Brian Harris played 136 total games for the Swan Valley Stampeders over the course of two regular seasons and one lengthy playoff run. With one season left on his eligibility, Harris had a big decision to make. Go back and play Jr. A hockey for another season or move on to the next level.
The decision was to move on and now the former Stampeder is set to join the University of Manitoba Bison's men's hockey team in the fall.
The decision closes a 190 game junior hockey career for Brian, which included 54 games with the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings.
"It was definitely awesome to commit to the Bison's hockey team," said Harris. "I'm kind of ready for school so I thought it would be a good idea to skip my last year of junior eligibility. I'm pretty excited about the whole experience."
"I was kind of talking to them like throughout the season," he added. "It's also pretty close to home which is great and I know some of the guys on the team which is nice."
Brian is from Wawanesa, Manitoba.
Harris is coming off an extremely strong season with Swan Valley. He had 52 regular season points and he played in all but one of the team's regular season games. He also chipped in 15 points for the team on their road to the league final where they nearly got past Portage for their first ever league title.
"Oh yeah, it was a lot of fun," commented Harris. "The fans are great and they packed the barn all throughout the playoffs. Obviously, we came up a little bit short, but I wouldn't change it for anything, we had lots of fun."
"Being one of the top guys in Swan Valley really did boost my confidence," he added. "I have a lot more confidence in my abilities going into U of M now."
After being a veteran on the Stampeders, Brian is ready to play his first season as a rookie. Although it's never easy on a rookie, Brian isn't worrying about that too much.
"It's going to be a new experience for sure. I'm just going to work as hard as I can and I want to help the team win games," said Harris. "I have a lot to learn for sure, but I feel playing for the U of M will allow me to do that."
The Bison’s went 6-22 in conference play this past season.
