Wainwright Bisons

The Wainwright Bisons are a Junior "B" Ice Hockey team based in Wainwright, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the North Eastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League (NEAJBHL). They play their home games at Peace Memorial Multiplex.
==History==
Since the 1990–91 season the Wainwright Bison have seven league championships winning in the 2001, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023 playoffs. The victories advanced the Bison to the Russ Barnes Trophy championships which is the Alberta Provincial Jr. B Championships which they have won three times in 2017, 2018, and 2023. The team also won one Keystone Cup in 2017 as the Western Canada Junior B champions.
In 2013, Wainwright was the Russ Barnes host and as such participated in their second Provincial Championship. In 2016 the Bisons advanced to the Provincial Championship but this time as the league champion. In 2017 the won the league championship to advance and win the Russ Barnes Trophy (Provincial Champion) and therefore advancing to the Keystone Cup. Here they won the Western Canadian Junior B Championship with and overtime win in the final game. 
In 2018 the team won the league playoffs and the 2018 Russ Barnes Trophy.  However, they were unable to compete in the 2018 Keystone Cup as per a ruling by Hockey Alberta prior to the season that would not allow the Russ Barnes Trophy champion to compete in the Keystone Cup citing cost and player safety.  The 2018 Cyclone Taylor Cup champions from British Columbia also were not participating in the Keystone Cup with similar concerns bieng raised by the leagues in that province as the provincial champion is not mandated to participate in the event.  The Saskatchewan champion also would not participate in the Keystone Cup for 2018.
==Season-by-season record==
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, OL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Season 	GP	W 	L 	OL	Pts	GF 	GA 	PIM 	Finish 	Playoffs
2010-11	32	18	11	3 	39 	192	140	813 	4th 	Won QuarterFinal, 3-1 (Wheat Kings)Lost SemiFinals, 0-4 (Ice)
2011-12	32	18	14	0 	36 	195	138	- 	5th 	Lost QuarterFinal, 1-3 (Wheat Kings)
2012-13	34	26	6 	2 	54 	142	77 	- 	2nd 	Won QuarterFinal, 4-0 (Tigers)Won SemiFinal, 4-0 (Wheat Kings)Lost League Finals, 1-4 (Ice)
2013-14	34	28	6 	0 	56 	195	94 	- 	2nd 	Won QuarterFinal, 4-0 (Canadiens)Won SemiFinal, 4-2 (Bandits)Lost League Finals, 2-4 (Ice)
2014-15	36	33	2 	1 	67 	235	89 	727 	1st 	Won QuarterFinal, 4-0 (Border Chiefs)Won SemiFinal, 4-0 (Bandits)Lost League Finals, 2-4 (Ice)
2015-16	36	28	6 	2 	58 	179	100	1034	1st 	Won QuarterFinal, 4-0 (Bandits)Won SemiFinal, 4-0 (Ice))Won League Finals, 4-1 (Wheat Kings)NEAJBHL Champions
2016-17	36	32	4 	0 	64 	220	95 	1133	1st 	Won QuarterFinal, 4-0 (Tigers)Won Semifinals, 4-2 (Wheat Kings)Won League Finals, 4-0 (Canadiens)NEAJBHL Champions
Season 	GP	W 	L 	OL	SL 	Pts	GF 	GA 	Finish 	Playoffs
2017-18	36	34	2 	0 	0 	68 	224	73 	1st 	Won QuarterFinal, 4-0 (Tigers)Won Semifinals, 4-1 (Ice)Won League Finals, 4-1 (T-Birds)NEAJBHL Champions
2018-19	32	29	3 	0 	0 	58 	218	65 	1st 	Won QuarterFinal, 4-0 (T-Birds)Won Semifinals, 4-1 (Canadiens)Won League Finals, 4-0 (Clippers)NEAJBHL champions
2019-20	32	23	6 	2 	1 	49 	145	107 	2nd 	Won QuarterFinal, 4-0 (Tigers)Lost Semifinals, 2-4 (Canadiens)
2020-21	4 	3 	1 	0 	0 	6 	22 	12 	N/A 	Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021-22	30	24	5 	1 	0 	49 	137	79 	1st 	Won Semifinals, 4-0 (Tigers)Won League Finals, 4-0 (Canadiens)NEAJBHL champions</small>
2022–23	31	23	7 	1 	47 	166	72 	530 	2nd of 8 NEAJBHL	Won Quarterfinals, 4–0 (Border Chiefs)Won Semifinals, 4–2 (Wheat Kings)Won League Finals, 4–1 (Canadiens)NEAJBL Champions'''
2023-24	31	26	5 	0 	52 	197	76 	- 	2nd 	Won ChampionshipWon Bronze medal at 2024 Russ Barnes Trophy
==Russ Barnes Trophy==
Alberta Jr. B Provincial Championships
Year	Round-robin 	Record	Place 	Semifinal 	Bronze medal game	Gold medal game
2001	W, Fort St. John Huskies, 5–3W, Edmonton River Kings, 6–4W, Calgary Royals Blue, 4–2 	3–0–0 	1st of 4, Pool 	L, Edmonton Royals, 1–8 	Not played 	—
2013	T, Okotoks Bisons, 2–2T, Calgary Rangers, 1–1L, Sherwood Park Knights, 2–5 	0–1–2 	4th of 4, Pool 	Did not advance 	Did not advance 	Did not advance
2016	L, CRAA Gold, 3–4W, Mountainview Colts, 2–1W, Wetaskiwin Icemen, 7–1 	2–1–0 	1st of 4, Pool 	W, Red Deer Vipers, 3–1 	— 	L, North Peace Navigators, 2–3Silver Medal
2017	W, Fairview Flyers, 7–3W, Beaumont Chiefs, 11–2L, Cochrane Generals, 3–4 	2–1–0 	1st of 4, Pool 	W, Wetaskiwin Icemen, 5–2	— 	W, Cochrane Generals, 5–4Gold Medal
2018	W, Wetaskiwin Icemen, 5–0W, Fort St. John Huskies, 5–3T, Coaldale Copperheads, 1–1 	2–0–1 	1st of 4, Pool B	W, Beverly Warriors, 4–3 	— 	W, Red Deer Vipers, 5–1Gold Medal
2019	W, Fort St. John Huskies, 6-4W, Wetaskiwin Icemen, 7-4W, Coaldale Copperheads, 5-3 	3–0–0 	1st of 4, Pool 	W, Beverly Warriors, 7–2 	— 	L, Airdrie Thunder, 3-4Silver Medal
2022	L, Okotoks Bisons, 0-4L, CBHA Rangers, 5-8W, Sherwood Park Knights, 4-2 	1–2–0 	4th of 4, Pool B	did not qualify 	— 	-
2023	W, Sylvan Lake Wranglers, 2-1L, CBHA Rangers, 0-2W, Fort St. John Huskies, 5–0W, Okotoks Bisons, 5-4	2–2–0 	2nd of 6, Full 	— 	— 	W, Okotoks Bisons, 3–1Gold Medal
==Keystone Cup==
Western Canadian Jr. B Championships(Northern Ontario to British Columbia)Six teams in round robin play. 1st vs 2nd for gold/silver & 3rd vs. 4th for bronze.
Season	Round Robin 	Record	Standing	Bronze Medal Game	Gold Medal Game
2017 	T, Beaver Valley 3-3W, Nipigon 9-2W, Arborg 5-0T, Peguis 4-4W, Regina 2-1 	3-0-2 	2nd of 6	n/a 	OT WIN, 4-3 Beaver ValleyKeystone Cup Champions
2018 	Unable to participate due to Hockey Alberta announcing Russ Barnes Trophy champion will not participate in tournament	N/A 	N/A 	N/A 	N/A
==NHL alumni==
*Shawn Heins
*Gordon Mark
*Glen Sather
*Jeff Woywitka
==External links==
*Official website of the Wainwright Bisons
*Official website of the North Eastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League
*Official website of the Keystone Cup
Category:Ice hockey teams in Alberta
Category:Canadian ice hockey teams
Category:North Eastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League teams