Refreshed following a bye week, the 2-4 Bisons men's hockey program welcomes 7-3 Mount Royal to town, having secured points in three of their four most recent games.
Notably, two weeks ago, the Herd took second-place Saskatchewan to a shootout, tying the game in the final two seconds on a goal from
Skyler Bruce, his team-leading fifth of the season. It was the first time in two years that Manitoba's earned a point against their prairie rival.
Offensively, the Herd's top six forwards have been producing at a consistent rate all season, helping Manitoba to six points on the campaign, just three shy of the third and final playoff spot in Canada West's East Division. Five of those players, in WHL alum Bruce, captain
Jonny Hooker, NHL Draft pick
Riley Stotts, and fellow WHL alums
Eric Alarie and
Hayden Ostir, have combined for 40 points overall.
Additionally, Cody Behun, a veteran of 76 U SPORTS games, is just one point shy of tying his career-high of six, while his three goals in eight games are a personal best.
In net,
Braden Holt, another rookie with a plethora of WHL experience, is third in Canada West with 240 saves, while Manitoba's power play percentage of 21.9 is third in the division.
Leading the way on special teams is Hooker, whose three power play goals are tied for second in the conference. The third-year was second in Canada West in power play goals a year ago as well, combining for ten over the last season-and-a-half.
Manitoba will need to be at their best, as they face the conference's division leader in the west, aiming for their first win against Mount Royal since November of 2021.
Last year's U SPORTS Player of the Year Connor Bouchard has 12 points in his first ten games for the Cougars, while Flin Flon, Manitoba product Justin Lies and defenceman Clay Hanus are also operating at a point per game pace.
Lies, a Saskatoon Blades alum, has ten points in ten games in his rookie campaign, while Hanus leads all defenceman, and is fourth in Canada West with 14 points in ten games. In his two-and-a-half seasons at MRU, he has 61 points in 46 contests.
