The Bisons men's hockey team hosts their home opener this weekend, taking on the 0-4 Regina Cougars in the first of six regular season contests between the two sides in 2024-25. Manitoba also faced Regina twice in the pre-season, winning both contests, with a combined 12 goals.
Manitoba's roster includes ten new players this season, including nine from Manitoba, all of whom played in the WHL. Goaltender
Braden Holt -- who started both contests for the Bisons to open the season against Alberta -- is also a WHL alum, born in Montana. He stopped 98 shots over his first two games.
The Bisons developed chemistry in their first weekend with a variety of new faces. Against a top-ranked Golden Bears squad, Manitoba scored three times on the power play, with
Hayden Ostir,
Jonny Hooker and
Skyler Bruce all finding the back of the net.
Bruce was one of seven forwards recruited this off-season by head coach Gordon Burnett, and has over 200 games of WHL experience split between Winnipeg and Edmonton. Hooker. Ostir's first career points over the last four years are the most amongst the active roster, while Hooker enters his second season as captain for the Bisons, coming off a sensational season that saw him record a team-best 23 points. Hooker's 12 goals also tied for the tenth most in a season for Manitoba, dating back to 2000-01.
Manitoba's power play is going to be a strength all year, led by the likes of Ostir, Bruce, Hooker and Calgary Dinos transfer
Riley Stotts, who contributed three assists in the opening weekend of the campaign. Hooker scored Manitoba's third goal in their season opener against Alberta, and led the Canada West conference with seven power play goals.
Manitoba and Regina split two games last season on the road. Regina won the first game 4-1 and the Herd won the second, 3-2. Manitoba scored three unanswered goals in the third period in the latter game, including the game-winner from
Jackson Arpin with less than three minutes to play.
Arpin, a sophomore, was named an assistant captain this season. His development as a hockey player has been described as "exceptional" by Burnett, and the 6'2" forward came into camp with a tremendously high level of fitness.
