Thanks to big changes over the summer, it's an exciting weekend on campus for the Bisons.
Men's hockey drops the puck on a new season this Saturday, as they face Lethbridge with a new game day experience at Wayne Fleming Arena — including loge seating, improved concessions, new glass and ice surface, a jumbotron with video, and more. It's a great way to see a young Herd team who boast a wealth of WHL talent to mix with returning veterans.
On the gridiron, Manitoba renews their rivalry with Regina in the Bison Bowl, as the team looks to make it two straight wins and solidify their playoff position with the second half of the season underway.
On the road, women's soccer, golf, and cross country compete too. Get set for it all in our weekend preview.
Football vs. Regina – Saturday, September 28 (2 PM)
WATCH: CanadaWest.TV
LISTEN: UMFM 101.5
UPDATES: follow @MBBisons on Twitter
Coming off another impressive performance by their defence, the Bisons (2-2) look to make it two straight wins in Week 5 against the Regina Rams (1-3).
A Homecoming victory over winless UBC in Week 4 wasn't without its blemishes for Manitoba, but a sound game from both their running attack and their defence pushed them to a 37-19 win, snapping a two-game losing skid. Right now, they sit tied for third in the conference with Saskatchewan, with the top four teams making the post-season.
Heading into the back half of the 2019 regular season, that multi-pronged rushing game has been key to the Herd's success. Right now, Manitoba is averaging an excellent 192.5 yards per game on the ground (5
th in U SPORTS), with 7.3 yards per rush (4
th in U SPORTS) and five ground touchdowns (6
th in U SPORTS).
Pass defence, though, may the key against the Rams this weekend. Despite a losing record, Regina leads Canada West in passing yards (294.0) and is second in total yards per game (356.2). That attack has been led by first-year quarterback Josh Donnelly, who has a 60.9% completion percentage and 258.5 yards per game through the air. His favourite target has been second-year receiver Bennett Stusek, who has 21 catches for 313 yards.
That aerial game comes up against a Bisons secondary that ranks sixth in the nation in picks (6), with three of those coming last week against UBC by
Arjay Shelley,
Shae Weekes, and
Austin Balan.
For more on this weekend's football game,
read our Week 5 game notes.
Tickets to this Saturday's Bisons football game are available online and at Gates 1 and 2 on game day. UM students and fans 12-and-under get in free!
Men's Hockey vs. Lethbridge – Saturday, September 28 (7 PM), Sunday, September 29 (2 PM)
WATCH: CanadaWest.TV
LISTEN: UMFM second stream
UPDATES: follow @umbisonsMHKY on Twitter
With an updated Wayne Fleming Arena as the stage, Manitoba Bisons men's hockey drops the puck on a new season this weekend against the Lethbridge Pronghorns.
The Bisons open the 2019-20 season with a host of fresh faces, with a deep recruiting class joining the team. There's plenty of WHL experience in the first-years, with defencemen
Matthew Stanley,
Liam Schioler, and
Brady Pouteau having played over 100 games combined in the 'Dub.
Behind that blue line are three new goalies for the Herd, who are competing to replace venerable alumnus
Byron Spriggs.
Tyler Brown and
Riley Lamb both join Manitoba from the WHL — with Brown returning after rehab forced redshirt status in 2018-19 — while
Jeremy Link played five years with the Winnipeg Blues in the MJHL.
Three fifth-years guide this young core for the Bisons in 2019-20. Wearing the "C" is defenceman
Adam Henry, who was second on Manitoba and 8
th among defencemen in 2018-19 with 16 points (six goals, two assists). Forward
Jonah Wasylak will lead the attacking side of the ice for the Bisons, while
Sean Christensen also returns to what should be a strong blue line for the Herd.
Lethbridge, who snagged the sixth and final conference playoff spot last season with a record of 9-17-2, return a strong winger in Medicine Hat native Torrin White in 2019-20 — certainly one to watch this weekend. White tied for the Pronghorns lead in goals (9) and was second in points (16) in 2018-19.
Tickets to Bisons hockey are $10 for adults and available at the door. UM students and fans 12-and-under get in free; UM alumni get in two-for-one on Saturday!
Women's Soccer – September 28 at Regina (1 PM), September 29 at Saskatchewan (3 PM)
WATCH: CanadaWest.TV
UPDATES: Follow @BisonWSOC on Twitter
The Prairie division of Canada West women's soccer is shaping up to be a tight race for first, with four teams within four points of first. The Bisons (3-3-0) are right in the thick of that race, and with five straight matches on the road and all eight remaining matches against divisional opponents, every point counts from here on out.
This weekend, the Herd have a pair of rematches from their season-openers against Regina (1-3-2) on Saturday and Saskatchewan (3-2-1) on Sunday. Earlier this month, Saskatchewan came back to beat Manitoba 2-1, while the Bisons handily beat the Cougars 3-0.
Now, the Bisons are one point back of the Huskies and four points back of the MacEwan Griffins for tops in the division after rattling off two straight wins against Thompson Rivers and UBC Okanagan last weekend. Beyond that, first-year defender
Stefanie Young was named the conference's First Star of the Week after scoring a goal and assisting on three others.
With four goals from Young and three from midfielder
Jessica Tsai, rookies have been a nice boost for a Bisons offence that struggled at times last season. With 11 goals through six matches, Manitoba is fifth in Canada West — doing so on an 8
th best 76 shots.
After this, the Herd play another road weekend against Alberta and MacEwan before returning to Winnipeg for a home-and-home against the Wesmen (Oct. 10, 12).
Golf – Twin Cities Classic (Sept. 28-30), Augustana Invitational (Sept. 28-29)
The Canada West Golf Championships are Oct. 4-6, meaning this is the last regular season weekend for Bisons golf. Both men and women will be in action, as the girls head to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the Augustana Fall Invitational and the guys play in Bloomington's Gustavus Twin Cities Classic.
For the women, third-year
Marissa Naylor has been the top finisher at both tournaments this year, most recently finishing fourth alone at the SMSU Mustangs Invite. On the men's side,
Cameron McIntyre and
Josh Neufeld have been the top Bisons at two tournaments each, with the squad splitting up this weekend before seeing who will travel to Kelowna for Canada West.
Cross Country – Saskatchewan Open (Sept. 28)
It was an exciting finish for the Bisons women's cross country team last weekend, as
Shayna Giesbrecht and
Amy Klippenstein finished within three tenths of a second of each other at the 6 km St. Olaf Invitational.
This weekend, both Bisons teams face the 8 km U of Saskatchewan Sled Dog Open on Saturday. Last year, fifth-year
Simon Berube finished sixth overall and will look to repeat his top ten performance.
Nicola Odaisky finished 22
nd last year on the women's side.
Notes from the Range
