Spotlight on Ryan Bunger #21

Published on January 21, 2004 under North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Bozeman Icedogs News Release


Ryan started playing hockey at age 5...just like all of his teammates. He learned to skate by pushing a chair. This all started one day when his dad brought home hockey gear for him and his older brother and started taking them to the rink on Saturday mornings. It wasn't for another year that he started understanding the game and enjoying playing.

After advancing through the ranks of youth hockey he was recruited by Coach Metro last year at a tournament in Helena. At the time, he had committed to the Everett Silver Tips in the WHL (Western Hockey League) but did show some signs of interest. In early September he was released from Everett and then came to Bozeman. Playing in Everett gave him a glimpse of being in the "big time" where the players were catered too. All gear was handled and setup by team assistants, and their sticks came from the factory imprinted with each player's name. The speed and skill in the WHL is also a lot more challenging. Even though being an ICEDOG is not as luxurious as being in Everett, he shares the sentiment of his teammates that the DOGS are well cared for.

The biggest challenge of being in Bozeman is developing the skill and exposure necessary to earn a spot on a D- I college roster. The other adjustment that has been hard is daily practice and workout sessions. One element of pride from the season is winning a rookie dancing contest instigated by Team Captain Bill Leahy.

Ryan would like to play in Bozeman for a couple of years and then play D-I hockey at the University of North Dakota. To get to that level, gaining strength and improving his scoring abilities are a must.

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The Bozeman ICEDOGS are in the middle of a two-week road trip, and spending a lot of time on a bus! Today, the team had an early morning practice and will leave their hotel in Alexandria, MN at 1:30 MST for the 90- minute bus ride to Fargo for their game tonight against the Jets.

You can listen live to tonight's game beginning at 6:05 pm with Mark Martello on 95.1-FM The Moose. The 'DOGS play again Friday against the Blizzard and Saturday against the Bobcats. Both games can be heard on The Moose at 6:05 pm. The next ICEDOGS home game is January 31st at 7:05 against the Fernie Ghostriders. That game is brought to you by Montana Furniture Galleries. Lucky fans will also be walking away with FREE "Miracle" movie tickets and other merchandise compliments of Wallace Theater. "Miracle" is a movie based on the 1980 USA Hockey Team that beat a heavily-favored Russian squad in the Olympics and eventually went on to win the gold medal.

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ICEDOGS Hire New Sales Manager

The Bozeman ICEDOGS have hired Shoni Whiteside as their Corporate Sales Manager, who begins her duties today. Shoni takes the reins from Andrew Bush, who left the organization a few months ago to pursue other business ventures in the community.

Shoni grew up on a ranch in Jordan, MT, and graduated from high school as her class Valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA. After graduating, she came to Bozeman to attend MSU. Her varying interest led to the study of multiple disciplines including architecture, spanish, and english-- and then she decided a break from school was in order.

Shoni enjoys skiing, hiking, fishing, camping and reading- -Her favorite book is A Tale of Two Cities. She felt working for the ICEDOGS would be a great opportunity to develop relationships in the community. After working to renew our sponsors this spring and summer, she may return to school while continuing to work part- time for the 'DOGS.

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Team Update

The ICEDOGS did pretty well in Chicago at the NAHL Windy City tournament last weekend. The West division went 14-14 overall. Bozeman, Fargo- Moorhead, and Helena each had a 2-2 record. Bismarck was undefeated at 4-0 and Minnesota also did well with a record of 3-1. Division leader Billings went 1-3, and Fernie was shutout with a 0-4 record. The East division had a 10-14 overall record, while the South went 16-12.

Monday, the 'DOGS left Chicaco to make the 9 hour trek to Alexandria, MN. Tuesday, the team had a morning practice and spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing before going to a high school game last night. Today, the team had practice this morning and will be leaving shortly for Fargo-Moorhead. After the game they will head back to Alexandria and spend the next couple of days preparing for Friday's game against the Blizzard. Following Friday's game they will make the 2 1/2 drive over to Fargo-Moorhead and stay there for the night. Saturday they will be getting ready for their game against the Bobcats that evening.

Zac McClellan will be out tonight due to injury but may return to action on Friday. Josh Meyers is also injured and could be out of action for a couple of weeks.

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Rex the Wonderdog Gets In Trouble At MSU

Rex the Wonderdog was invited by the MSU Athletic Department to participate in their Montana Mascot of the Year competition at last Saturday's game against the Idaho State Bengals. Perhaps this might be the last time this type of invitation could get extended. Other characters in attendance were The Moose, Champ the Bobcat, an oven mitt from a local fast-food restaurant, and a bear from Billings West High School.

The Wonderdog had a great time entertaining fans, setting himself up to be kicked and backhanded by dancers and cheerleaders during time outs, throwing kids shoes on the court, tripping over the referee's feet, enticing kids to help lead cheers, and more.

Rumor has it, that our hometown husky was the reason an impromptu meeting was called by an MSU Athletic Department employee to scold the attending characters for distracting fans from watching the game. After all, who likes to see mascots at sporting events? Who thinks they, at times, might be more entertaining then the game itself or anything else going on at any given time? Who likes to see mascots get in trouble? We, at the Valley Ice Garden, are proud of Rex the Wonderdog and what he represents. We hope that some of you went to the game and did find that he got in the way, made you and someone else laugh, added some enthusiasm to the crowd, and did what he always does...push the limits for your enjoyment.

Although he had a good time cheering on the 'Cats, Rex the Wonderdog's sacrifice of time and fur ended up in a loss of Montana Mascot of The Year to an oversized and stuffed oven mitt...and he didn't even bring food to the party. How the oven mitt won remains a mystery...particularly since the Wonderdog presented MSU President Dr. Geoffrey Gamble with the Bobcat- logo etched glass pitcher in gratitude for the invitation.

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NAHL Leage Meeting Update

Bozeman ICEDOGS General Manager Jason Martel attended the NAHL league meeting last week in Chicago, which resulted in some information you might find interesting.

The new league website should be up and operational by the end of the month. Each new team will have an individual page, as well as numerous other improvements over the old and current site.

A playoff format was adopted, which will feature the top four teams from each division competing in best-of-five series for both the first and second rounds.

The Texas Tornado have applied with USA Hockey to host the national tournament at their facility in Frisco, TX. In addition to being home to the Torndao, that rink is used by the Dallas Stars as their practice facility. The Tornado are the only team applying, so it is fairly certain they will be the host.

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North American Hockey League Stories from January 21, 2004


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