2013-14 Manitoba Bisons / CIS

[Hollywood]

MANITOBA BISONS 2013-14

Hello! I am nw to this forum but have posted about the Bisons and CIS hockey on various forums. Here are the highlights of the posts from the off-season.

May 13, 2013

The Bisons got an early start to the recruiting announcements. Three forwards have been announced, two of whom were redshirts in 2012-13 (Aaron Lewadniuk, a centre, and Taylor Dickin, a left winger) and one was a late-season recruit (Jordan DePape, a right winger). That could be a complete forward line.

Lewadniuk's recruitment was announced in last year's pre-season. He is a former Winkler Flyer who finished his junior career with the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2009-10. In his final year of junior he racked up 37 goals and 49 assists for 86 points in 65 games. He then turned pro and had two seasons in the ECHL. After 17 goals in his rookie season his numbers tailed off as he played only 48 games with two different teams. As a redshirt he played senior hockey for the Carman Beavers of the SEMHL where he scored 15 goals and 30 assists in 20 games.

Dickin was also a redshirt in 2012-13. He graduated from junior hockey as a Selkirk Steeler following the 2009-10 season, with 40 goals and 52 assists in 62 games. He then went to the University of North Dakota for two seasons where he seldom played. So he came home, redshirted last year, and is now ready to go.

DePape had his junior career cut short with a shoulder injury. He seemed to be well on his way up the WHL pecking order. In 2009-10 he divided his season between the Brandon Wheat Kings and Kamloops Blazers. He had 17 goals and 20 assists in 57 games. In 2010-11 he improved, with 21 goals and 27 assists in 54 games. However, he then played only 31 games spread over the next two injury-plagued seasons.

Also, former Bison captain Mike Hellyer was voted the rookie of the year in the Central Hockey League. He played for the Quad City Mallards.

Links:

|> [DePape announcement] : [Elite Prospects Page]

|> [Lewadniuk announcement] : [Elite Prospects Page]

|> [Dickin announcement] : [Elite Prospects Page]

|> [Hellyer announcement] : [Elite Prospects Page]

June 2, 2013

Former goaltender Steve Christie is back as a coach, whilst Luke Paulsen is joining as a defenceman.

Regarding Paulsen:

“I am excited to receive a commitment from Luke Paulsen to join the Bison Men’s Hockey program. Luke brings an excellent hockey resume to the Bisons having played for the WHL’s Kootenay Ice and the MJHL’s Winnipeg Blues,” commented Sirant. “Luke is a very talented defenceman with excellent mobility and puck skills, plus great vision to adapt at moving the puck up ice to his forwards. He is also solid in his defensive responsibilities and an excellent teammate.”

Paulsen, 20 (turning 21 on Sept. 28/13), played the 2012-13 season with the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) Winnipeg Blues. The 6’0”, 172 lbs. forward accumulated 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 19 regular season games with the Blues. Prior to Winnipeg, the Winnipeg native played three seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Kootenay Ice and part of the team that won the WHL Championship in 2010-11 season. In three WHL seasons, he scored in 36 points (5g, 31a) with 52 penalty minutes in 147 regular season games plus added one assist in 19 WHL playoff games. He was also part of the Winnipeg Wild’s AAA Provincial Midget Championship team in the 2008-09 season

I checked out the Blues' site and Paulsen was not on the team at the end of the year. It looks like he is one of those players coming back from injury, of which the Bisons have had seevral in the last few years. In any event, he had three solid seasons in the WHL in Kootenay.

Christie's past accomplishments are extolled in the threads from prior years. The release summarizes them thusly:

Christie, 28, comes back to Manitoba as a coach after a very successful CIS career by completing five seasons (2006-07 to 2010-11) with the Bisons and earned a major accolade being named as the inaugural CIS Men’s Hockey Goaltender of the Year honours in the 2009-10 season.

Christie served as the Bisons starting goaltender for his final three seasons and compiled an overall conference regular season record during the five seasons of 46-37-0 with eight shutouts at Manitoba. His best season came in 2009-10 when in addition to the CIS major award and was selected as CIS First Team All-Canadian and Canada West First Team All-Star at the goaltender position while helping to lead the Bisons to the 2010 CIS National Championship Tournament berth for the first time since 2004-05.

“I am excited to be back with the Bison Hockey program. It did so much for me as a player and I am looking forward to being apart of it from a coaching aspect now, “ stated Christie. “To see what this program has accomplished over the past recent years is a real reflection of the quality of players and coaches U of Manitoba produces every year. The program is respected nationally and players want to be apart of that. It was an easy decision when Coach Sirant asked me to join the coaching staff.”

Christie had played in the SPHL with the Pensacola Ice Flyers the last two years, and in 2011-12 was loaned for a period to the Tulsa Oilers of the CHL for their playoff run. It seems two years of minor pro is usually the end-point for CIS grads. After that it is Europe or time to utilize that degree.

Links:

|> [U of M story]

|> [ChrisD Blog]

|> [Luke Paulsen Elite Prospects Page]

|> [Steve Christie Elite Prospects Page]

|> [Winnipeg Blues Roster Page]

June 12, 2013

The new schedule is here! The new schedule is here!

The Bisons open with home series against the Evil Monkeys, followed by the Mangy Banjo-Mutts. A four game winning streak streak to start the season would sure serve them in good stead. There are many quirks to the schedule, including two bye weeks (WTF?) and no home games between November 16th and January 10th.

Now we should be getting the non-conference/exhibition schedules.

Here's the Bisons' schedule:

Oct. 4-5 Alberta at Manitoba

Oct. 11-12 Saskatchewan at Manitoba

Oct. 18-19 Manitoba at Mount Royal

Oct. 25-26 Calgary at Manitoba

Nov. 1-2 bye

Nov. 8-9 Manitoba at Regina

Nov. 15-16 Lethbridge at Manitoba

Nov. 22-23 Manitoba at UBC

Nov. 29-30 Manitoba at Alberta

Jan. 3-4 Manitoba at Saskatchewan

Jan. 10-11 Mount Royal at Manitoba

Jan. 17-18 Manitoba at Calgary

Jan. 24-25 bye

Jan. 31-Feb. 1 Regina at Manitoba

Feb. 7-8 Manitoba at Lethbridge

Feb. 14-15 UBC at Manitoba

Links:

|> [CW Story]

|> [pdf schedule]

July 19, 2013

The Bison schedule page has been updated and the big surprise is that the Toronto Blahs will leave the Big Lemon for a trip to the U of M. Here is the full pre-season schedule:

Aug. 26 Bison Hockey European Tour TBA

Sep. 13 v Calgary at Regina tournament

Sep. 14 v Alberta at Regina tournament

Sep. 20 v Regina (2:00pm at Max Bell)

Sep. 21 v Regina (2:00pm at Max Bell)

Sep. 28 v Toronto (7:00pm at Max Bell)

Sep. 29 v Toronto (1:00pm at Max Bell)

Oct. 6 @ North Dakota (7:07pm at Grand Forks)

There is no information out there about this year's Euro tour. I thought it was going to be next year, actually.

The UND game follows the Bison home-opener weekend against the Evil Monkeys. I just wonder why the Bisons wouldn't have shifted the Alberta series to the bye week (November 1-2) like UBC and Lethbridge did.

The Bison schedule is quite peculiar. The Regina exhibition series starts on Friday afternoon. Ugh. That home series is then followed by three more home weekends, including the best series of the season, i.e. the ones against the Primates and the Mangy Mutts.

Links:

|> [Bison Schedule Page]

|> [USCHO Schedule - NCAA Exhibition Games]

In the Town of Bedrock they had a press release announcing their recruiting class. Here's the list:

Tyler Moir • 6'1" 205 Ibs. • Forward • Waterloo (OUA)/Wheeling (ECHL)

Daniel Gibb • 6'3" 218 Ibs. • Defence • Prince George (WHL)

Davis Vandane • 6'4" 215 Ibs. • Defence • Prince Albert (WHL)

Danny Gayle • 6'1" 185 Ibs. • Left Wing • West Kelowna (BCHL)

Brett Printz • 6'2" 201 Ibs. • Forward • Grande Prairie (AJHL)

Drydn Dow • 5'9" 170 Ibs. • Defence • Tri-City Americans (WHL)

Chris Collins • 6'0" 185 Ibs. • Centre • Okotoks Oilers (AJHL)

Chance Lund • 6'5" 223 Ibs. • Left Wing • Swift Current (WHL)

Links:

|> [U of C Press Release]

Across the Town of Bedrock the New Kittens on the Block appear to have a recruit. They have not made an announcement, but the West Kelowna Warriors have announced that defenseman Brett Zarazun is off to greener pastures.

Links:

|> [West Kelowna Warriors Press Release]

The STU Pids announced their new coach, Patrick Powers. Good luck! He formerly played for the Pids. Anything about 8th in the 8 team AUS would be a great success for the new coach.

Links:

|> [STUTommies.com Story]

|> [Hockey Scene Story]

The St. F-X Jeremies and the SMUchies are going to make a joint bid for the 2015 and 2016 U-Cups. The CIS distributes tournament bids in two year blocks now. After Banjoland hosts in 2014 it is time for the tournament to move on. All things being equal, 15-16 should be OUA years. But so far there are no bids from Ontariariaro.

The quirky part of this is that Dalhousie an SMU are the Halifax schools. So how did the Jeremies get in?

Bid proposals must be submitted by Sept. 20th.

Links:

|> [Chronicle-Herald Story]

|> [NG News Story]

[J0e Th0rnton]

Heya hollywood. Good to see the most active poster from our prospects/minor league forum still filling us in

[hf101]

Welcome Hollywood.

Thanks for the read, I'm completely unfamiliar with Canadian Collegiate hockey. I recognized the "Univ of North Dakota" in that post though.

[jammer2]

@Hollywood Welcome, I honestly don't know much about CIS hockey (exception is my hometown Windsor Lancers), but I love to read about other teams/leagues. Just out of curiosity, has a Bison ever gone pro after his time was done (besides Paluson and Christie)? I know a few ex-Lancers that used to be OHL players, but don't recall any making the jump to pro.

Some interesting names there.....the evil monkeys?? That is great.

[Hollywood]

@Hollywood Welcome, I honestly don't know much about CIS hockey (exception is my hometown Windsor Lancers), but I love to read about other teams/leagues. Just out of curiosity, has a Bison ever gone pro after his time was done (besides Paluson and Christie)? I know a few ex-Lancers that used to be OHL players, but don't recall any making the jump to pro.

Some interesting names there.....the evil monkeys?? That is great.

Hi, guys.

To be clear, Paulsen is coming out of junior, not pro.

For NHL pros, the Bisons have produced Mike Ridley and Stu “The Grim Reaper” Grimson. Ridley earned enough money, and apparently invested it well, so that he now sponsors the Mike Ridley Scholarships. Grimson finished his career in Nashville and got his law degree there. I don't know if Vaughn Karpan made the NHL. He played for the Canadian Olympic team when Dave Tippett was on it, I believe in 1984.

Oodles of Bisons have gone on to play in the minor leagues or Europe. A common career path is to play 2 years in the minors, see how it goes, then use your degree to obtain a real job once the big money of the NHL looks unattainable. (Graduation rates are very high in this league.)

The captain from 2012, Mike Hellyer, was CHL rookie of the year this past season. From the 2013 roster, 5 guys graduated. Forwards Tyler Dittmer, Matt Lowry, and Del Cowan have signed minor league contracts. Forward Tyler Feakes and goaltender Jesse Deckert may be completing master's or second bachelor's degrees, but in any event have used their eligibility and I don't believe are looking at pro hockey.

Also, many players in Canada West come from pro leagues. Almost all the players on the strong programs (Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Calgary) are WHL grads. WHL players get one year of scholarship for every year they play in the WHL. But they have to use it within the calendar year. So every year at Christmas time there are a handful of players who leave the ECHL to go back to school. A common philosophy for players is to see if they can get to the AHL and, if they don't get there by Christmas, cash in their scholarship and go back to school. If a player plays a full season of pro then they need to sit out before playing.

Current captain Dane Crowley once played for Houston in the AHL. So he had to red-shirt a year, as Aaron Lewadniuk did last year. Pretty much every regular in Canada West could play AA level pro (CHL/ECHL) or higher. It has been said that they are good enough to play in the ECHL, but smart enough not to.

A lot of players also have good pro careers in Europe. Former Bison Paul Deniset is a skilled scorer and has done well. I don't follow those leagues closely enough to know what is happening with all players who go there. I should point out that the OHL and QMJHL have the same scholarship deals as the WHL and their grads tend to go to teams in the AUS or OUA.

The OUA teams tend to have much fewer players from major junior. In fact, I hear of guys from junior B being recruited sometimes.

[jammer2]

@Hollywood ahh, by bad, misread about Paulsen....Ridley and the Grim Reaper, pretty well known players back in the day. Loved Stu's famous battles with Probie.

[Hollywood]

CIS BOOKMARKS

Bookmark this post for the links you will need to follow CIS hockey. I will update this post throughout the season.

League Sites:

CIS Men's Hockey Site - Tw - FB

... sub-links : Standings : Schedule/Results : Playoffs : U-Cup

Canada West Men's Hockey Site - Tw - FB

OUA Men's Hockey Site - Tw - FB

AUS Men's Hockey Site - Tw - FB

ACAC Men's Hockey Site

BCIHL Site

Canada West Team Sites:

Alberta Golden Bears - Tw - FB

Calgary Dinos - Tw - FB

Lethbridge Pronghorns - Tw - FB

Manitoba Bisons - Tw - FB

Mount Royal Cougars - Tw - FB

Regina Cougars - Tw - FB

Saskatchewan Huskies - Tw - FB

UBC Thunderbirds - Tw - FB

Media Sites/Blogs:

CISblog.ca

Canadian University Press

Boxscore News

UNBHockeyFans.com

Hockey Scene - AUS

STUTommies.com

AcadiaAxemenHockey.com

RedmenHockey.com (McGill)

Online video/audio:

CanadaWest.tv

SSN Canada

CITR.ca - UBC radio

Rock 94 FM - Lakehead away games

UMFM.com - occasional Bison games

AUSTV.ca

Canada West stats and data:

CW LeagueStats - Standings

CW LeagueStats - Daily Schedule

CW LeagueStats - Rosters

CW LeagueStats - Skaters' Stats

CW LeagueStats - Goalies' Stats

CW LeagueStats - Team Schedules

Stats:

Elite Prospects : CIS Page - individual player stats on everybody

Internet Hockey Data Base (IHDB) : CWUAA Page - like Elite Prospects

Old Bison Site - Schedule/Results - with links to stories and summaries from 2004-05 to 2007-08

CIS Stats and Rosters - 2004-05 to 2008-09

CIS Stats - 2009-10 to 2012-13

CIS Schedule/Results - 2004-05 to 2008-09

CIS Schedule/Results - 2009-10 to 2012-13

CIS Playoff Schedule/Results - 2004-05 to 2008-09

CIS Playoff Schedule/Results - 2009-10 to 2011-12

AUS Schedule/Results - now has only 2012-13 season

AUS Archive

OUA LeagueStat

ACAC LeagueStat

Bob Adams' Archives - CIS hockey from 1995-96 to 2008-09

Wikia - University Cup - 1963-2012

Wikia - Canada West - 1973-2012

Wikia - GPAC - 1973-1985

Wikia - WIAA - 1963-1972

Wikia - WCIAU - 1919-1962

Wikia - OUA/QOAA - 1903-2012

Wikia - QUAA - 1972-1987

Wikia - OSLC - 1951-1971

Wikia - AUS - 1920-2012

AUS Team Sites:

Acadia Axemen

Dalhousie Tigers

Moncton Aigles Bleus- Google Translate

New Brunswick Varsity Reds

UPEI Panthers

St. Francis-Xavier X-men

Saint Mary's Huskies

St. Thomas Tommies

OUA-West Team Sites:

Brock Badgers

Guelph Gryphons

Lakehead Thunderwolves

Laurier Golden Hawks

Ryerson Rams

Toronto Varsity Blues

Waterloo Warriors - Tw - FB

Western Ontario Mustangs

Windsor Lancers

York Lions

OUA-East Team Sites:

Carleton Ravens

Laurentian Voyageurs

Nipissing Lakers

Ottawa Geegees

Queen's Golden Gaels

RMC Palladins

UOIT Ridgebacks

RSEQ (OUA-East) Team Sites:

Concordia Stingers

McGill Redmen

UQTR Patriotes

ACAC Team Sites:

Augustana Vikings

Briercrest Clippers

Concordia Thunder

Keyano Huskies

MacEwan Griffins

NAIT Ooks

Portage Voyageurs

Red Deer Kings

SAIT Trojans

BCIHL Team Sites:

Eastern Washington Eagles

Selkirk Saints

Simon Fraser Clan - Tw

Thompson Rivers Wolfpack

Trinity Western Spartans

Victoria Vikings

Edited July 23, 2013 by Hollywood

[Hollywood]

@Hollywood Welcome, I honestly don't know much about CIS hockey (exception is my hometown Windsor Lancers), but I love to read about other teams/leagues. Just out of curiosity, has a Bison ever gone pro after his time was done (besides Paluson and Christie)? I know a few ex-Lancers that used to be OHL players, but don't recall any making the jump to pro.

Some interesting names there.....the evil monkeys?? That is great.

Further on this, I found a list at GoBisons.ca:

Murray Murdoch

Played 11 seasons in NHL with NY Rangers (1926-37) , Forward, Manitoba (1921-24)

Andy Blair, Forward, Manitoba (1923-28)

Played nine seasons in NHL with Toronto (1928-37)

Gus Rivers, Forward, Manitoba (1928-29)

Played three seasons in NHL with Montreal (1929-32)

Tom Cook, Forward, Manitoba (1924-25)

Played nine seasons in NHL with Chicago & Montreal Maroons (1929-38)

Jimmy Creighton, Forward, Manitoba (1924-25)

Played one season in NHL with Detroit Falcons (1930-31)

Art Chapman, Forward, Manitoba (1922-23)

Played 12 seasons in NHL with Boston, NY Americans & Brooklyn Americans (1930-42)

Wilf Starr, Forward, Manitoba (1928-29)

Played six seasons in NHL with NY Americans & Detroit (1932-36)

Don Raleigh, Forward, Manitoba (1946-47)

Played 10 seasons in NHL with NY Rangers (1943-44 & 1947-56)

Clint Albright, Forward, Manitoba (1946-47)

Played one season in NHL with NY Rangers (1948-49)

Mike Ridley, Forward, Manitoba (1983-85)

Played 12 seasons in NHL with NY Rangers, Washington, Toronto and Vancouver (1985-97)

Ron Talakoski, Forward, Manitoba (1981-86)

Played two seasons in NHL with NY Rangers (1986-88)

Stu Grimson, Left Wing, Manitoba (1985-87)

Played 14 seasons in NHL with Calgary, Chicago, Anaheim, Detroit, Hartford, Carolina, Los Angeles, and Nashville (1988-2002)

George Maneluk, Goaltender, Manitoba (1985-86)

Played one season in NHL with NY Islanders (1990-91)

[Hollywood]

There is no news in Bisonland. However, out in British California the Tweety-Birds have updated their schedule. Their only exhibitions are the Alaska double-header (previously announced through the NCAA) and now they will also play the Simon Fraser Clown on September 27 (at UBC) and September 28 (at Burnaby).

So, will the Clown's goaltender make the 40-50 saves necessary to make one of these games close?

Links:

|> [UBC Schedule]

The H0rny Ones have yet to make an announcement. But the Dauphin Kings have said that Guillaume Naud, a Franco-Ukrainian!, is off to Lethbridge. He had 88 points in 60 regular season games and 24 points in 18 playoff games. While absolutely nobody can translate gaudy Junior A numbers into CW numbers, he should be a welcome addition to the offensively-challenged `Horns.

Links:

|> [Dauphin Press Release]

|> [MJHL Press Release]

[Hollywood]

The Bisons have not thus far made an announcement regarding their European tour. However the first details have trickled out of Europe. Beware that my links use "Google Translate" so when read it often sounds a little funny. (Still, getting a free on-line translation is still pretty nice.)

The Hockey Time site at the links has a "translate" button and I used that to find that the Bisons start with a tournament in Collabo, Northern Italy. The first round goes on August 31st and the Bisons play Bremerhaven in the 1st game, with SV Renon Ritten Sport facing HC Neumarkt Egna Wild Goose in the 2nd game. On September 1st the losers play for 3rd place in the opener and the winners play for the title in the nightcap.

HC Neumarkt Egna are from Northern Italy, where they speak predominantly German. Hence the cities there often have two names. They play in the Inter-National League (INL), which is based in Austria and has teams from surrounding countries.

SV Renon Ritten Sport are also from Northern Italy and hosted a tournament won by the Bisons in 2011. They play in the Italian Serie A, which is now down to 5 teams. Other teams (like frequent champion HC Bolzano) have been allowed to leave for other leagues, whilst others have either folded or moved someplace where I cannot locate them.

Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven are not specifically listed in the Hockey Time link. They only refer to the opponent as "Bremerhaven" and as a "Ger4", i.e. 4th tier German team. However, the only listing I have for a Bremerhaven team is the Fischtown Pinguins, who play in the German DEL 2nd division. The Bisons defeated them (and Ritten) back in 2011. So this team is not confirmed as yet.

I hope to get much more on this trip as the week unfolds.

Links:

|> [Hockey Time - Exhibition Schedule for several Italian and other teams]

|> [Hockey Time - Ritten Story]

|> [HC Neumarkt Egna Wild Goose Team Website (translated)]

|> [Eurhockey.com on INL] : [and on HC Neumarkt Egna]

|> [SV Renon Ritten Sport Team Website (translated)]

|> [Eurhockey.com on Italian Serie A] : [and on SV Renon Ritten Sport]

|> [Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven Team Website (translated)]

|> [Eurohockey.com on DEL2] : [and on Fischtown Pinguins Bremerhaven]

The Tweety-Birds have announced that Wheat King grad Nick Buonassisi has committed to them. He is a small forward coming off a 14 goal season last year.

Links:

|> [UBC Story]

The Mangy Ones announced that Mike Bossy and Brian Trottier are coming to speak at their luncheon. So long as they use words they'll go over great. Heck, Sask would be happy if they (like the locals) stood up and howled then drank from the toilet.

Links:

|> [U of S Story]

[Hollywood]

July 31, 2013

Although there is still nothing on the U of M Site, I have found a few pertinent stories on the team and their tour opponents.

First up, rookie of the year James Henry is not returning to school and instead will play for the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL. So no Euro tour for him.

Meanwhile, Italy's top league has undergone a name change and is now to be known as "Elite A". As "Series A" last year it had 10 teams, Bolzano jumped to an Austrian league. And a few days ago only five teams were listed at Eurohockey.com. Well the deadline to come up with cash was July 30th at noon, and 8 teams answered the bell.

There was also off-ice drama in Germany. The second tier league was suing the governing body over various issues. In the end that has been settled and it will continue under the name "DEL2". There was no doubt that the 12 teams would be participating. What was at issue is whether they would still use the name. It appears all is well now.

So we should now be getting more news about team exhibition schedules. Most (3 of 5) Bison opponents in 2011 were from DEL2.

The Ritten team has signed some Canadian talent. Levi Nelson once played for Swift Current in the WHL and then played in the AHL (mostly for Providence), ECHL, and Germany. Matt Siddall was a 2004 Atlanta Thrashers draft pick and has since made stops throughout the minors and Europe, including the Fife Flyers when they returned to Britain's top league in 2011. Since 2006, they have also employed Dalhousie grad Dan Tudin. He played for Ottawa in the OHL before he went on to Dal, then bounced around the minors. He is now also eligible for Italy's national team.

Ritten is also re-acquiring another Italian national team veteran, Luca Ansoldi. This will be his 3rd stint with Ritten. The team has yet to confirm the signing in their website.

Links:

:. [ECHL Story on Henry]

:. [SportNews.bz Story on Elite A] :. [(translated)]

:. [EisHockey-24.de Story on DEL2] :. [(translated)]

:. [Ritten Sport Story on Nelson] :. [(translated)] :. [Elite Prospects Stats]

:. [Ritten Sport Story on Siddall] :. [(translated)] :. [Elite Prospects Stats]

:. [Ritten Sport Story on Tudin] :. [(translated)] :. [Elite Prospects Stats]

:. [SportNews.bz Story on Ansoldi (translated)] :. [Elite Prospects Stats]

Trinity Western (BCIHL) had two players on an AIA team which toured Latvia. The players were Brad Bakken and Josh Stephenson. They were joined by coaches Barret Kropf and Chris Wiens. I recall Athletes-in-Action having some good basketball teams many years ago.

Links:

|> [BCIHL Story]

[Hollywood]

Aug 1: Bisons to face Star Bulls

I have looked high and low through the websites of the DEL2 teams. Most, but not all, have exhibition schedules posted. One such team is the Rosenheim Star Bulls, and the Bisons will open against them on Tuesday, August 27th.

The Bisons also started their 2011 tour with a game against Rosenheim before going into a tournament in Ritten. The Bisons won 5-4 in a shoot-out, after making a comeback from a 1-4 deficit.

There are not any players of note on the Bulls' roster. They have four imports, one each from Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, and Canada. The Canadian is Tyler McNeely. He is a BC boy who graduated from Northeastern (NCAA) before embarking on an AHL/ECHL career. Last season he played mostly for the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) where he scored 13 goals and 31 assists in 41 games. Hr also had 8 points in 27 games with Lake Erie (AHL).

Meanwhile, only Manitoba, Alberta, Regina, and UBC have their pre-season schedules up. And nobody has a new roster page.

Links:

:. [Rosenheim Team Website] :. [(translated)]

:. [Elite Prospects on McNeely]

:. [Post on 2011 game]

[Hollywood]

Hockey news is always down to a trickle on the August long weekend, and this year is no exception. But a few stories have popped up, mostly about off-ice matters.

The Bison all-sport pass stays at $60 for adults and $30 for students. However, the pass does NOT include football this year. Those tickets are $15/$8 per game due to the new campus stadium.

There are no new stories on the CW or CIS sites. However, the CIS site has replaced the 2012-13 schedule and standings links with 2013-14 links. Neither site has a composite schedule with exhibition games.

As for following the Bisons whilst on tour, I have links for Eurohockey.com's exhibition game schedule and a pre-season standings page. Thus far they list the Aug. 31st game, but not the Aug. 27th game nor any others. The link may be a source for future updates.

Links:

:. [Bison Tickets]

:. [CIS schedule] :. [CIS standings]

:. [Eurockey.com schedule page] :. [Standings page]

Hockey-News.info has a story on the Neumarkt Egna Wild Geese. I have a link for the translation as well. They start training in mid-August and their first game will be against Ritten in the semi-final opposite the Bisons. The story also has their pre-season schedule and ticket information. If you can afford the airfare. You could watch the Gooses for only €150!

Another Bison opponent, the Rosenheim Star Bulls, are featured at EisHockeyNews.de. They have signed Shawn Weller, an AHL/ECHL vet. He scored 12 goals in 67 games for the Manitoba Moose in 2010-11. The Jets also signed him to AHL deals with the St. John's Ice Caps for 41 games in 2011-12 and for 3 games in 2012-13.

After the settlement of law suits affecting German pro hockey, there were rumours that some DEL2 teams were being denied licences. This appears to be BS. All sides are accounted for.

Links:

:. [Hockey-News.info story on Neumarkt] :. [(translated)]

:. [Eishockeynews.de story on Rosenheim] :. [(translated)]

:. [Shawn Weller at Elte Prospects]

:. [Eishockeynews.de story on licencing] :. [(translated)]

[Hollywood]

Aug. 6: Chris Mason signs with Bisons' foe

Goaltender Chris Mason, from the 2011-12 Winnipeg Jets, has signed with Ritten Sport. The Bisons and Ritten will play one another if they win the semi-finals of the tournament in Collalbo, Italy on August 31st. Ritten is quite excited about the signing, especially since Mason once played for Canada in the worlds. Mason played for Nashville in the NHL last season.

Links:

:. [Team Press Release] :. [translated]

:. [reposted at SportNews.bz] :. [translated]

Edited August 7, 2013 by Hollywood

[Hollywood]

Still nothing new from the Herd. But, there have been some announcements from the western wing of the CW.

The Evil Monkeys will once again face the Edmontown Greasers (rookie squad). It is good to see them bring back this fixture. I would like to see the Bisons face the Jets' rookies.

The history of the Golden Bears vs. the Edmonton Oilers’ rookies game goes back to 1988, and was a yearly tradition for over 20 years. The teams last met in 2009 when the Bears skated to a 4-3 victory, which bumped their record against the Oilers’ rookies to 12-10.

Links:

:. [U of A Story]

The Extinct Ones became the latest team to post their exhibition games on their schedule page. Here's the sked:

Sept. 6 Calgary v Alberta (at Banff)

Sept. 7 Alberta v Calgary (at Banff)

Sept. 13 Calgary v Manitoba (at Regina)

Sept. 14 Saskatchewan v Calgary (at Regina)

Sept. 15 Calgary v Lethbridge (at Regina)

Sept. 19 Mount Royal at Calgary

Sept. 21 Saskatchewan v Calgary (at Edmonton)

Sept. 27 Alberta at Calgary

Sept. 28 Calgary v Alberta (at St. Albert)

Links:

:. [U of C Schedule Page]

The Tweety-Birds announced another recruit, Anthony Bardaro. He had 25 goals for the Prince Albert Raiders last year.

Links:

:. [UBC Story]

Edited August 9, 2013 by Hollywood

[jammer2]

@Hollywood A story I found on the signing, looks like Bardaro is going home, huh?

http://www.paherald.sk.ca/Sports/Hockey/2013-08-08/article-3343071/Bardaro-commits-to-university-hockey-with-UBC/1

[jammer2]

@Hollywood A story I found on the signing, looks like Bardaro is going home, huh?

http://www.paherald.sk.ca/Sports/Hockey/2013-08-08/article-3343071/Bardaro-commits-to-university-hockey-with-UBC/1

[Hollywood]

Aug. 11: Ritten's Manitoba Contingent Grows

Former Manitoba Moose defenceman Travis Ramsey has now been signed by Ritten Sport. The past two seasons the Jets signed him to play for the St. John's Ice Caps. Although his point totals are low, he was a +4 on a minus team last year.

Links:

:. [Team Press Release] :. [translated]

:. [SportNews.bz Story] :. [translated]

:. [Ramsey's Elite Prospects Page]

[Hollywood]

@Hollywood A story I found on the signing, looks like Bardaro is going home, huh?

http://www.paherald....ckey-with-UBC/1

Yup, I posted that as well with just the UBC link.

[Hollywood]

Updated Canada West Non-Conference Schedule

The CW site includes only the conference games. These are the non-conference/exhibition games posted thus far. However, Sask, Mount Royal, and Lethbridge have yet to post their non-conference/exhibition games.

Tue Aug 27   Manitoba at Rosenheim
Sat Aug 31   Manitoba v Bremerhaven (at Collalbo)
Sun Sept 1   Manitoba v Ritten or Neumarkt (at Collalbo)
Wed Sept 4   Alberta at Augustana (ACAC)
Fri Sept 6   Alberta at Calgary
Sat Sept 7   Alberta at Calgary
Fri Sept 13  Alberta v Lethbridge (at Regina)
Fri Sept 13  Saskatchewan at Regina
Fri Sept 13  Calgary v Manitoba (at Regina)
Sat Sept 14  Alberta v Manitoba (at Regina)
Sat Sept 14  Lethbridge at Regina
Sat Sept 14  Saskatchewan v Calgary (at Regina)
Sun Sept 15  Alberta at Regina
Sun Sept 15  Calgary v Lethbridge (at Regina)
Thu Sept 19  Mount Royal at Calgary
Fri Sept 20  Regina at Manitoba
Fri Sept 20  Saskatchewan at Alberta (Brick Invitational)
Sat Sept 21  Regina at Manitoba
Sat Sept 21  Calgary v Saskatchewan (Brick Invitational)
Sat Sept 21  Mount Royal at Alberta (Brick Invitational)
Fri Sept 27  Alberta at Calgary
Fri Sept 27  Simon Fraser (BCIHL) at UBC
Sat Sept 28  Calgary v Alberta (at St. Albert)
Sat Sept 28  UBC at Simon Fraser (BCIHL)
Sat Sept 28  Toronto at Manitoba
Sun Sept 29  Toronto at Manitoba
Fri Nov 1    Alberta at Lakehead
Sat Nov 2    Alberta at Lakehead
Fri Jan 3    Alberta at NAIT (ACAC)
Sat Jan 4    NAIT (ACAC) at Alberta

[Hollywood]

Aug. 17: Bison Euro-foes Have Started Playing

The teams the Bisons are facing (or may be facing in the tournament) during their European tour have started playing and have made more signings.

The schedule links for most teams still do not have exhibition games posted yet. But two opponents have a list from the Sportforen.de message board, which seems to have it all for German teams.

Links:

:. [Sportforen]

Starbulls Rosenheim 3

EC Villacher SV 4

(in shoot-out)

When the Starbulls face the Bisons, it will be their 4th game of the season. Villacher is a good team from the EBEL, Austria's top league with a few teams from other countries. Their remaining games are:

Aug 18 v Villacher SV (A)

Aug 23 v HC Bozen/Bolzano (H)

Aug 27 v Manitoba Bisons (H)

Aug 30 v Sterzing Broncos (H)

Sept 01 v Sterzing Broncos (A)

Sept 06 v HC Pustertal (A)

Sept 08 v HC Pustertal (H)

Bozen/Bolzano is an Italian side that has moved to the EBEL effective this year. Sterzing and Pusteral are in the Italian Elite A.

Links:

:. Rosenheim Site: [Schedule] :. [Summary] :. [Roster]

:. [Eis Hockey News Story] :. [Translated]

Fischtown Pinguins 6

Hannover Scorpions 1

The Scorpions are in the Oberliga, which is the 3rd tier of German hockey. Their game with the Bisons will be their 4th as well. Here is the schedule:

Aug 23 v Esbjerg Elite Ishockey (A)

Aug 25 v Hannover Scorpions (A)

Aug 31 v Manitoba Bisons (tournament in Ritten)

Sept 1 3rd place match or final v HC Neumarkt/Egna or Ritten/Renon

Sept 6 v Odense Bulldogs (SWB-Cup in Bremerhaven)

Sept 7 3rd place match or final in Bremerhaven

Esbjergand Odense are Danish teams.

Links:

:. [Fischtown Game Story] :. [Translated]

:. [Eis Hockey 24 Story] :. [Translated]

:. [Eis Hockey Magazin Story] :. [Translated]

While Ritten/Renon Sport has yet to announce a full schedule and has yet to play a game, they have announced yet another big signing. Eric Johansson, born in Edmonton but with dual Swedish citizenship, has signed. He is a vet, having played in the AHL for 3 seasons ended in 2005. Since then he has played mostly in Sweden. Ritten seems determined to boost themselves to a higher level.

Links:

:. [Ritten Story] :. [Translated]

:. [SportsNews.bz Story] :. [Translated]

:. [Elite Prospects Page]

The Neumarkt/Egna Wild Geese do not have the splashy announcements of the other Bison opponents. But there was a story about them signing a young Slovak, Matej Direr, who just been out of junior for a year.

Links:

:. [SportsNews.bz Story] :. [Translated]

[Hollywood]

Aug. 18: Conference Recruiting News

The only CW team to have a new official announcement about recruits is the University of British California. They have announced that goaltender Jordan White is not coming back but the replacement is former Regina Pat Matt Hewitt. White was doing very well in his 3rd and 4th years at UBC after being kind of mediocre in years 1 and 2. I am sure that they would rather have him back for a 5th year. Still, UBC needs a steady flow of WHL recruits into their program if they want to sit with the cool kids instead of being perpetually seated at the little school table.

Links:

:. [UBC Story]

:. [Hewitt at Elite Prospects]

The Evil Monkeys have made their 2nd annual announcement that open tryouts will be held. They have stated that prospective players must have played "Midget AAA or higher".

Links:

:. [U of A Story]

There were a few transactions affecting CW teams listed at Elite Prospects, none of which were accompanied by team announcements. Could be that since these guys are not from the WHL they are just getting tryouts.

Nevertheless, here's the list:

Miguel Pereira - Listed as going from Grenoble to Regina, although he played for the Weyburn Red Wings last year. Looks like he changed his mind. Why would he want to leave Grenoble for Regina?

Derek Huisman - He is a forward from the Merritt Centennials of the BCHL now headed to the New Kittens on the Block. He has been about a point per game Junior A player the last two years.

Myles Hovdebo - He is a goaltender listed as having transferred from Selkirk College (BCIHL) to the Bedrock Dinos. Selkirk also lost one other goaltender, but have recruited three new ones as well. He is not listed as having ever actually played at Selkirk. He spent the last 3 years with the Laronge Icewolves. Although Dustin Butler is gone, the Dinos still have Jacob DeSerres (arguably their #1 by the end of the year) and Kris Lazaruk (who never played last year) eligible to return.

Links:

:. [Elite Prospects CIS transfers page]

:. [Pereira at Elite Prospects]

:. [Huisman at Elite Prospects]

:. [Hovdebo at Elite Prospects]

:. [Selkirk College at Elite Prospects]

Edited August 18, 2013 by Hollywood

[Hollywood]

Aug. 19: Italian News, Rosenheim Loses

Starbulls Rosenheim 1

EC Villacher SV 3

The Starbulls lost the rematch to their Austrian foes. The shots on goal are not shown in the summary and it is hard to glean from a translated story just what the game was like. Shawn Weller had an assist.

Rosenheim will now play HC Bozen/Bolzano Foxes (Italian team new to the EBEL) on Friday before facing the Bisons on August 27th.

Links:

:. [Game Story at Rosenheim24.de] :. [Translated]

:. [Summary] :. [Translated]

I have also pieced together the changes in Italian hockey. I have linked stories from the meetings they held. Their top league is to now be called Elite.A and there is no automatic promotion/relegation system. Teams can move up if they meet arena, sponsorship, and other criteria. Most of the 2nd tier teams are either moving to the INL (such as Neumarkt/Egna) or otherwise restructuring. One (Sterzing/Vipetano) is moving back to Elite.A. Last season (as "Serie A") they had 10 teams. HC Bozen/Bolzano Foxes have moved to the Austrian EBEL. HC Alleghe Civette lost sponsorship and are moving down a league. I have no idea what has happened to Aquile Friuli Venezia Giulia. So, 10 - 3 = 7. Then you add Sterzing/Vipetano and they are back to 8. One team they thought they may lose to the KHL is Hockey Milano Rossoblu. Although they are not listed at Eurohockey.com, their own website claims they are set for the Elite.A this year. The other five returnees are Asiago Hockey, HC Valpellice, Sportivi Ghiaccio Cortina, SHC Fassa, and HC Val Pusteria/Pustertal.

Could the KHL succeed in "non-traditional" hockey markets like Milan? Well, the NHL has tried Phoenix, Atlanta, etc. so what the heck! BTW, Andrew Raycroft and Angelo Esposito play for Milan.

Links:

:. [LIHG Planning Story] :. [Translated]

:. [LIHG League Format Story] :. [Translated]

:. [Alleghe Story] :. [Translated]

:. [Milano Story] :. [Translated]

Ritten/Renon Sport have released a full roster page, and an interview with Chris Mason. Sounds like he and his wife wanted to spend some time in Italy before he retires. He had previously played in Norway.

Links:

:. [Ritten Roster Announced] :. [Translated]

:. [Ritten Mason Interview] :. [Translated]

[Hollywood]

The Bisons' site has uploaded a story on the tour. It confirms the information previously posted in this thread and has a quote from the coach. The site does not yet have a training camp roster, but camp has started.

Links:
:. [U of M Story]


Starbulls Rosenheim 2
HC Bozen/Bolzano Foxes 1

Tyler McNeely scored both goals for Rosenheim and Shawn Weller had two assists. So their imports are clearly the players to watch. The Bisons will likely counter with a choice defence combo when the two sides clash on Tuesday. Rosenheim is now 1-1-1 in pre-season, and the Bisons are their next opponent. The Foxes are an Italian team in the debut season in the Austria-based EBEL.

Links:
:. [Preview Story] :. [Translated]
:. [Summary] :. [Translated]
:. [SportNews.bz Story] :. [Translated]


Fischtown Pinguins 1
Esbjerg Elite Ishockey 0
(in shoot-out)

The Bisons could be facing a solid D next Friday when they face the Waddling Ones. Esbjerg (a Danish team) must have a strong goaltender. I like how some translations come out:

Although the Seestädter were able to record 19/6 Shots on goal in their favor, it simply was not possible to accommodate the black hard rubber disc in the case of Ervin Mustukovs well defended. After Sergei Stas and Tyler Ellington after a personal dispute in the 27th Minutes were sent out to the showers, the hosts came into the game a little better, but now Brett Jaeger could also provide proof of his class. Nachem until the second half has the game became increasingly incoherent, penguin coach Mike Stewart was happy to re-instructed to send his men on the ice again in the last scene of the game.

So, there you go! The Pingies will face the Hanover Scorpions on Sunday before facing the Bisons next Saturday.

Links:
:. [Fischtown Story] :. [Translated]

 

Also:

Elite Prospects has a CIS recruit page which, while not complete, is worth a periodic check-in. The H0rny Ones have landed goaltender Alex Sirard from Selkirk College of the BCIHL. Their source was the player's Twitter! And Lakehead picked up goaltender Justin McDonald from the OCN Blizzard.

Links:
:. [Elite Prospects CIS Confirmed Transfers]
:. Re Sirard: [Elite Prospects] :. [Twitter]
:. Re McDonald: [Elite Prospects] :. [Lakehead Story]

[Hollywood]

Aug. 25: Arena Breakdowns

 

My son was anxious to give his brand new hockey equipment a trial run and we found out about public ice being available at the Max Bell. Only problem is that high temperatures and humidity forced closure for the afternoon. Ironic, considering what happened to EHC Klostersee ...


EHC Klostersee's home arena in Grafing has sprung a leak from a valve in the ice machine, putting the facility out of commission for about a week. So the Bison game on Thursday is shifting to another venue. The options are Bad Tolz and Erding. All of these places are east of Munich and west of Rosenheim. This is their pre-disaster pre-season schedule:

Aug. 29 in Grafing v Manitoba Bisons
Sept. 1 at EC Peiting
Sept. 6 at TEV Miesbach
Sept. 8 in Grafing v EC Peiting
Sept. 13 in Grafing v Erding Gladiators
Sept. 15 in Grafing v TEV Miesbach
Sept. 20 at Erding Gladiators
Sept. 22 (opponents to be confirmed)

Links:
:. [EHCK Announcement] :. [Translation]
:. [Eishockey News Story] :. [Translation]
:. [EHCK Pre-season Schedule] :. [Translation]
 

Edited August 26, 2013 by Hollywood