Manitoba has five in WHL tilt vs. Russia

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/10/2011 (5434 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SEATTLE Thunderbirds goaltender Calvin Pickard of Winnipeg, Brandon Wheat Kings forwards Mark Stone of Winnipeg and Michael Ferland of Brandon, Moose Jaw Warriors forward Quinton Howden of Oakbank and defenceman Dylan McIlrath of Winnipeg have been named to Team WHL, which will compete against Team Russia in the six-game 2011 Subway Super Series Nov. 7-17.

Team WHL will take on Team Russia in games 5 and 6 of the series on Nov. 16 in Regina and Nov. 17 in Moose Jaw. The first four games of the series will be hosted by the Qntario Major Junior Hockey League and the OHL.

The series is part of Canada’s preparation for the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship tournament in Calgary and Edmonton.

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Hockey players Meagan Vestby and Jeremy Schappert have been named the University of Manitoba’s Smitty’s Bisons athletes of the week.

Vestby, a second-year forward from Swan River, scored the game-tying goal for the Bisons women’s hockey team and had four shots on net in the team’s 2-1 shootout loss on the road to the Regina Cougars last Friday. In the 4-2 win the next night, Vestby had three shots and a plus-1 rating.

Schappert, a second-year defenceman from Winnipeg with the Bisons men’s team, contributed four points in last weekend’s home-ice split with the Regina Cougars. He scored Manitoba’s only goal in a 6-1 loss last Friday and had three assists the next night in Manitoba’s 5-1 win.

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The 2011-12 Canada West volleyball season opens this weekend for the U of M Bisons women’s and men’s teams as the Brandon Bobcats visit Investors Group Athletic Centre today and Saturday, with the women’s matches at 6 p.m. and the men’s at 8 p.m. both nights.

Coach Ken Bentley and the Bisons women’s team have named fifth-year left-side hitter Kristi Hunter, 22, and fifth-year middle player Tricia Mayba, 22, as captains.

The Bisons, which have eight first-year rookies on the 13-player team, are fourth in national pre-season rankings and had a 9-2 record in the pre-season.

Coach Garth Pischke and the Bisons men’s volleyball squad has named fifth-year left-side hitter Ryan Munt, 21, and fourth-year left-side hitter Chris Voth as team captains. The Bisons were listed third in Canada in the pre-season rankings and hold a 9-2 pre-season record.

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The U of M football Bisons will host the Regina Rams (2-5) on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the U of M Stadium in a game the team is billing as “win and in,” as the Bisons can advance to the Canada West conference playoffs with a victory.

Next season, the Bisons plan to play in the new stadium under construction down the street from the University of Manitoba Stadium.

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Lauren Anderson, a 6-foot-2 post from Westwood Collegiate, has committed to the University of Winnipeg Wesmen women’s basketball team for the 2012-2013 season. She averaged 38 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocks per game for the Westwood Warriors in 2010-2011.