U of M Women's Bisons Win Canada West Conference Title
The Manitoba Bisons women’s hockey team earned a historic series sweep by capturing the 2010-11 Canada West Championship in the best-of-three Canada West Final played in the Clare Drake Arena at the University of Alberta. GDI Prairies would like to congratulate goaltenders Dee - Ana Marion, Leiette Klassen, and Tara Lacquette for their recent success.
For the first time in 14 years of women’s hockey, the Alberta Pandas were swept in the conference final at home. Manitoba secured their second ever conference title (2008-09, 2010-11 season) by winning game one by a 2-0 margin on Friday, February 25 and a 2-1 victory in game two on Saturday, February 26. Rookie Megan Vestby scored both game-winning playoff goals in the series.
Manitoba and Alberta will be the two conference representatives and advance to the 2011 CIS Women’s Hockey National Championship at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, ON running from March 10-13.
For more info on the team Click Here.
Caligiuri Against Thunderwolves
This past week, GDI goaltender Joe Caligiuri saw his first CIS action against the Lakehead Thunderwolves. The Thunderwolves were ranked ahead of the Manitoba Bisons as they ranked 7 and the Bisons 9th.
Caligiuri went in mid-way through the game as the Bisons switched goaltenders. Receiving 13 shots, and a bundle of strong chances late in the game, Caligiuri shut out the Thunderwolves and capped of his first win, 5-1, with the Bisons.
For more on the game click here.
Minnesota Duluth Women's Team Invited to the White House
The Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey team, the 2010 NCAA Division I champion, has been invited to a White House reception with President Obama on Sept. 13 in Washington, D.C., which will honor championship teams and student athletes, according to a White House news release.According to the release, President Obama is continuing a tradition started by President George W. Bush of honoring teams and individual student-athletes for accomplishments on and off the field. President Obama has also started efforts to recognize teams and players for service to their communities.
Lana Steck, goaltender of the Bulldogs, is returning back for her third year at Minnesota-Duluth. Over this past year Lana has been training hard back home in Winnipeg with GDI Prairies. Her hard work and preparation shows as this past year she was one of eight girls who received All-WCHA Academic Team selections. Driven to string another year of success into the 2010/2011 season, Lana continuous to stay dedicated to her game preparing diligently.
Last year, The Bulldogs defeated Cornell 3-2 in triple overtime March 21 in Minneapolis to win a fifth Division I championship and finish 31-8-2 for 2009-10. UMD has made four previous White House trips as NCAA champions – June 25, 2001; May 21, 2002; June 17, 2003; and June 26, 2008.
Leclerc Moves On To Warriors
Congrats to GDI trained Justin Leclerc as he moves on to CIAU's University of Waterloo Warriors.Leclerc was a late addition to the Winnipeg Saints of the MJHL last December, where he went 11-2-2 leading the Saints to the Finals that capped of a strong playoff run.
Previously Leclerc had made stops in Lethbridge and Kamloops while playing in the WHL, and also early on in his Junior career in Melville.
Lana Steck Helps Duluth Claim Fifth NCAA Women's Championship in 3 OT's
by John Gilbert, for WCHA.com
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – While Jessica Wong may be only a freshman at the University of Minnesota Duluth, she already has established a tendency to score huge goals. But she may never score a bigger one than she scored Sunday afternoon, when she deflected a Tara Gray shot into the Cornell goal at 19:26 of the third 20-minute overtime period to lift UMD to a 3-2 victory in the NCAA Women's Frozen Four championship game.
It was the longest game in NCAA Frozen Four history, surpassing the 2003 title game that UMD won by beating Harvard 4-3 at 4:19 of the second sudden-death overtime, at the DECC in Duluth. But this one, before 1,473 fans at Ridder Arena, may be a difficult record to surpass – it was only :26.4 seconds short of being two complete games. To read the rest of the article click here.
Lana Steck, part of the 09/10 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs Women's Hockey team, was part of 8 girls receiving All-WCHA Academic Team selections. Lana, a sophomore at Duluth, had previously played in goal for the St. Vital Victorias out of Winnipeg and had helped Team Manitoba's U-17 squad to a silver medal in the Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon back in 2007.
Congrats Lana on your recent success!
Scrivens Signs in Toronto
Yonkman Leads UofA to CIS Finals
Congrats out to Eidsness!
ST. PAUL, Minn. - It's hard to imagine a team taking a more difficult path to a WCHA Final Five championship.
But after six grueling playoff games in nine days, it was the fourth-seeded Fighting Sioux hoisting the coveted, and new-look, Broadmoor Trophy tonight after a white-knuckler of a 5-3 win over No. 3 seed St. Cloud State in the championship game at the Xcel Energy Center.
The road to the Broadmoor began with highly charged, three-game win over storied rival in the opening round of the playoffs last weekend in Grand Forks. That series win left UND facing the task of having to win three games in three days at the 2010 Red Baron WCHA Final Five, something that had never been accomplished until Minnesota Duluth made history last season.
Eidsness on ALL-WCHA Team
Brad Eidsness STATS:
14-8-2, 2.18 GAA, .914 sv%
Yonkman Excels at U of A
Travis Yonkman is having an excellent freshmen season for the University of Alberta Golden Bears Hockey Club. The 4 year WHL veteran of the Swift Current Broncos is part of a goaltending tanden with Real Cyr that has the Bears on top of the Canada West standings 13 points up on Manitoba and Saskatchewan who sit tied in second.
Travis a native of Saskatoon, SK has gone 11-2-0 on the year while posting a 2.52 GAA and .914 save percentage.
Travis has been a GDI client for the last 5 years and also instructs at Summer Camps.
Eidsness at North Dakota
