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University of Manitoba Bison Sports Press Release
January 3, 2002 Men's Basketball - Fresh Start After Good Showing in MTS Classic The second half of regular season conference and CIS action begins this weekend here at the IGAC with both men's and women's basketball teams hosting the UBC Thunderbirds. In men's action, Rick Suffield's team is hoping to get off to a quick start to the second half and start working its way back to the .500 mark. The Herd finished the first half of the season with a 2-6 record and currently trails third place Regina by one game and second place Winnipeg by two games, while the Brandon Bobcats appear to be in control of the division with a 7-1 record. The Bisons played three games over the Christmas break at the Wesmen Classic hosted by the University of Winnipeg. Coach Suffield's "mini-training camp" held during the first two weeks of December appeared to pay dividends in the tourney as the team played some of its best ball of the season. In game one, Manitoba took on a tough Lakehead team winning 73-66 bolstered by Ryan Dulder's 17 points. The win in game one set up a confrontation with the host Wesmen in the Championship semi-final with the Bisons looking to gain back a measure of revenge after being dismantled by the Wesmen in late November. Unfortunately for the Bisons, the Wesmen pulled out a 77-74 win and in the process knocked the Herd into the third place game. However, the effort shown by the team served notice that the rivalry is back on in the second half of the season. Both Paul Fust and Arthur Lawrence Jr. had 21 points in the loss. In the third place game against the #10 ranked Brock University Badgers, Manitoba came up one point short losing 66-65, showing once again that the team is ready for the second half. Paul Fust led all Bison scorers with 16, continuing the solid play he has shown in the last two months. Manitoba will be counting heavily on both Fust (19th in conference scoring with 14.6 PPG) and Lawrence Jr. ( 14th in conference scoring with 15.2 PPG) in the second half, and will also need to continue its strong rebounding as a team. The Bisons are currently third in the Conference in defensive rebounds, averaging 23.88 per game and are fourth in offensive rebounding averaging 16 per game. Manitoba has also received strong play from rookie Glenne Manlig and second year player Yacine Bara in the last two months. Bara is currently second in the conference in 3 point field gaol percentage hitting 8 of 11 from downtown. A healthy Ryan Dulder should also improve the Herd's fortunes in the second half. Dulder has been plagued by a foot injury for much of the year so far, but appears to be rounding into form. The T-Birds come into IGAC this weekend with a 4-4 record and will be a tough test for the Herd, but after solid performances last week in the Wesmen Classic, look for good things this weekend and for the rest of the season from the Bisons.
Women's Basketball - Drewniak Leads Team Into 2002 Pam Danis' team was also busy over the Christmas holidays travelling to the East Coast to take part in the Saint Mary's Invitational in Halifax. In game one of the tournament, the Herd won easily over Acadia 80-53, setting up a Championship semi-final match with the host Huskies. In a well-played, hard-fought contest, Manitoba dropped a 76-75 nail-biter to Saint Mary's putting them into the third place game against the #4 ranked Alberta Pandas. In one of its best performances of the year so far the Herd were defeated 90-86, serving notice that they will be a team to be reckoned with in the second half. Anna Drewniak had a great first half and leads her team in scoring and rebounding. The third year post/forward is currently tied for 10th in Conference scoring averaging 12.8 PPG and is third in rebounding averaging 7.2 boards per game. Lynda Guy is second on the team in scoring averaging 10.2 PPG and both players will need to maintain that level of play in the second half. A team strength in the first half of the year has been offensive rebounding with the Bisons leading the Conference in that statistic, with an average of 41.2 per game. However, translating those rebounds into points has been a problem and if the Herd can improve in that area, wins should be easier to come by. This weekend's competition, the UBC Thunderbirds will also be a good test for the Bisons, as they are ranked #5 nationally and sport a 5-3 record in the tough Pacific Division of Canada West. However, the Herd will be bolstered by their good play over the break and may also be able to take advantage of some weary travel legs on the part of the T-Birds. Men's
Hockey-New-Look Herd takes on Pronghorns in Lethbridge The 7-6-1 Bisons played one game over Christmas, a non-conference affair against the Regina Cougars in Whitewood, Saskatchewan blanking the Cougars 4-0. Tim Winters and Gord Woodhall shared the shutout while defenceman Tony Owens scored twice with Jaret Harms and Kevin Vandewater adding singles. Head Coach Mike Sirant was also busy over the Christmas break, serving as assistant coach with Team Western at the World 17 and under Championships, and was also busy adding depth, size and firepower to his team. Sirant has added six players, all of whom stand over 6'0" feet tall and weigh over 190 LBS with four of the six coming from the Western Hockey League and two of the six having spent time in NCAA Division I schools. Joining the team in the second half will be Jedd Crumb, the former Winnipeg South Blue who spent the last three years at the University of Massachusetts. The 6'0" 215-LB forward will be expected to score and score often and should solve some of the Herd's goal scoring problems from the first half. David Cameron is a former 3rd round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins and was the captain of the Saskatoon Blades for the last two seasons. The 6'1" 190-LB native of Winnipeg is expected to bring leadership and a tough style of play to the Bisons. Justin Hansen is another former member of the WHL, having toiled with the Moose Jaw Warriors, Prince George Cougars, Brandon Wheat Kings and the Tri-City Americans. The 6'1" 215-LB forward was drafted by Phoenix in the 8th round in 1998 and is described as a solid two way player with a good work ethic. Dwight Hirst is another big forward, standing 6'1" and weighing 195 LBS and comes to the team after spending part of last season with the UND Fighting Sioux. The native of Pinawa, MB should be a welcome addition to the forward lines in the second half. Aaron Goldade is the last of the forwards Coach Sirant has added to the team and his presence should also help the Herd score more goals. In three seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings, the 6'1" 195-LB native of Prince Albert, SK notched 165 points and was drafted in 1998 in the fifth round by the The last player added to the team's roster is goalie Jomar Cruz. The native of The Pas, MB spent last season with the Portland Winter Hawks of the WHL and was a second round draft pick of the Washington Capitals in 1998. He will push starter Tim Winters and will provide a solid back-up along with veteran Gord Woodhall. Look for this new and improved version of the Bison men's hockey team to turn some heads in 2002, starting this weekend in Lethbridge. Women's
Volleyball-Bentley and Company head to Toronto for the NIT The defending CIS champion Bisons finished the first half with an 8-2 mark, their only conference losses coming at the hands of the #1 ranked Calgary Dinosaurs. Both of those games went to the fifth and deciding set and could very well be a preview of the National Championship final in March in Laval. This weekend, the Bisons will face the #8 Laval Rouge et Or and the #6 ranked York Yeowomen on Friday followed by the Winnipeg Wesmen and host U of T Blues on Saturday. The final goes Sunday at 12:00 noon. Men's
Volleyball-Herd has weekend off to prepare for Winnipeg next Tuesday. Women's
Hockey-Bisons to meet Huskies In Saskatoon Due to the unbalanced schedule in Canada West standings are determined by winning percentage rather than total points. With only six conference games remaining before the play-offs, Terry Matheson's team needs to win a good majority of those in order to host a play-off series. Manitoba finished off the first half conference schedule on a high note in November, playing very well against the #3 ranked Regina Cougars, losing by scores of 4-3 and 6-4 and giving the Cougars a rough ride in the process. According to Matheson, his players have begun to compete in the last month, rather than just play the game and the added intensity has begun to have some good results. Karen Mamchuk, Kim Houde, Ashley van Aggelen, and Kristin Nickel are all in the top 10 in scoring in Canada West with Mamchuk and Houde tied for 5th spot with 8 points and van Aggelen and Nickel right behind them with 7. After taking on the Huskies who are tied at #9 in the rankings with the Bisons, the Herd will host Calgary January 18/19 and then travel to Regina to take on the Cougars in their last Conference games of the regular season. Wrestling
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