When Home Ice Isn't Friendly

If you were looking for some Canada West hockey action to watch on Thursday and Friday this week, the Manitoba Bisons men's hockey team hosted Trinity Western on those nights thanks to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers clearing the university's schedule on Saturday had they been hosting a CFL West Semi-Final game. Manitoba and Trinity Western entered the weekend as the only teams without wins, so something was going to give when it came to the two teams at the bottom of the standings. While Manitoba did hold a one-point lead over TWU thanks to an overtime loss, the 0-7-1 Bisons against the 0-8-0 Spartans didn't quite seem like a series one would remember years from now.

One could be forgiven if one believed that Manitoba had the advantage with the games being played at Wayne Fleming Arena, but it seems the Spartans were prepared for what the Bisons would ice on Thursday and Friday as they jumped ahead of the Bisons in the standings with a 3-2 win on Thursday and a 5-2 win on Friday. Manitoba is now officially 0-9-1 on the season - ten-straight losses - under new head coach Gordon Burnett, and one has to wonder if he'll have a 2023 win to speak of as Manitoba plays Regina, Calgary, and Alberta in the coming weeks.

Perhaps it's not surprising to some who watch the Bisons that they're occupying the basement of Canada West considering who has been recruited in recent years, but what might surprise everyone is just how bad Manitoba is when playing in Winnipeg. Since the start of the 2021-22 season, the Bisons are now 6-23-1 at Wayne Fleming Arena with the only team having suffered more than one loss to the Bisons as the visitors being the MacEwan Griffins. Manitoba has put up back-to-back three-win seasons at home with four of those six wins coming against the Griffins.

What might concern Bisons fans even more is the lack of scoring they do on home ice. In the two-plus seasons from 2021 until today, the Bisons have been outscored 139-82 on home ice for an average home score of 4.63 goals for the opposition compared to 2.73 for the Herd. Nine times since September 2022 have the Bisons allowed six-or-more goals on home ice, and the team's record in those nine games is an unsurprising 1-8-0. When one realizes that the opposition is nearly two-goals-per-game better than the Bisons on Wayne Fleming Arena ice, it's almost like starting every game in a 2-0 hole.

For a team that has struggled, none of this may be all that surprising. We've seen the Bisons play inspiring hockey at times, but those times are few and far between. The proof of that is in their most recent efforts as the last home game they won in regulation time or in extra time came on January 28, 2023 - a 7-6 win over Trinity Western. Since that date, they've played series against Alberta, Saskatchewan, Mount Royal, and Trinity Western, winning none of those games including all six they've played at home this season.

It's hard to convince players to come to a team that doesn't win often, let alone not winning at home. Manitoba has brought in some great players over the last number of years, but a lot have left to pursue other opportunities before they use their full eligibility. Other schools have seen this happen as well, but it seems like those schools have someone who can step in and replace those players or they recruit players of similar calibre - CHL players and former pro players, for example - to make up the loss. For whatever reason unknown to me, the Bisons simply have not done that in recent years.

No one wants to see Manitoba do poorly, but if they don't win any of those six games prior to the December break, they'll start the second-half of the season against a UBC team that sits atop the standings while being 23 days from going a full calendar year without winning a game at home. Identifying what needs to change is a task that may require a team of coaches to break down because it seems pretty clear that none of it working all that well. They've already made a coaching change with Mike Sirant retiring from the program, but it seems this problem is deeper than just a coach as Gord Burnett is currently sporting an 0-9-1 record.

Based on how they've played at home for the last two-and-a-half seasons, it might be time to look at how the program is run from the top right down to the bottom. Most of the players who have found success in Canada West men's hockey have been graduates of the WHL, and there should be a priority placed on recruiting those players who go undrafted by the NHL as they have full WHL scholarships to use. With Burnett's history and experience in the WHL, that shouldn't be a big ask from someone who can identify good major junior players.

It's been far too long for a Bisons men's hockey team to record four wins at home in one campaign. They'll have their work cut out for them this season, but winning at home is key for any successful franchise. Gordon Burnett knows this, and he'll see if he can record that first U SPORTS home win in his career on November 24 when the Bisons welcome the Alberta Golden Bears to town. Winning against Alberta is sweet anytime, but winning against a good team will give him something to build on for the rest of the season.

After all...

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!