WolfPack add third player from SJHL with singing of Nipawin d-man Bollefer

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The Thompson Rivers University WolfPack  will have quite a ‘Saskatchewan’ flavor when it hits the ice in September. General Manager Chris Hans and head coach Don Schulz have announced the signing of their eighth recruit for the 2012-13 B.C. Intercollegiate Hockey League Season and the third from the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

The WolfPack have announced that 6-foot-4 defenceman Scott Bollefer is joining the program. Bollefer played last season with the Nipawin Hawks.

The 195-pound rearguard had eight assists and 28 penalty minutes in only 34 games in his third season with the Hawks.

"It was a combination of a good hockey program, location and TRU offered me the education I want to receive," said Bollefer, who will be enrolled in the Bachelor of Business Administration program at TRU. "I also heard it’s a fairly new program that has already had great success."

Hans is happy to have Bollefer aboard: "Scott brings a wealth of hockey experience from his three seasons with the Nipawin Hawks of the SJHL. Scott is a big, tough, defensive-minded defenseman who takes pride in taking care of his own end of the ice. Scott's addition to our roster makes us a better, more well-rounded team and I expect him to have a significant impact in our league immediately."

Bollefer is a two-time winner of the Nipawin Community Service and Best Defensive Defenceman awards. He believes the transition to the ‘more school than hockey’ philosophy will take some getting used to. 

"I think it will be a difficult transition because the last three years it was the other way around. I know that I will become more accustomed to it."

Doug Johnson coached Bollefer the past two years with Nipawin and says he was a pleasure to coach.

"He has a great work ethic and is an outstanding citizen. He is a big bodied D-man that plays a defensive style. He has good feet, a great stick and is very intelligent. He makes a good first pass and is great with his one on ones. Scott had a huge leadership role for us wearing an “A” and played a top four role on the back end. He was used mostly against the other teams top line and was a stabilizing force for our younger defencemen."

Johnson adds that Bollefer has developed nicely over the past two years. 

"His footwork and puck skills have improved tremendously and he always wants to get better. He will keep improving I’m sure and with his size, he could be a dominant force for your blue line in the future."

Helping in his transition will be the fact that he has a former teammate on the WolfPack. Lucas Daoust played in Nipawin for a season with Bollefer before being traded to the BCHL's Merritt Centennials. 

"I'm looking forward to playing with Lucas again," he says. "It's always nice to see a familiar face in a new setting."

Daoust is also looking forward to renewing the friendship.

"I sat beside him in the dressing room before I got traded. He is a hard worker, who might not load up the scoresheet with points but will be a guy who makes an impact on the ice."

'Chezzer', as he was known in Nipawin, will be a great addition to our defensive core," says WolfPack head coach Don Schulz, who couldn’t be happier with the newest addition to the WolfPack back end.

"Scott is a welcome addition to our D corps. He has a wealth of experience, has demonstrated defensive prowess and presence."

"Scott is similar to Ben Bula; they can both be used against other team's top 6 forwards. He brings welcomed grit and toughness to the blue line and helps fill that deficiency that Chris and I wanted to improve on. I'm really happy that Scott has committed to us and I expect him to provide contributions on and off the ice."

Johnson figures the newest WolfPack recruit will not have a problem adjusting to play in the BCIHL.

"With Scott’s footwork and size I think he will adjust quickly. Like most first year players, I am sure he will have his growing pains but I expect him to settle in quickly and be a guy that’s in the line-up nightly playing 5-5 and penalty killing. We wish Scott the best. He has made our organization better and will be sorely missed next season. He has shown our young guys what it takes to win at the junior level and how to be a great teammate."

Johnson adds that Bollefer will fit right in with the WolfPack’s commitment to community involvement.

"He won the Community Service Award the past two years," he says. "He is an outstanding young man in the community. He is always available to do any promotions or help out with those less fortunate."

Bollefer was also looking at the Salve Regina University Seahawks (ECAC) of Newport, Rhode Island as an educational opportunity.

He joins Ben Bula (Kamloops, BC) and Brennan Wright (Thunder Bay, ON) as recruits who played in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League last season. Bula and Wright were members of the La Ronge Ice Wolves.

Other WolfPack signees for the coming season are: Anthony Delong (Castlegar Rebels, KIJHL), Tyler Jackson ( Kamloops Storm, KIJHL), Rigby Burgart (Quesnel Millionaires, BCHL), Chase Edwards (Kamloops Storm, KIJHL) and Colten De Frias (Kamloops Storm, KIJHL).