2007-08 Bisons sports season preview

ROMER BAUTISTA, STAFF

GOLF

Season: September-October

Head coaches: Garth Goodbrandson and Derek Ingram

Where you can see them play: no tournaments in Manitoba, but visit the Bisons Sports website for a list of tournament venues.

Players to watch: Tyler Mancini and Sarah Stebeleski

Outlook: the Bisons golf team is looking to build on a very successful 2006 season. On the men’s side, the team will try to better their three tournament wins from last season. Helping do so will be the addition of three highly touted recruits, Jesse Skelton, Joey McInnes and Riley Unger. The women’s side will look to better their best result from last year — a third-place finish at the UND Invitational — with the addition of Stebeleski to the squad. If the name sounds familiar to you, it should. Stebeleski is a key member of the Bisons women’s hockey team that made the playoffs last year. She is hoping to bring the same kind of success to the golf team.

SOCCER

Season: September-November

Head coach: Walt McKee

Where you can see them play: home games are played at University Stadium on the Fort Garry Campus

Last season: 6-7-1, missed playoffs

Players to watch: Desiree Scott and Caley Miskimmin

Outlook: entering just their third season of existence, the Bisons women’s soccer team is looking to finally break through and qualify for the Canada West playoffs. The team looked like it was going to reach the playoffs for the first time last year, but ultimately fell one spot shy. In the process, however, the team had its most successful season to date, setting team records in wins and points. Leading the march to the playoffs will be the high scoring duo of Miskimmin and Scott, who finished third and sixth in conference scoring last season. With another year of experience under their belts, this team looks like a good bet for the post-season.

CROSS-COUNTRY

Season: September-November

Head coach: Claude Berube

Where you can see them race: the Manitoba Championships will be held on Oct. 20

Runner to watch: Georgette Mink

Outlook: with five promising local recruits for both the men’s and women’s teams, the Bisons will be looking to improve on a season that saw them finish 12th and 14th at the CIS Championships. Mink should continue to be one of the stars of the team. She finished an impressive 12th at the championships last year, earning herself CIS second-team All-Canadian status.

FOOTBALL

Season: September-November

Head coach: Brian Dobie

Where you can see them play: home games are played at University Stadium on the Fort Garry Campus.

Last season: 8-0, lost in Canada West finals

Player to watch: John Makie

Outlook: the motto for this year’s football team should be “unfinished business,” because that’s exactly what the Bisons have. After steamrolling through the regular season last year, the Bisons fell to a more experienced Saskatchewan Huskies team in the conference finals. With experience now on their side, the Bisons should have no more excuses (not that they made any in the first place). Makie returns as the teams starting quarterback. With 10 more starters returning on the offensive side of the ball, the Bisons should have no problem putting up the same number of points they did last year, when they were the country’s number-1 ranked offence. But it’s not like the offence will need to put up a bunch of points either, as the Bisons defence will once again be rock-solid. The strength of the team’s defence lies in the front-four, where the likes of Justin Shaw, Justin Cooper and Simon Patrick will continue to terrorize opposing quarterbacks. It should once again be an exciting year for the Bisons football team.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Season: September–February

Head coach: Phil Hudson

Where you can see them play: home games are played at the Investors Group Athletic Centre on the Fort Garry Campus

Last season: 10-8, lost in conference quarter-finals

Player to watch: Stefan Bouw

Outlook: this is a year of change for the Bisons men’s volleyball team. Garth Pischke, who has coached the Bisons for 27 seasons took a six-month leave of absence from the U of M in July, and handed over the reigns to Hudson, who most recently was the head coach of Dakota Collegiate. Also out are some of the team’s top players, Toon van Lankvelt, Matt Balchin and Joshua Klassen, among others. So if the team is going to succeed, it’s going to need it’s young players to step up.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Season: September-February

Head coach: Ken Bentley

Where you can see them play: home games are played at the Investors Group Athletic Center on the Fort Garry Campus

Last season: 18-2, eighth at the CIS National Championships

Players to watch: Ashley Voth and Erin Nieuwenburg

Outlook: after a terrific regular season that saw the Bisons women’s volleyball team finish first in Canada West, the team fell apart in the playoffs, losing a heartbreaker in the Canada West finals, then failing to win a match at the National Championships. There is no questioning the talent on the squad, with Voth, Nieuwenburg and Sabrina Barnes among the conference’s elite players, but will they have the mettle to get it done when it counts? That is the question on everyone’s mind. Coached by Bentley, one of the best minds in the sport, and the experience of heartbreak from last year, there is little doubt that the Bisons will be better prepared coming into the new season.

MEN’S HOCKEY

Season: September-March

Head coach: Don MacGillivray

Where you can see them play: home games are played at the Max Bell Centre on the Fort Garry Campus

Last season: 10-16, missed playoffs

Players to watch: Chris Falloon and Krister Toews

Outlook: the Bisons men’s hockey team will be looking to avenge last year’s finish as the only team in Canada West not to make the post-season. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs despite the solid, sometimes spectacular, play of Toews, who should be returning as the team’s starting goaltender. Scoring goals was a problem at times for the Bisons last season, but with the return of Falloon, Dustin Hughes, and Aaron Starr, and the new additions of former Prince Albert Raider Mike Hellyer and MJHL leading scorer Kyle Howarth, the Bisons should find the back of the opposing net more often. If they do, the playoffs are a very likely scenario.

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

Season: September-March

Head coach: Jon Rempel

Where you can see them play: home games are played at the Max Bell Centre on the Fort Garry Campus

Last season: 15-9, CIS bronze medalists

Players to watch: Stacey Corfield and Leanne Kisil

Outlook: last year, the Bison women’s hockey team matched the team’s best result ever when they finished third at the CIS National Championships. This year they will look to better those results, and with their core returning for another season, they have a great shot of doing so. The Bisons’ strength lies in their ability to keep the puck out of their net, for which the majority of the credit goes to Corfield. Last year’s team MVP has become one of Canada West’s best goaltenders, and she is only getting better. Of course, she has plenty of help behind the blue line. Canada West all-stars Jaclyn Van Deynze and Brenna Leary are back to make Corfield’s job much easier. The brunt of the scoring load falls on the shoulders of Kisil, one of the teams captain’s last year. Kisil will be helped immensely by the addition of Addie Miles. If the offence hits its stride, The Bisons will remain a challenger for the CIS’ top spot.

SWIMMING

Season: October-February

Head coach: Vlastik Cerny

Where you can see them swim: Meets to be held in Winnipeg will be held at the Pan Am Pool

Players to watch: Landice Yestrau and Braeden Taylor

Outlook: the swim team has six meets to prepare for the big swim meet’s in February — the Western Canadian Championships and the CIS Championships. Yestrau and Taylor, female and male team MVPs last season, will be back to help improve on last year’s results, when the women finished eighth at the CIS Championships and the men finished 18th.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Season: October-March

Head coach: Rick Suffield

Where you can see them play: home games are played at the Investors Group Athletic Center on the Fort Garry Campus

Last season: 7-15, missed playoffs

Players to watch: Isaac Ansah and Darcy Coss Outlook: last season, the Bisons men’s basketball team nearly doubled their wins from the season prior with the addition of Ansah and his high-scoring capabilities. Now, going in to his second season with the Bisons, Ansah will be looked upon to continue carrying the scoring load. Ansah finished third in conference scoring last season, averaging 21.6 points-per-game. Coss should definitely help out with his sharp three-point shooting, that helped him average 17.0 point-per-game last season. With the core of the team returning, and a talented recruitment class, the Bisons basketball team could surprise a few people.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Season: October-March

Head coach: Pam Denis

Where you can see them play: home games are played at the Investors Group Athletic Center on the Fort Garry Campus

Last season: 14-8, lost in Great Plains Division Finals

Players to watch: Rachel Hart

Outlook: it’s always tough when a team loses one of its leaders, but that’s the position that the Bisons women’s basketball team finds themselves in coming into the upcoming season. With former captain Sarah Holder finishing up her CIS career at the end of last season, it will be up to the likes of Hart and Melanie Schlichter to take over the reigns as emotional leaders of the team. Despite the loss of Holder, the Bisons team remains one of the more talented teams in Canada West. Hart, last year’s team MVP, and Schlichter, will be the team’s go-to scorers, after both players averaged double-digit points last season. But don’t overlook the importance of the team’s speedy point guard duo of Michelle Hynes and Tessa Klassen. It will be their job to get the Bisons offence going, and make sure that Hart and Schlichter have open-look shots.

TRACK AND FIELD

Season: November-March

Head coach: Claude Berube

Where you can see them play: the majority of the track and field meets will be run at the Max Bell Centre.

Players to watch: Quin Ferguson and Jana-Rae Cassidy

Outlook: the Bisons track and field team will have 12 meets to make CIS standards before the CIS Championships in March. Ferguson and Cassidy should be a part of the National Championships again this year, having met the standards last season. They will be looking for better results, however, after taking home only one medal last season. The women’s team finished in ninth at the meet last year, while the men’s team finished 13th.





Volume 95 Issue 4	The Official University of Manitoba Students' Newspaper Website	September 05, 2007

Home About Us Advertising Rates Contact Staff Current Issue PDF Employment Letters to the Editor Meet the Staff Online Archives Volunteer Online Classifieds St. Vincent's Academy Diaries	Font Size Respond Email Print-Friendly 2007-08 Bisons sports season preview ROMER BAUTISTA, STAFF GOLF Season: September-October Head coaches: Garth Goodbrandson and Derek Ingram Where you can see them play: no tournaments in Manitoba, but visit the Bisons Sports website for a list of tournament venues. Players to watch: Tyler Mancini and Sarah Stebeleski Outlook: the Bisons golf team is looking to build on a very successful 2006 season. On the men’s side, the team will try to better their three tournament wins from last season. Helping do so will be the addition of three highly touted recruits, Jesse Skelton, Joey McInnes and Riley Unger. The women’s side will look to better their best result from last year — a third-place finish at the UND Invitational — with the addition of Stebeleski to the squad. If the name sounds familiar to you, it should. Stebeleski is a key member of the Bisons women’s hockey team that made the playoffs last year. She is hoping to bring the same kind of success to the golf team. SOCCER Season: September-November Head coach: Walt McKee Where you can see them play: home games are played at University Stadium on the Fort Garry Campus Last season: 6-7-1, missed playoffs Players to watch: Desiree Scott and Caley Miskimmin Outlook: entering just their third season of existence, the Bisons women’s soccer team is looking to finally break through and qualify for the Canada West playoffs. The team looked like it was going to reach the playoffs for the first time last year, but ultimately fell one spot shy. In the process, however, the team had its most successful season to date, setting team records in wins and points. Leading the march to the playoffs will be the high scoring duo of Miskimmin and Scott, who finished third and sixth in conference scoring last season. With another year of experience under their belts, this team looks like a good bet for the post-season. CROSS-COUNTRY Season: September-November Head coach: Claude Berube Where you can see them race: the Manitoba Championships will be held on Oct. 20 Runner to watch: Georgette Mink Outlook: with five promising local recruits for both the men’s and women’s teams, the Bisons will be looking to improve on a season that saw them finish 12th and 14th at the CIS Championships. Mink should continue to be one of the stars of the team. She finished an impressive 12th at the championships last year, earning herself CIS second-team All-Canadian status. FOOTBALL Season: September-November Head coach: Brian Dobie Where you can see them play: home games are played at University Stadium on the Fort Garry Campus. Last season: 8-0, lost in Canada West finals Player to watch: John Makie Outlook: the motto for this year’s football team should be “unfinished business,” because that’s exactly what the Bisons have. After steamrolling through the regular season last year, the Bisons fell to a more experienced Saskatchewan Huskies team in the conference finals. With experience now on their side, the Bisons should have no more excuses (not that they made any in the first place). Makie returns as the teams starting quarterback. With 10 more starters returning on the offensive side of the ball, the Bisons should have no problem putting up the same number of points they did last year, when they were the country’s number-1 ranked offence. But it’s not like the offence will need to put up a bunch of points either, as the Bisons defence will once again be rock-solid. The strength of the team’s defence lies in the front-four, where the likes of Justin Shaw, Justin Cooper and Simon Patrick will continue to terrorize opposing quarterbacks. It should once again be an exciting year for the Bisons football team. MEN’S VOLLEYBALL Season: September–February Head coach: Phil Hudson Where you can see them play: home games are played at the Investors Group Athletic Centre on the Fort Garry Campus Last season: 10-8, lost in conference quarter-finals Player to watch: Stefan Bouw Outlook: this is a year of change for the Bisons men’s volleyball team. Garth Pischke, who has coached the Bisons for 27 seasons took a six-month leave of absence from the U of M in July, and handed over the reigns to Hudson, who most recently was the head coach of Dakota Collegiate. Also out are some of the team’s top players, Toon van Lankvelt, Matt Balchin and Joshua Klassen, among others. So if the team is going to succeed, it’s going to need it’s young players to step up. WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL Season: September-February Head coach: Ken Bentley Where you can see them play: home games are played at the Investors Group Athletic Center on the Fort Garry Campus Last season: 18-2, eighth at the CIS National Championships Players to watch: Ashley Voth and Erin Nieuwenburg Outlook: after a terrific regular season that saw the Bisons women’s volleyball team finish first in Canada West, the team fell apart in the playoffs, losing a heartbreaker in the Canada West finals, then failing to win a match at the National Championships. There is no questioning the talent on the squad, with Voth, Nieuwenburg and Sabrina Barnes among the conference’s elite players, but will they have the mettle to get it done when it counts? That is the question on everyone’s mind. Coached by Bentley, one of the best minds in the sport, and the experience of heartbreak from last year, there is little doubt that the Bisons will be better prepared coming into the new season. MEN’S HOCKEY Season: September-March Head coach: Don MacGillivray Where you can see them play: home games are played at the Max Bell Centre on the Fort Garry Campus Last season: 10-16, missed playoffs Players to watch: Chris Falloon and Krister Toews Outlook: the Bisons men’s hockey team will be looking to avenge last year’s finish as the only team in Canada West not to make the post-season. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs despite the solid, sometimes spectacular, play of Toews, who should be returning as the team’s starting goaltender. Scoring goals was a problem at times for the Bisons last season, but with the return of Falloon, Dustin Hughes, and Aaron Starr, and the new additions of former Prince Albert Raider Mike Hellyer and MJHL leading scorer Kyle Howarth, the Bisons should find the back of the opposing net more often. If they do, the playoffs are a very likely scenario. WOMEN’S HOCKEY Season: September-March Head coach: Jon Rempel Where you can see them play: home games are played at the Max Bell Centre on the Fort Garry Campus Last season: 15-9, CIS bronze medalists Players to watch: Stacey Corfield and Leanne Kisil Outlook: last year, the Bison women’s hockey team matched the team’s best result ever when they finished third at the CIS National Championships. This year they will look to better those results, and with their core returning for another season, they have a great shot of doing so. The Bisons’ strength lies in their ability to keep the puck out of their net, for which the majority of the credit goes to Corfield. Last year’s team MVP has become one of Canada West’s best goaltenders, and she is only getting better. Of course, she has plenty of help behind the blue line. Canada West all-stars Jaclyn Van Deynze and Brenna Leary are back to make Corfield’s job much easier. The brunt of the scoring load falls on the shoulders of Kisil, one of the teams captain’s last year. Kisil will be helped immensely by the addition of Addie Miles. If the offence hits its stride, The Bisons will remain a challenger for the CIS’ top spot. SWIMMING Season: October-February Head coach: Vlastik Cerny Where you can see them swim: Meets to be held in Winnipeg will be held at the Pan Am Pool Players to watch: Landice Yestrau and Braeden Taylor Outlook: the swim team has six meets to prepare for the big swim meet’s in February — the Western Canadian Championships and the CIS Championships. Yestrau and Taylor, female and male team MVPs last season, will be back to help improve on last year’s results, when the women finished eighth at the CIS Championships and the men finished 18th. MEN’S BASKETBALL Season: October-March Head coach: Rick Suffield Where you can see them play: home games are played at the Investors Group Athletic Center on the Fort Garry Campus Last season: 7-15, missed playoffs Players to watch: Isaac Ansah and Darcy Coss Outlook: last season, the Bisons men’s basketball team nearly doubled their wins from the season prior with the addition of Ansah and his high-scoring capabilities. Now, going in to his second season with the Bisons, Ansah will be looked upon to continue carrying the scoring load. Ansah finished third in conference scoring last season, averaging 21.6 points-per-game. Coss should definitely help out with his sharp three-point shooting, that helped him average 17.0 point-per-game last season. With the core of the team returning, and a talented recruitment class, the Bisons basketball team could surprise a few people. WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Season: October-March Head coach: Pam Denis Where you can see them play: home games are played at the Investors Group Athletic Center on the Fort Garry Campus Last season: 14-8, lost in Great Plains Division Finals Players to watch: Rachel Hart Outlook: it’s always tough when a team loses one of its leaders, but that’s the position that the Bisons women’s basketball team finds themselves in coming into the upcoming season. With former captain Sarah Holder finishing up her CIS career at the end of last season, it will be up to the likes of Hart and Melanie Schlichter to take over the reigns as emotional leaders of the team. Despite the loss of Holder, the Bisons team remains one of the more talented teams in Canada West. Hart, last year’s team MVP, and Schlichter, will be the team’s go-to scorers, after both players averaged double-digit points last season. But don’t overlook the importance of the team’s speedy point guard duo of Michelle Hynes and Tessa Klassen. It will be their job to get the Bisons offence going, and make sure that Hart and Schlichter have open-look shots. TRACK AND FIELD Season: November-March Head coach: Claude Berube Where you can see them play: the majority of the track and field meets will be run at the Max Bell Centre. Players to watch: Quin Ferguson and Jana-Rae Cassidy Outlook: the Bisons track and field team will have 12 meets to make CIS standards before the CIS Championships in March. Ferguson and Cassidy should be a part of the National Championships again this year, having met the standards last season. They will be looking for better results, however, after taking home only one medal last season. The women’s team finished in ninth at the meet last year, while the men’s team finished 13th.


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