WINNIPEG — The Bisons men's and women's hockey programs are pleased to announce their annual joint scholarship fundraiser to be held on Monday, January 20, 2020.

The celebration is behind held at the Journey to Churchill exhibition in the Assiniboine Park Zoo with special guest Matt Cockell, President, General Manager and Alternate Governor of the WHL's Winnipeg ICE.

In addition to Cockell's attendance, this year's event will induct two Bisons alumni into the Bisons Hockey Hall of Fame: men's hockey alumnus Mark Mackay and women's hockey alumna Venla Hovi.

Proceeds from the evening will go to support the athletic scholarship needs of Bisons hockey. Single ticket prices are $200 with a tax receipt for the donation portion of the ticket. Corporate tickets are also available six for $1,000 and young Bisons alumni (under 30) can get six tickets for $750. For tickets or to donate in lieu of attendance, visit the event page here.

Matt Cockell brings over 20 years of hockey experience with Hockey Canada, the Brandon Wheat Kings, Winnipeg South Blues and Hockey Manitoba. Matt was a member of Canada's National Women's Hockey Team at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia that won a gold medal. He was also a member of the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings coaching staff that participated in the MasterCard Memorial Cup in 2010 and 2016.

Matt was selected in the fifth round (117th overall) by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft and played three seasons in the WHL (1996-1999) with the Saskatoon Blades, Seattle Thunderbirds, Regina Pats and Spokane Chiefs.

In his previous role, Matt Cockell acted as Vice President, Corporate Partnerships, for True North Sports + Entertainment overseeing the development and growth of all business relationships with corporate partners. Cockell also held the position of Chief Customer Officer at 24-7 Intouch, where he oversaw and lead the strategy and execution for all Sales, Marketing and Customer Experience functions.

Utilizing his WHL Scholarship, Cockell graduated from the University of Manitoba in 2004 with an Honours degree in Marketing and Small Business Finance.

Mark Mackay played for the Bisons men's hockey team from 1982-84 before going on to a successful professional career in Europe. Born in Brandon in 1964, Mackay moved to Winnipeg at the age of five and played university hockey with the Bisons. Joining as a walk-on, he totalled 45 goals in his two seasons with Manitoba. Over those 97 games, he also had 62 assists and was named the Bison Rookie of the Year in 1982-83 and a second All-Star team member. In 1983-84, he and the Bisons won the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) title, alongside other famous Bisons alumni Mike Ridley, Barry Trotz, Vaughan Karpan, and Mike Sirant.

After his time with the Bisons, Mackay joined Moose Jaw in the WHL and was named the team captain in their inaugural season. He earned Rookie of the Year honours after scoring 66 goals and 140 points, third in the league. He also tied a WHL record, scoring seven goals in a game against Brandon — a mark that still stands today.

From there, Mackay spent 17 years playing professional hockey in Europe, amassing over 2,000 points in Germany with Neuss, Grefrath, Timmendorfer Strand and Schwenningen. He was a German National Team member in 1995 and played in six World Championships, one World Cup of Hockey, and two Olympic Games in 1998 and 2002.

Today, Mark is a NHLPA Certified Agent working out of Calgary with Creative Artist Agency (CAA), one of the leading NHL agencies. His clients include Tyler Myers, Andrew Ladd, Brett Howden, Tyler Johnson, and many other young players.

Venla Hovi played for the Bisons women's hockey team from 2015 to 2018 and has had a lauded international career playing for her home country of Finland. Born in Tampere in 1987, Hovi began her playing career with the Finland U22 team and Y-Ilves in the SM-sarja league from 2002 to 2007. She had a brief NCAA career in 2007-08 when she joined Niagara University, scoring five goals and 14 points in the 2007-08 season.

After that, she continued her playing career in Finland where she began to rack up international honours. Hovi has earned a silver medal (2018) and three bronze medals at the Women's World Championships. She has also competed with Finland in three Olympic Games, winning bronze medals in Vancouver in 2010 and Pyeongchang in 2018 and finishing fifth in Sochi in 2014.

It was the 2018 season where Hovi returned to Winnipeg from Pyeongchang and continued a U SPORTS season for the record books, as she would help lead the Bisons to their first ever national championship, beating the host Western Mustangs in the U SPORTS final. Hovi was named to the championships All-Star team for her performance and was later named the Bison Female Athlete of the Year for 2017-18. The title capped a three-year U SPORTS career where she scored 21 goals and 39 points in 51 games, plus three assists in conference post-season play.

After finishing her U SPORTS career, Hovi continued international play through 2019 while also joining the Calgary Inferno in the CWHL. Today, Hovi is an assistant coach with Bisons women's hockey and is one of the first women to be hired as an On-Ice Instructor with the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Development program.

For more information on the fundraising event, contact Bisons women's hockey coach Jon Rempel (jon.rempel@umanitoba.ca; 204-293-7154) or Bisons men's hockey coach Mike Sirant (michael.sirant@umanitoba.ca; 204-296-8632).