Brandon’s Vines commits to Bisons

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This article was published 13/10/2023 (774 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Addi Vines knows how to defend the best hockey players in the province, but the skill she learned through adversity might be even more important.

The Westman Wildcats blue-liner has learned how to respond when breaks don’t go her way. Being cut by the team four years ago ignited a drive that now benefits both the Brandonite and her team in the Manitoba U18 AAA Female Hockey League.

Vines’ poise on and off the ice caught the attention of the University of Manitoba Bisons, and they’ve signed her for the 2024-25 Canada West season.

“I really liked the coaches. They feel so easy to talk to and they’re very welcoming. I really love the program and the style of coaching,” Vines said via phone interview.

“I’m really excited and honestly, I feel kind of relieved I got it out of the way and I know exactly where I’m going.”

Vines is in just her third year with the Westman AAA program. She tried out for the under-15 AAA squad in Grade 8 but was cut and played house league. The following year, she joined the Yellowhead Chiefs but only got to play five games before the league shut down due to COVID-19.

“It was definitely super upsetting when I got cut,” Vines said.

“It was really hard because that had been the team I’d been wanting to make forever. It ended up helping me along the way to work harder and prove to myself that I could make the team when I ended up going to U18.”

Vines laced up her skates with one goal each day: Be the hardest-working player on the ice at all times.

She knew she wasn’t the fastest skater and focused on that over those two seasons, plus some summer camps.

Then, she cracked the Wildcats U18 squad in Grade 10 and maintained the work ethic that got her there.

The five-foot-six defender had a goal and five assists in her rookie season, then posted a goal and nine helpers in 2022-23.

She said the biggest change jumping to U18 was the speed but feels she has adapted well. Vines is a solid two-way player, good at winning her individual defensive battles and making smart, quick decisions with the puck.

“Addi is a person and player that fits well into our program’s philosophy and principles of play,” Bisons coach Jon Rempel said in a release. “Her hockey IQ, poise and competitiveness will serve her well at the university level. We look forward to having her as part of the Bison family.”

Vines plans to study school psychology at the U of M.

The Wildcats welcome the Central Plains Capitals to Hartney for a home game tonight at 7:30 p.m., then entertain the Pembina Valley Hawks on Sunday at 2 p.m.

They started the season with a pair of one-goal losses but Vines is confident the team can turn it around.

“I’m really hoping we end up winning the league,” she said. “But also just making sure I enjoy my last season of AAA Wildcats and spending a lot of time with the girls on my team because I’ve made such good friends with a bunch of them.”

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