Herd adds horsepower

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/10/2015 (3660 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Three years ago, University of Manitoba Bisons women’s hockey coach Jon Rempel was gunning hard to sign a fresh young forward from Manitoba’s western edge.

He couldn’t snag a commitment from Karissa Kirkup then. Scouts from the NCAA were also circling, and she committed to the University of Maine.

Now, at the dawn of the 2015-16 CIS season, Rempel has a feisty young roster, bolstered by that former Westman Wildcats playmaker he tried to recruit years ago. It’s not often athletes make their way back to Canada from top U.S. colleges, but she’s here — and the coach has big plans for how she’ll fit in.

“She has huge ability to create offence,” Rempel said. “She’s very patient. She’s very cerebral about the game and sees the ice well. She’s going to eventually be able to run one of our power-play units effectively, I have no doubt about that. She’s going to be a big-minute player.”

First, Kirkup must shake off some rust.

When the Bisons kicked off their season against the University of Alberta on the weekend, it had been more than 18 months since the 5-6 forward last saw action in a game that mattered. The Virden, Man., product lost a whole season to the transfer process, bouncing from Maine to the University of Minnesota-Duluth, before returning home to red-shirt with Manitoba in January 2015.

That’s a long time to be on the shelf for a player.

“I was itching to get back, a lot,” Kirkup said Sunday. “I was very hungry coming back. All summer, I was counting down the days. Some of the girls were making fun of me just because I was very excited to get playing again.

“It’s been hard, and I think I’m still adjusting, but at the same time the girls have been very supportive and I’m having a lot of fun here.”

So far, so good. Kirkup picked up a primary assist in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Alberta, and the coach thought she looked strong. Sunday, the Bisons fell to the Pandas in a sluggish 4-0 loss; a disappointing result, and one Rempel cautioned they need to take as a lesson.

With some of the talent on board, picking up the pace ought not to be a problem. With the addition of Kirkup, the Bisons have a strong forward corps that includes sophomore Alanna Sharman, last year’s breakout star and CIS scoring leader, and third-year talent Alana Serhan, who wasn’t far behind her.

Then, there is Venla Hovi, an Olympian from Finland who Rempel pegged to be one of his most versatile weapons. The Bisons will have to wait a while to see where her talents fit into the mix — she’s currently injured, with no timetable for her return. The point is, last year’s Canada West finalists have potential.

That’s part of what drew Kirkup back to Manitoba, as her American experience went south. She committed to Maine Oct. 27, 2012 — she still remembers the date — and like most young athletes, playing Division I in the U.S. was the dream. Once at Maine, though she gives few specifics, the reality soon turned unhappy; she ended her career there after putting up 13 points in 30 games as a rookie.

‘I was very hungry coming back. All summer, I was counting down the days for sure.

Some of the girls were making fun of me just because I was very excited to get playing again’

— Karissa Kirkup

After trying a move to Minnesota-Duluth, she called Rempel and asked if there was still a place for her with the Bisons.

“I knew I wasn’t very happy, and I saw the success of this team,” she said. “When I called Jon, he was very excited to have me it seemed, which was a good feeling for me… so I’m very happy I chose to come back and be closer to home.”

The U of M announced her signing in December 2014; by January 2015 she was training with the team, although not playing, as they blazed through their surprise conference final run. Instead of returning afterward to Virden, where her brother, Tyler Kirkup, now plays for the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals, she opted to stay in Winnipeg, take extra classes and train with some of her teammates through the summer.

Those months getting to know the team, Kirkup thinks, helped smooth her transition into regular-player status this year. Right now, she’s paired on a big-minutes line with Serhan, while Rempel moves other players on and off their wing. She’s still feeling out the competition level in the CIS, but if nothing else, that time watching from the sidelines may have given her a head start.

“I think I’m fitting in well,” she said. “I’m starting to click with a couple of girls, which is very nice to see. But I think we’re still all adjusting, and I think we’re getting stronger as the year goes on. We’ll be ready to peak in playoffs, which is very exciting.”

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca