Boulder Jr. Bison

The Boulder Jr. Bison will be attending the 2010/11 pre season tournament in Helena, MT again to prepare for a tough season as reigning Mid Western Division Champions.  The Bison will start practice on the 7th of September and get a week and a half of ice time before departing to Helena.  The opposing teams are from both the WSHL and the NORPAC.  The Bison face off against the defending NORPAC champion Helena Big Horns Friday the 17th at 7:30pm.  Saturday the Bison face the Puget Sound Tomahawks at 4:30pm.  The team closes out it's pre season Sunday the 19th at 11:00am vs the Idaho Jr. Steelheads a team that made a big splash in the WSHL but came up short in the playoffs.  Head coach Brent Cullaton said " I like going on the road to begin a season, the guys are forced to bond with each other, you see the team character and leaders step up and show who they are. I thought that our team trip to Helena last year really prepared us for the season we had.  The guys played tough competitive hockey and had a lot of fun also.  They really became a team and got to know one another.  I expect nothing less from this years squad."  the Bison return home from Helena, MT with one week of practice to load up for the 2010/11 season and home opener vs Mid West rival the El Paso Rhino's Friday September 24th, 7:00pm at BVICE.  Kids receive free admission with a white Bison jersey on.

Purchase season tickets for all the Jr. Bison home games and get a special discount.  More information will be posted soon or Contact Bison Team Manager Ed Smith for more information.

Are you looking for a fun and rewarding experience?  Then the Boulder Jr. Bison are looking for you!

Each year 16 to 20 year old players from around the world try-out or are recruited for a roster spot with the team. As they are selected, the players are placed in host homes for the season.  The Jr. Bison are currently looking for families who are interested in housing a player for the upcoming season which begins in mid-August, and ends in mid-to-late March. 

Host families receive a monthly stipend for each player they house along with free season tickets.  If you would like to get more detailed information, please contact Team Manager, Ed Smith via email at edward_s_smith@ml.com  or by phone at (303)912-5432.

Thank you for considering being an integral part of helping a young man achieve his dreams! 

The Boulder junior Bison inaugural season has come to an end at Nationals falling 4-2 but playing spoiler to the Dubuque Thunder birds.  The Thunder birds needed 1 more goal to qualify to the final 4, but a solid effort by the Bison prevented that.   On a season that finish at 40-18-2, the Bison staff could not have asked for much more.  'I am very happy with the effort and the preparation that was brought each and every night by the team.  We had different guys step up and contribute on a regular basis.  That' what a team is all about."  The Bison will begin to prepare for next season with hopes of another crack at the Thorne Cup.

The schedule is out for the 2010 Jr.A Nationals tournament in Marlborough, MA.  There is only 12 teams remaining in Junior hockey and the Jr Bison are one of them.  The Jr Bison punched there ticket to this years Nationals by beating out the El Paso Rhinos in the Mid West division finals 2 games to 1.  The Bison will depart Wednesday March, 24th to Marlborough in preparation for what will be there biggest test of the season.  The Bison open against the New Hampshire Monarchs the top team in the country, and follow it up against the Norpac champion Helena Big Horns on Saturday  and finish the round robin against the CSHL #2 team.  Here is an in depth look at the Schedule:all games will be played at New England Sports center and on Fast Hockey.

The Boulder Jr. Bison rode there cinderella story season all the way to the end with a 2-1 loss on Sunday at Polar Ice to the reigning WSHL champion Phoenix Polar Bears.  The Bison won game 1 of the best of three series with a 5-4 OT win on friday night with a goal at 7:48 by Jamison Wicks.  On Saturday another playoff classic, the Bison were down 2-1 with 9 seconds to go and with 1.2 seconds remaining AJ Tesoriero scored on a wrap around to force OT yet again.  In OT the Polar Bears would score on a pretty two on one play to force a game 3 winner take all.  The Bison threw everything they had at the Polar Bears on Sunday outshooting them 38-22, but a struggling PP and solid Polar Bears PK proved to be too much.  The Bison scored a goal at the buzzer to tie but the official waived it off saying the puck entered after the buzzer.  The Bison now prepare for what will be there biggest test of the year as they head to Jr. Nationals in Marlborough, MA on March 25, where the top 12 remaining Junior A teams in the country will compete for that number one spot.

Bison Hand El Paso First Ever Series Loss at Home

After sweeping the Tulsa Rampage last weekend in Boulder to advance to the Western States Hockey League (WSHL) Division Championship series, the Bison traveled to El Paso, Texas to take on the perennial league powerhouse El Paso Rhinos.

Going into the three game series on Friday night in El Paso, the Bison knew they had a tough task in front of them.  During the regular season, the Bison were able to beat the Rhinos just three times out of twelve total games – once in El Paso and twice in Boulder.  But the Bison were peaking at the right time, taking a ten game winning streak into Friday night’s match-up.

In game one, the Bison came out strong and took a 3-1 lead into the third period on goals by Daniel Turgeon, Jeremy Rolfe and AJ Teserero.  Backed by the strong presence of Taylor Fant between the pipes, the Bison held on for a 3-2 win, handing the Rhinos its first home playoff loss in team history.  The Bison was going into Game 2 with a one game lead!

In Game 2 on Saturday night, the Bison came in loose and feeling very confident.  They fell behind by a goal twice, but came back strong tying the game at two on goals by Jordan Heffner and Ryan Gauthier.  The Bison went into the third period down 4-2, but playing well and within striking distance.  Unfortunately a two-game sweep was not in the cards and the Bison left the building licking their wounds after a 10-2 trouncing.  Obviously the momentum was with the Rhinos going into the decisive Game 3 on Sunday.

Game 3 started at 5:30pm in El Paso.  The Bison seemed focused and determined prior to game time.  When the puck was dropped, the Bison came out strong and overwhelmed the Rhinos in their own building.  Just half way through the first period the Bison had bagged four unanswered goals, two by Daniel Turgeon and one each by Steve Shaffroth and Brendon Galley.  The Bison were building what could have been an insurmountable lead.  But there were still two and a half periods of hockey left and the Rhinos could score in bunches as they did in Game 2.  The Bison needed to maintain their offensive pressure.  The first ended at 4-0.

The Rhinos came out hard in the second period and refused to go away quietly in their barn.  The play went back and forth, but the Rhinos were able to light the light only once and the led was cut to three going into the final period.  The period ended at 4-1.

As expected, the Rhinos threw everything they had at the Bison at the start of the final period, and at just the 1:01 mark the Rhinos scored to put the pressure on the Bison.  It was 4-2 and the Rhino goal sparked more energy in the home team and fans.   The Bison were back on its heels for the first five minutes of the period and tensions were high.

As the minutes slowly ticked away and the home team fans grew louder and louder, the Bison showed great determination and discipline, and kept the Rhinos at bay.

In the final three minutes, the Rhinos were all over the Bison trying to get within one, but Taylor Fant would have none of it and he shut the door in net.  With about two minutes left in the game, the Rhinos were forced to pull their goalie and with only 9 seconds left in the game, Jordan Roberts broke into the Rhinos zone and buried an empty netter to solidify the win for the Bison.

Nine seconds later, the gloves and sticks flew into the air as the Bison players celebrated their inaugural season with a team pile-up in the Bison crease – in El Paso.  The Bison did what no other team could do – they beat the Rhinos to advance to the WSHL League Championship series next weekend in Phoenix, AZ or Fresno, CA.  In addition, they will represent the WSHL at the Junior A Tier III National tournament in Massachusetts on March 25^th.