Bison Men's Hockey Season Preview
With files from Andrea Keating

Oct. 10 - The Bison Men's Hockey Team is coming off one of its best seasons in the past 5 years (17-8-3) having beaten an old arch-rival, the Saskatchewan Huskies, in last year's East Division final. The Herd went on to give the eventual Canada West Champion Alberta Golden Bears a tough run in the Conference final but came up a little short in their quest to gain a berth in the National Championship tournament.

This year, the rotating wildcard system will see the Canada West Conference get the nod to send two teams to Kitchener-Waterloo in March. However, Mike Sirant's squad will be gunning for nothing less than a Conference championship and the veteran coach who is in his ninth year behind the bench feels he has the team to get there. The Herd has an outstanding core of veterans returning this year and is loaded with experience and leadership that should serve the squad well as they make their run at a National title.

The Bisons will miss their leading scorer and captain from last year Marc Gaudet, who finished his career with the Herd in style as the teams' second leading scorer all-time. Gaudet was also named a first team Canada West All-Star last season and was the Canada West nominee for the prestigious TSN Randy Gregg Award. Head Coach Mike Sirant stated that while the team will miss Gaudet's offensive capabilities, everyone is excited to see him continue his hockey career in Germany.

The Bisons will rely on a great core of fourth year players this season including one of the best two way players in the league, centre Jamie Brewster (30 pts in 28 games last year). Defenceman Tony Owens has quietly matured into a rock-solid defender who should log plenty of ice time this year. Owens was injured for parts of last season but returned in time to stabilize the defense corps in the playoffs. Fans can also expect another solid campaign from Jaret Harms (22 points and 70 PIMS last season), the team's emotional leader and most physical player. Barrett Labossiere is another player who will be counted on to provide solid consistent play this season. The 3rd year defenceman from Arborg, MB had a breakout season in 2000-2001 during which he registered 18 points and was named a Canada West 2nd team All-Star. Gritty centre Morgan Kotz, (25 points in 28 games), speedster Mike Reimer (23 points in 26 games last season), and steady defencemen Doyle Moar and Jeff Church round out this savvy group of veteran players that Coach Sirant has high expectations of in 2001-2002.

Goaltending is a key for any hockey team to be successful and the Herd have that problem solved. 2000-2001 Second Team CanWest All Star Tim Winters (15-7-2, 2.97 GAA Last Season) is coming off of his best season in CIS play. At the start of last season, goaltending was a big question mark and the starting job was up for grabs, but Winters made the most of the opportunity by stepping up and seizing the number one position early in camp and never looked back. He will be the number one again this year and how far the Herd goes this year will depend largely on how Winters plays. Newcomer Rej Lagace from the Winkler Flyers has played extremely well in camp this season and will add depth between the pipes for the Herd.

With great goaltending, seven returning defensemen, and a balanced scoring attack with speed to burn, the Bisons will be hard to stop. Among Coach Sirant's goals for his squad this year are to repeat as the Great Plains Division Champions in Canada West and to take the next step to the nationals. Sirant believes it will be a tough challenge to repeat as division champions as opposing teams will be extremely motivated when playing his squad. Sirant also mentions that the level of competition in Canada West keeps getting better every year and there are no easy teams or games. A vigorous training camp that has included six exhibition games and numerous on and off-ice training sessions has the players physically and mentally prepared to step up to the challenge of taking that next step this season.

Solid off-season recruiting by Coach Sirant has added some depth to the forward lines and should help continue the balanced scoring attack for the Bisons. Key additions include Brandon native Kevin Saurette who was the third leading scorer in the SJHL last season while a member of the Kindersley Klippers. Saurette had an outstanding year with the Klippers finishing with 90 points including 37 goals. He was also named a second team All-Star and was the team's 3-Star award winner as well as the team captain.

Mike Van Den Bosch is a solid, hard working, two-way player that spent the last three years with the LaRonge Ice Wolves of the SJHL. Van Den Bosch, who is a native of Swan Lake, MB was the Ice Wolves' captain last season and their most dedicated player. He lit the lamp 16 times and added 28 assists in his final year of junior while winning the Royal Bank Scholarship award last season.

The most important addition to this year's team may be high scoring winger Jedd Crumb. Crumb returns to Manitoba after spending the last three years at the University of Massachussets-Amherst where he appeared in 52 games, scoring ten goals and adding 12 assists. Crumb was an MJHL All-Star in 1997-98 and 1998-99 while a member of the Winnipeg South Blues and was also the league MVP and leading scorer in '97-'98 a year in which he terrorized opposition goalies to the tune of 61 goals and 51 assists, a mark that included a league leading 11 shorthanded goals and 19 powerplay goals. Coach Sirant expects Crumb to score this year, but will have to wait until December to see the speedy left winger in the line-up as Crumb must sit out until the New Year in order to be eligible for CIS play.

Coach Sirant states that this year's edition of the Bisons has tremendous speed, excellent skill, and will not be afraid to take offensive chances. The Bisons will also play with a commitment to strong team defense and with guts, determination, and passion, all qualities that the program has always been well known for.