Alexandra Anderson of the Bison women’s hockey team has had her accomplishments over this past season rewarded.
The blueliner hailing from Winnipeg was selected by Hockey Canada to take part in its Summer Showcase Camp.
During the 2016-17 U SPORTS season, Anderson collected 18 points – four goals and 14 assists – in 27 games, good for ninth in team scoring and fourth among Bisons defenders. She also added a goal in four games during the 2016-17 Canada West Playoffs.
This was a significant jump from the goal and two assists she notched the previous year. In her rookie season, she snagged two assists in 19 games, adding a goal and assist in the Canada West playoffs.
The Summer Showcase was a great opportunity for Anderson ahead of her fourth year on the Bisons’ blue line. The invite is one that Bisons head coach Jon Rempel said he feels is well deserved.
“We are very happy for Alex,” Rempel said to Bisons Sports prior to the Showcase.
“I believe this will be another step forward for her from both a development and confidence perspective heading into this season. I know that Alex will do an excellent job representing our Bisons program as well as U SPORTS women’s hockey.”
Anderson joined 20 other U SPORTS women’s hockey players who travelled to Calgary for the nine day camp.
Canada West was well represented, with Alex Poznikoff , Alberta, Cassandra Vilgrain, UBC, Jaycee Magwood, Regina, Kaitlin Willoughby, Saskatchewan, Kelly Murray, UBC, and Lindsey Post, Alberta, all being selected for the U SPORTS team.
Hockey Canada’s Summer Showcase is modelled after a high-performance program, including off-ice workouts, media training, and nutritional classes for players. The U SPORTS players also played exhibition games against Canada’s National Women’s Development Team, and the national women’s team from Japan. The U SPORTS All-Stars split their two games with the Canadian national team.
The Summer Showcase invite is just another notch on Anderson’s belt, after a fantastic year wearing brown and gold. She, along with Rachel Dyck, Lauryn Keen, Venla Hovi, and Erica Rieder, were named as Canada West All-Stars.
Hockey Canada also invited Keen, Reider, and Sharman, to the showcase, but they were unable to attend .
The All-Star nods and Summer Showcase invite also reflect well on Rempel and the Bisons Women’s Hockey Program as a whole.
The Winnipeg-born defender joins Rieder and Alanna Sharman in getting a well-deserved look from Hockey Canada. Reider and Sharman were selected to don the red and white during the Winter Universiade this past February in Khazakhstan.
Anderson will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge when she’s back patrolling the University of Manitoba blue line during the 2017-18 Bisons season. The women’s squad will be looking forward to improving on their 16-7-3-2 record, good for 56 points and third in the conference.
With all-stars Dyck, Keen, and Hovi, Team Canada alumni Rieder, and Sharman, along with the now even more developed Anderson, the Herd are likely to see a better result than the second-round loss during the 2017 Canada West Playoffs.
The 2017-18 Bisons season kicks off with a weekend series against UBC, October 6th and 7th, with the home opener coming a week later, Oct. 13-14 against the University of Alberta – the same team that ended the Bisons’ season a year ago.
