Guess he is a hometown boy though.
 

Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Aug 25: Puck Drops Tomorrow

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The puck drops tomorrow for the Bisons-Belfast series but nothing new on the Bison tour, nor of the roster. Hopefully I can find a LeagueStat kind of source for rosters etc. If you have £10 you can watch on-line, or £12 for both! Post-game highlights will likely be on their YouTube page.

The CW is also releasing stories on each team's CW recruits. The Bisons already announced theirs. To remind you, here they are again:

- Lucas Skrumeda - defence - Everett Silvertips (WHL)
- Calvin Spencer - forward - Vancouver Giants (WHL)
- Michael St. Croix - forward - SEPT (Allan Cup, red shirt after 3 seasons in AHL/ECHL after Edmonton in WHL)
- Zach Franko - forward - Innisfail (Allan Cup, red shirt after 2 seasons with Acadia after Kootenay in WHL)

Links:
¶ [CW Story re: Bison WHL recruits]
¶ [Belfast Story: Keefe Wants Wins]
¶ [Webcast at Giants Live]
¶ [Belfast YouTube]


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The Evil Monkeys confirmed their new collection of Apes, one of whom (Sawchenko) was previously announced. Magee finished his junior career in Victoria (WHL) then went pro.

- Clayton Kirichenko - defence - Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
- Brandon Magee - forward - Lacombe Generals (red shirt after season in ECHL)
- Steven Owre - forward - Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
- Zach Sawchenko - goaltender - Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)

Links:
¶ [UofA Story]


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The Bluegars' conference banner was out, briefly, and then replaced with one featuring a new logo. How about that. Their website still has no feature stories. However, one commitment story is part of a batch of releases on the CW site. They have Riley Lindgren, a forward from Swift Current (WHL). He had 74 points in 72 games. I suppose the rest of their recruits will be from Junior A. Their 2017-18 schedule has been posted, but their only listed exhibition game is the one announced by and against Saskatchewan.

Links:
¶ [CW Story]
¶ [MRU Schedule]


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The CW's story on the previously announced CW recruits for the T-irds is out there now. To recap:

- Rylan Toth - goal - Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
- Graham Millar - forward - Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL)
- Matt Revel - forward - Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
- Tyler Sandhu - forward - Tri-City Americans (WHL)
- Austin Glover - forward - Red Deer Rebels (WHL)

Links:
¶ [CW Story]
 
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Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Aug 26-27: Bisons Split in Belfast

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The only links I could find were from Belfast's Twitter feed. They have loads of good photos but no summary nor boxscore. They did not mention who scored the Bison goals. So I have posted what is there.

Saturday, August 26, 2017

MANITOBA BISONS 6
BELFAST GIANTS 4


Links:
Giants' Tweets: [1st] : [2nd] : [Final]
UofM: [Schedule/Results Page]


The Bisons held period leads of 3-1 and 5-2. The Giants pulled to within 1 before the Bisons put it away.

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Channing Bresciani and Brett Brooks in mid-ice.

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Justin Augert and the new #16 can't stop a crease crash goal. I hope he's a defenceman.

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Byron Spriggs got the win.

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Zach Franko takes over Jordan Depape's #27.

Sunday, August 27, 2017

MANITOBA BISONS 6
BELFAST GIANTS 7

(in overtime)

Links:
Giants' Tweets: [1st] : [2nd] : [Final]
UofM: [Schedule/Results Page]


This must have been wild. The Bisons had period leads of 2-1 and 4-2. But Belfast scored 4 goals in the 3rd to take a 6-4 lead. The Bisons rallied to force overtime, including a last-minute goal.

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Looks like Sean Christensen is back.

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Adam Henry is one of many Bison defencemen to have a picture taken.

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I wonder if Rene Hunter crushed anybody.

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Newcomer Lukas Skrumeda got Shaq's #25.

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Dasan Sydora played at least part of the game in goal.

UP NEXT

Aug 29 Bisons at Edinburgh
Aug 31 Bisons at Braehead

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The Bluegars posted two stories on their new look.

Links:
¶ [Aug 25th Press Release]
¶ [School Release - with alt logos]
 
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Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Preview: Aug 29-31: Bisons in Scotland

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MANITOBA BISONS (0-0-0, 1-0-1)
EDINBURGH CAPITALS (0-0-0, 0-0-0)
BRAEHEAD CLAN (0-0-0, 1-3-0)


Tuesday, August 29th, 1:30 PM CDT @ Murrayfield Ice Rink (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Thursday, August 31st, 1:30 PM CDT @ Braehead Arena (Glasgow, Scotland)


Links:
¶ Capitals' Stories: [Focus on the Bisons] ∞ [Strong Squad Ready]
¶ Roster: [@Elite Prospects] ∞ [@Capitals]
¶ Elite Prospects career stats: [Taylor Stefishen] ∞ [Mike Cazzola] ∞ [Dylan Anderson] ∞ [Michael D'Orazio]
¶ Capitals': [Facebook] ∞ [Twitter] ∞ [YouTube]
¶ Murrayfield Ice Rink: [History]
¶ Clan Stories: [Ryan Potulny Signed] ∞ [Fixtures/Results]
¶ Roster: [@Elite Prospects] ∞ [@Clan]
¶ Clan: [Facebook] ∞ [Twitter] ∞ [Event Page]


The Bison tour has finished its Irish leg and now it is time for the Scottish leg. I believe the last time the Bisons played in Scotland was 1931 when they were touring before and after the world championship tournament. They stopped in England and beat their national team four times (7-0, 7-1, 2-1, and 3-2) and Oxford University once (4-0) before defeating the Scottish national team (11-1).

The Edinburgh Capitals are the Bisons' first Scottish opponent of the tour. The Capitals have four former CIS/USports players on their roster. Taylor Stefishen played for the Calgary Dinos from 2011-12 through 2013-14 and has since played in the AHL, ECHL, and various Euro leagues. Mike Cazzola was with Acadia from 2012-13 through 2015-16, then split last season between the AHL and ECHL. Dylan Anderson played for Queen's last year, after four years with Acadia. Michael D'Orazio is entering his second season with Edinburgh after having played five seasons for St. Mary's.

Last year the Capitals were last in the EIHL (then a 10 team league). Their record was 16-33-3. Their head coach is former NHLer Dmitri Kristich.

The team even has cheerleaders, one of whom is very tall, as seen in the photo. They also incorporate the Scottish flag into their jerseys. Nice touch.

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The Braehead Clan were 5th in the EIHL last year, at 24-22-6. They have no CIS grads. Of note, Clan goaltender Ryan Nie played for the Johnstown Chiefs (of Slapshot fame) in 2007-08. Was he mentored by Denis Lemieux? Also, forward Tyler Scofield played for the OCN Blizzard (of the MJHL) in 2004-05.

Just today, the Clan inked former NHLer Ryan Potulny.

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The two Bison opponents this week are joined by two more teams from Scotland, the Dundee Stars and Fife Flyers. (Fife is a historic team that returned to top tier hockey in the UK the same season as the Jets returned to Winnipeg.) The four Scottish teams also have a competition for the Scottish Cup. The event is being held in Edinburgh September 9th and 10th. The four teams will rotate hosting this each season.

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Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Aug 29: Bisons Edge Capitals

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MANITOBA BISONS 2
EDINBURGH CAPITALS 1


Links:
Capitals' Tweets: [1st] : [2nd] : [Final] : [MoM]
Capitals' Site: [Fixtures/Results Page] ∞ [Match Reports]
Game stories: [Edinburgh Reporter]
Elite Prospects career stats: [Calum Robertson]
UofM: [Schedule/Results Page]


Details are sketchy because while the UK teams love their pictures they have not twigged on to boxscores or summaries. But Edinburgh has a newspaper with a story, which tells us that Bison goals were scored by newcomers Lucas Skrumeda and Michael St. Croix. Skrumeda's opener came after 4 minutes and Calum Robertson scored after 10 minutes to tie it up. St. Croix's winner came with just 6 seconds left. Robertson was "Man of the Match" for the Scots and Channing Bresciani countered for the Herd.

Robertson is just 16 years old, and a valuable Scottish non-import. He played Under-16 as a 13 and 14 year old, notching 44 goals in 24 games.While playing Under-20 as a 14 and 15 year old he scored 32 goals in 19 games. Also as a 15 year old, he scored 8 goals in 9 games in the SNL (2nd tier men's league behind the EIHL) and 2 more in 5 games for Britain in the Under-18 worlds.

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A joint team picture is a nice touch.

LATE LINKS

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Some late links from the Belfast series have popped up.

Links:
Game stories: [Giants' Site] ∞ [Belfast Telegraph]


UP NEXT

Aug 31 Bisons at Braehead
Sep 15 Bisons v Saskatchewan (at Regina)
Sep 16 Bisons v Calgary (at Regina)

OTHER NEWS AROUND THE C.W.

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The Hørny Ønes are holding a Scholarship Breakfast on September 28th and Michael Landsberg will be the guest speaker. He has done a lot of work speaking on mental health issues.

Link:
¶ [UofL Story]


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Nothing has been posted on the Bedrock U nor Bluegar websites yet. So thank goodness for the CUSN!

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The Dinos have a massive group of 13 recruits from the WHL. I thought they were fortunate to do as well as they did last year. But this many newcomers should improve them. They did incur significant off-season losses due to graduation and pro deals. I can't wait for LeagueStat to update roster pages to see which players are back across the league. Here's the list:

Calgary Dinos 2017-18 WHL recruits:
- Jordan Papirny - G - Swift Current
- Colton Bobyk - D - Red Deer
- Shaun Dosanjh - D - Portland
- Ryan Gagnon - D - Victoria
- Aaron Irving - D - Everett
- Matt Alfaro - F - Lethbridge
- Tyler Coulter - F - Brandon
- Ryan Graham - F - Swift Current
- Riley Sheen - F - Red Deer
- Josh Uhrich - F - Seattle
- Tim Vanstone - F - Prince Albert

Red-shirt:
- Graham Black* - F - Swift Current

Transfer from Regina:
- Trent Lofthouse^ - F - Vancouver

Links:
¶ [WHL Tweet]
¶ [WHL Story]


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The Bluegars' list is predominantly Junior A grads. On paper, the Dinos easily won this recruiting war. I always caution to be careful when it comes to Junior A recruits, i.e. don't assume they are below the calibre of Major Junior. But this is pretty tilted.

Here's the list:
- Ryley Lindgren - F - Swift Current (WHL)
- Mitch Lipon - F - Whitecourt (AJHL)
- Kord Pankewicz - D - Brooks (AJHL)
- Clive Rozdeba - D - Kindersley (SJHL)
- Josh Bly - F - Nipawin (SJHL)
- Austin Adamson - F - Vernon (BCHL)
- Hunter Zandee - F - Vernon (BCHL)
- Bradley Kennedy - F - Weeks (MJAHL)

Link:
¶ [CUSN Canada-wide recruiting list]
 
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Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Aug 24: Blues beat Japanese team

TorontovKeio-73h.jpg


TORONTO BLUES 5
KEIO UNIVERSITY 0


Link:
U of T: [Preview] : [Game Story]
Keio: [Team Site] : [Wikia]


There is a touring Japanese team from Keio University who stopped off at the Big Lemon for a game against the U of T. This was not on their original schedule. I found a link about this on the USports site.
 

Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Aug 31: Big Win for Bisons

Manitoba-50px.gif
Braehead_Clan-50x50.jpg


MANITOBA BISONS 7
BRAEHEAD CLAN 1

Links:

Clan Tweets: [1st] : [1st pix] : [2nd] : [2nd pix] : [Final]
Clan Site: [Preview] ∞ [Fixtures/Results Page]
Audio: [YouTube: Clan Radio]
Game stories: [The Gazette - story to come]
UofM: [Schedule/Results Page]


No game stories are available as I post, so Twitter is my friend. The Bisons enjoyed period leads of 4-0 and 5-1 en route to a convincing win. I included two posts which contain four pictures each, and there were many more if you feel like searching.

An interesting bonus is the YouTube link. If you want to hear play-by-play with a Scottish accent, give it a listen. I listened at the end of the 1st period and it sounded like Wasylak, Franko, Henry, and Zajac scored in that period. Some names don't sound the same in Scottish. I believe that the other scorers were Laurencelle, Brooks, and Shawn Bowles. I suspect they will in due time upload some highlights to that channel.

So the Bisons end the tour 3-0-1, which is decent enough.

170831-_MB-_BC-_Sharonov.400w.jpg

Victor Sharonov is a 6'5" Russian who was on the roster but did not play in the 2nd semester last year.

170831-_MB-_BC-_Spriggs.400w.jpg

Byron Spriggs was between the pipes.

170831-_MB-_BC-_Wasylak.400w.jpg

Opponents hit the ice when Jonah Wasylak is around.

Braehead-2017-jerseys-400w.jpg

Braehead unveiled their new jerseys. They blended the ads better than most Euro jerseys.

NEXT UP

Sep 15 Manitoba v Saskatchewan (at Regina)
Sep 16 Manitoba v Calgary (at Regina)
Sep 22 Regina at Manitoba (7:00 at Seven Oaks Arena)
Sep 23 Regina at Manitoba (2:00 at Wayne Fleming Arena)
Sep 30 Manitoba at North Dakota (7:07 at Grand Forks)

The foregoing are all exhibition games. The regular season starts Oct 7.
 

Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Sept 1: More UK Links

LATE LINKS

Some new links have been found about the Bison trip to the British Isles.

Manitoba-50px.gif
Belfast_Giants-50x50.jpg


Link:

BBC story: [Keefe Interview]


I still have not found a good game story on either Belfast game which at least says who scored for the Bisons. I don't think UK teams ever upload boxscores or summaries, at least for pre-season games. But lots of photos and links to buy tickets, which is good.

Manitoba-50px.gif
EdinburghCapitals-2009-50x50.jpg


Links:

Edinburgh Reporter: [Khristich Pre-Game] : [Khristich Post-Game] : [Calum Robertson Profile] : [Robertson MOM]
Student Newspaper: [Game Story]


We now know that the Bison scorers were Zach Franko and Michael St. Croix. In goal, Byron Spriggs started and Dasan Sydora came in mid-way in the 2nd period.

Manitoba-50px.gif
BraeheadClan-50x50.jpg


Links:

The Herald: [Coach John Tripp]
Evening Times: [Clan Page] : [Potulny Signing]
Team Site: [Game Story]


The team's game story tells us all the Bison scorers. Here they are, in order:
1st period: Jonah Wasylak, Zach Franko, Adam Henry, Nick Zajac
2nd period: Blake Heinrich
3rd period: Michael St. Croix, Shawn Bowles

Byron Spriggs went the distance in goal. I have not seen in photos nor mentioned in a story last season's back-up goaltender Justin Paulic, nor any new recruit in net. The Bisons (and all teams for that matter) really need to upload roster pages for 2017-18.
 

Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Tour highlight videos

YOUTUBE HIGHLIGHTS READY

Just click and watch in a new window ...


Bisons @ Giants - game 2


Bisons @ Capitals


Bisons @ Clan


Bisons' 2016-17 highlights
 

Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Sept 4: Labour Day Media Search

ASSORTED LINKS

U-_Sports-50x50.jpg


Any player recruited should be known by now. There has been a trickle of last-minute announcements, none from the CW. Elite Prospects compiles a list at the link. CUSN has been the best source so far and their link is here, too.

Links:

Elite Prospects: [CIS Confirmed Transfers]
CUSN: [Transactions Page]


CW-2017-_Manitoba-_CW-50x50.jpg


I found some media stories about the recruits already announced through official sources. The WHL also sent out team-specific stories on recruits, some of which were re-posted and previously linked.

Links:

Saskatchewan: [CKOM Recruits Story]
Lethbridge: [Lethbridge Herald Recruits Story]
WHL: [Man] : [MRU] : [Sask] : [Alta] : [Cal] : [UBC] : [Leth] : [Reg]


EIHL-50x50.jpg

Even after the Bison tour of the UK ended, there was a continuing trickle of stories, posted here.

Links:

BBC: [Edinburgh Capitals turn to Russian recruits]
Edinburgh Reporter: [Capitals sit-out as Clan re-group]
Belfast Telegraph: [Manitoba-Belfast Game Story (problems loading in Firefox)]


edmonton-oilers-50x50.jpg
Mac_Ewan-50x50.jpg
NAIT-50x50.jpg

Instead of playing the Evil Monkeys, the Edmonton Greasers prospects will face a combined team of NAIT and MacEwan players. Will they be called the Oookins?

Link:

Edmonton Journal: [The time-honoured Edmonton Oilers rookies vs. University of Alberta Golden Bears game will change on the fly next month]


Calgary-_UC-50x50.jpg

Dinos' coach Mark Howell was amongst those interviewed for a Bedrock U story on "trash talk". Basically, they conclude that venting helps a-holes vent.

Link:

The Gauntlet: [Trash-talk an unavoidable part of sport]
 

Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Sept 6: Schedules & Rosters

CW-2017-MRUBanner2-116x73.jpg

First, dealing with schedules, MRU has updated theirs to include the 3 games previously noted. However, they have changed opponents on Sept 27, so that they will play the Evil Monkeys instead of Bedrock U. However, Alberta does not list the game, and Calgary still does.

http://www.mrucougars.com/sports/mice/2017-18/schedule
https://www.ualberta.ca/athletics/teams/hockey-m/schedule
http://www.godinos.com/schedule.aspx?path=mhockey&

CW-2017-73x73.jpg

Second, regarding rosters, not one team has 2017-18 posted. Here are the links to follow along:

https://www.ualberta.ca/athletics/teams/hockey-m/roster
http://www.godinos.com/roster.aspx?path=mhockey&
http://gohorns.ca/roster.aspx?path=mhockey
http://gobisons.ca/roster.aspx?path=mhockey
http://www.mrucougars.com/sports/mice/2017-18/roster
http://www.reginacougars.com/roster.aspx?path=mhockey&
http://huskies.usask.ca/sports/mice/2016-17/roster
http://www.gothunderbirds.ca/roster.aspx?path=mhockey

And here is the link to Canada West's Hockey Tech roster page.

http://canadawest.hockeytech.com/men/stats/roster/5
 

Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Preview: Sept 8-10: Domestic Pre-Season Starts

The "domestic" part of the pre-season begins with a trickle of games, centred in Saudi Alberta and La Belle Province.

Alberta-_UA-_lines-50x50.jpg
NAIT-50x50.jpg
Augustana-2017-50x50.jpg


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS (0-0-0, 2016-17: 18-8-2)
N.A.I.T. OOKS (0-0-0, 2016-17: 22-4-2)
AUGUSTANA VIKINGS (0-0-0, 2016-17: 18-9-1)


Sep 08 N.A.I.T. v Alberta (at Athabasca)
Sep 09 Augustana v N.A.I.T. (at Athabasca)
Sep 10 Alberta v Augustana (at Athabasca)


Links:
¶ [Alberta Team Site] ∞ [Alberta Twitter]
¶ [NAIT Team Site] ∞ [Weekend Preview]
¶ [Augustana Team Site]
¶ [Eventbrite] ∞ [ACHC Event Page]


The Evil Monkeys start their season in a 3-way dance against two ACAC teams, NAIT and Augustana. The three teams will play a round-robin tournament at Athabasca University, a place without hockey or other sports teams.

Lethbridge-box-head-_R-50x50.jpg
Calgary-box-2013-head-_L-50x50.jpg


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (0-0-0, 2016-17: 11-14-3)
CALGARY DINOS (0-0-0, 2016-17: 18-9-1)


Sep 08 Lethbridge at Calgary
Sep 09 Calgary at Lethbridge


Links:
¶ [Calgary Roster] ∞ [Calgary Twitter]
¶ [Lethbridge Team Site] ∞ [Lethbridge Twitter]


Bedrock U is first off the mark with their team roster page. Those gone are: Elgin Pearce, Dylan Walchuk, Coda Gordon, Parker Bowles, Danny Gayle, and Braiden Doucette. Those players are 6 of their top 12 scorers from a season ago. So while they have a strong recruiting class, they will really need it to stay on par with last year.

OUT EAST

Sep 08 Concordia at U.Q.T.R.
Sep 09 R.M.C. at McGill
Sep 09 U.Q.T.R. at Concordia

Links:
¶ [LeagueStat RMC-McG]
¶ [UQTR Twitter]
¶ [Concordia Team Site]
¶ [McGill Team Site]


One never knows where to look for scores so I included a hodge-podge. McGilla is uploading their RMC game to LeagueStat. All teams should.
 
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Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Sept 8: Lots of Goals on Opening Night

Lethbridge-old-50x50.jpg
Calgary-pre-2012-50x50.jpg


LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 4
CALGARY DINOS 7


Links:
U of L: [S&R] : [Tweet1] : [Tweet2]
U of C: [S&R] : [Tweet]


Not much for links on this game. The Lethbridge Tweets tell us that their goal scorers were Sanvido (with 2), White, and Moser.

Alberta-_UA-yellow3-50x50.jpg
NAIT-50x50.jpg


ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 4
N.A.I.T. OOKS 3

(in overtime)

Links:
U of A: [S&R] : [Tweet]
NAIT: [Team Site] : [Twitter]
ACHC: [Event Site] : [Tweet]


The Evil Monkeys and Ooks started with what seems to have been quite a game. There are no game stories out there. All I know is that "Sanford got the winner". The Athabasca College Hockey Challenge continues with NAIT v Augustana on Saturday and Augustana v Alberta on Sunday.

OUT EAST/COLLEGE

Concordia 1 UQTR 6 : [CU Tweet]
Minot State 2 Briercrest 2 (ot tie): [ACAC S&R]
 
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Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Sept 9: The Night of the Split

Calgary-_UC-50x50.jpg
Lethbridge-_UL-50x50.jpg

CALGARY DINOS 1
LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS 5


Links:
U of L: [S&R] : [Tweet1] : [Tweet2] : [Tweet3] : [Tweet-Post]
U of C: [S&R] : [Twitter]


So the Hørny Ønes take the weekend 9-8 on total goals. There are no summaries nor boxscores. The Lethbridge Twitter had regular updates and tells us that they held period leads of 1-0 and 2-0, and their goals came from Sward, Moser, Merkley, Sanvido, and Clowes. Ty Edmonds was player of the game. Nice turn-around for Lethbridge.

NAIT-50x50.jpg
Augustana-2015-50x50.jpg

N.A.I.T. OOKS 1
AUGUSTANA VIKINGS 2


Links:
ACHC: [Event Site] : [Tweet]


Though both teams are in the ACAC, this was game 2 of the Athabasca College Hockey Challenge, which includes the Evil Monkeys. Neither team had any links on their sites or Twitter, but for a retweet of the ACHC Tweet.

Augustana and Alberta now have two points each and their game on Sunday will be for the tournament title.

OUT EAST/COLLEGE

South_Island-_Kinghts-50x50.jpg
Vancouver_Island-white-50x50.jpg

SOUTH ISLAND KNIGHTS 1
VANCOUVER ISLAND MARINERS 10


Links:
➔ [BCIHL S&R]
➔ [Tweet] : [Opening Faceoff]
➔ [VIU Team Site]


Perhaps the most significant game of the night was on Vancouver Island, where the VIU Mariners played their first game. Their opponent was the South Island Knights, a Senior AA team. They tweeted out a gif of the opening faceoff, and it is linked. The game was not final as I post.

UQTR 1 Concordia 4 : [CU S&R] : [CU Tweet]
RMC 0 McGill 8 : [LeagueStat]
Minot State 4 Briercrest 3 : [ACAC S&R]

Just as Lethbridge turned things around in game 2, so too did the Stingers. Both UQTR and Bedrock U had highly touted recruiting classes.

Kudos to McGill for uploading their game updates and other data into LeagueStat. All teams should follow suit.

Minot State was up to face the Clippers, perennial cellar-dwellers in the ACAC. A competitive series is something nice for Briercrest. They were outscored 144-73 last year.

UP NEXT

Sep 10 Alberta v Augustana (ACAC) (at Athabasca)

Sep 12 Brock at Western Ontario
Sep 14 Saskatchewan v Regina (at Ochapowace, Sask)
Sep 14 Laurier at Waterloo
Sep 15 Calgary at Regina
Sep 15 Guelph at Brock
Sep 15 Lethbridge at Western Ontario
Sep 15 Manitoba v Saskatchewan (at Regina)
Sep 15 McGill at U.Q.T.R.
Sep 15 Moncton at St. F.X.
Sep 15 Ottawa at Nipissing
Sep 15 Simon Fraser (BCIHL) at U.B.C.
Sep 15 U.O.I.T. at Ryerson
Sep 15 U.P.E.I. v New Brunswick (at Montague, PEI)
Sep 16 Laurier at Windsor
Sep 16 Lethbridge at Western Ontario
Sep 16 Manitoba v Calgary (at Regina)
Sep 16 New Brunswick at U.P.E.I. (at Montague, PEI)
Sep 16 Ottawa at Laurentian
Sep 16 Queen's v R.M.C. (at Gananoque)
Sep 16 Saint Mary's at Dalhousie
Sep 16 U.Q.T.R. at McGill
Sep 17 Nipissing at Laurentian
 
Last edited:

Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Sept 10: Monkeys Win Tournament

Augustana-50x50.gif
Alberta-green-50x50.jpg

AUGUSTANA VIKINGS 4
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 7


Links:

ACHC: [Event Site] : [Tweet]
UofA: [Tweet1] : [Tweet2] : [Tweet3]


Through a series of Monkey Tweets we can see that their goals were scored by Magee, Bredo, Legault, Kieser, Nichols, Lange, and Carroll. The period scores were 2-2 and 5-2. They also had a 7-2 lead in the 3rd period. So after a big-time scare in game 1, the Primates managed to avoid slipping on a banana peel and claim the ACHC title.

The picture below was tweeted out and it appears there is no Monkey logo on their white jersey as there was last year. And no yellow highlights.
170910-_UA-_UAA.jpg


Also, VIU piled on 3 more goals and won their late Saturday game 13-1.
 

Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Preview: Sept 15-16: Bisons off to Regina

The only CW teams sitting at home and eating popcorn are the Bluegars and Evil Monkeys. Here's what the rest are doing.

Manitoba-box-head-r-50x50.jpg
Sask-box-head-50x50.gif
Calgary-box-2013-head-_R-50x50.jpg
Regina-box-50x50.gif

MANITOBA BISONS (3-0-1, 2016-17: 14-12-2)
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES (0-0-0, 2016-17: 21-5-2)
CALGARY DINOS (1-1-0, 2016-17: 18-9-1)
REGINA COUGARS (0-0-0, 2016-17: 3-22-3)


Sep 14 Saskatchewan v Regina 8:00 CDT at Ochapowace, Sask.
Sep 15 Manitoba v Saskatchewan 5:00 CDT at Regina
Sep 15 Calgary at Regina 8:00 CDT
Sep 16 Manitoba v Calgary 3:30 CDT at Regina


Links:
Regina: [Team Site] ∞ [S&R] ∞ [Twitter]
Manitoba: [Team Site] ∞ [Twitter]
Saskatchewan: [Team Site] ∞ [Twitter]
Calgary: [Team Site] ∞ [Twitter]


None of the teams has anything new to report. Bedrock U are the only team with a 2017-18 roster uploaded. Regina usually posts updates about their own tournament.

Lethbridge-box-head-_R-50x50.jpg
Western_Ontario-purple-50x50.gif

LETHBRIDGE PRONGHORNS (1-1-0, 2016-17: 11-14-3)
WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS (1-0-0, 2016-17: 8-16-4)


Links:
UWO: [Team Site] ∞ [Twitter]
Lethbridge: [Team Site] ∞ [Twitter]


The Hørny Ønes will carry the CW's colours all the way to London, Ontario where they will face future insurance salesmen, the UWO Urban Cowboys. This is a Friday-Saturday double-header. Neither team made the playoffs a year ago. That is nothing unusual for the Hørny Ønes, but the Urban Cowboys are usually near the top of the OUA West.

Simon_Fraser-_SFU-hockey-red-50x50.jpg
UBC-box-logo-50x50.jpg

SIMON FRASER CLAN (0-0-0, 2016-17: 18-4-2)
U.B.C. THUNDERBIRDS (0-0-0, 2016-17: 12-13-3)


Links:
UBC: [Team Site] ∞ [Twitter]
SFU: [Team Site] ∞ [Twitter]


The battle to be the toast of the coast begins in British California on Friday night when the T-irds face The Clown. Those two are being joined by Holy Trinity in a pre-season series for the Captains' Cup.

OUT EAST

Sep 12 Brock 3 W. Ontario 7 (or 5-9) : [UWO S&R] : [BU S&R]

Sep 14 Laurier at Waterloo
Sep 15 Guelph at Brock
Sep 15 McGill at U.Q.T.R.
Sep 15 Moncton at St. F.X.
Sep 15 Ottawa at Nipissing
Sep 15 U.O.I.T. at Ryerson
Sep 15 U.P.E.I. v New Brunswick at Montague, PEI
Sep 16 Laurier at Windsor
Sep 16 New Brunswick v U.P.E.I. at Montague, PEI
Sep 16 Ottawa at Laurentian
Sep 16 Queen's v R.M.C. at Gananoque
Sep 16 Saint Mary's at Dalhousie
Sep 16 U.Q.T.R. at McGill
Sep 17 Nipissing at Laurentian

Links:
¶ [OUA LeagueStat]
¶ [OUA S&R]
¶ [AUS S&R]


COLLEGE

Sep 13 MacEwan/NAIT v Oilers Rookies
Sep 15 Innisfail Eagles at SAIT
Sep 15 Lacombe Generals v Red Deer College @ SAIT
Sep 15 MacEwan at Concordia Edmonton
Sep 15 Selkirk College at Eastern Washington
Sep 16 Augustana at Portage College
Sep 16 Eastern Washington at Selkirk College
Sep 16 Innisfail Eagles v Red Deer College @ SAIT
Sep 16 Lacombe Generals at SAIT
Sep 16 MacEwan at NAIT
Sep 16 South Island Knights at Vancouver Island
Sep 16 Trinity Western at Simon Fraser
Sep 17 Portage College at Augustana

Links:
¶ [ACAC S&R]
¶ [BCIHL S&R]
 
Last edited:

Hollywood3

Bison/Jet/Moose Fan
May 12, 2007
6,441
941
Sept 14: Bison Roster Uploaded

CW-2017-ManitobaBanner-116x73.jpg


Links:
¶ [Roster Page]
¶ [Geordie Keane @Elite Prospects]


The Bison website has finally uploaded a 2017-18 roster page. I expect/hope the rest of the dominoes to fall this week. The team has one new previously unannounced recruit, Geordie Keane from the Winnipeg Blues of the MJHL. His stats and the roster page are linked. His uncle is 3-time Stanley Cup champion Mike Keane and I believe former Bison assistant coach Billy Keane is his father. Geordie was the Blues' captain last year.

My concern is the lack of blue-line recruits. The Herd has 3 goaltenders, 7 defencemen, and 18 forwards. Just like last year. Here's the breakdown:

Goaltenders

Returning
1 Justin Paulic
34 Dasan Sydora
35 Byron Spriggs

This is the 3rd season for the exact same group of three. Spriggs won the starting job from Paulic and Sydora is a #3. In the past, Coach Sirant has shown that the back-up one year will be given a shot at being the #1 the next.

Defence

Returning

2 Adam Henry
3 Sean Christensen
4 Channing Bresciani
9 Rene Hunter
16 Blake Heinrich

Recruits
11 Victor Sharonov
25 Lucas Skrumeda

Departed
5 Lee Christensen
20 Garrett Johnston

Sharonov was on the roster for the 2nd semester but never dressed. The big Russian is an enigma. He somehow wound up in Florida. Maybe if we read Hillary Cinton's new book we will find out how he cost her the election. Johnston is gone after just one year, which is too bad. Christensen played 5 years and became a solid defender. On paper, the quality should be at least as good, with the benefit of added seasoning for the 5 returnees. Last year, several forwards played stretches on defence and that may be necessary again.

Forwards

Returning

8 Liam Bilton
10 Brett Dudar
12 Nick Zajac
13 Remi Laurencelle
14 Kamerin Nault
15 Shawn Bowles
17 Warren Callis
21 Brett Brooks
22 Brad Bowles
23 Joel Schreyer
24 Justin Augert
26 Quintin Lisoway
28 Brett Stovin
29 Jonah Wasylak

Recruits
18 Michael St. Croix
19 Calvin Spencer
20 Geordie Keane
27 Zach Franko

Departed
16 Jesse Paradis
19 Hudson Friesen
25 Shaq Merasty
27 Jordan Depape

Despite losing their 1st and 4th leading scorers, the recruits are likely a slight upgrade on paper. Depape and Merasty were CW superstars, but St. Croix and Franko are great replacements. Paradis and Friesen seldom played so anything from Spencer and Keane would be a bonus. The question I have is: Which of these players can play the point? It is hard to scratch 6 forwards every game. There are a load of returning 2nd year Junior A players, and often those players improve greatly as they become veterans.
 
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