Sea Bears Can Tie Vancouver for First in the West with Win at Home Thursday

The Winnipeg Sea Bears (6-4) return to Canada Life Centre for Youth in Sport Night on Thursday, June 18 at 7:00 PM, welcoming the Vancouver Bandits, the top team in the Western Conference, for a matchup that could reshape the standings overnight. A Sea Bears win would pull Winnipeg level with Vancouver atop the conference, a remarkable turnaround for a team that opened the season playing seven of its first ten games on the road.

Winnipeg came in having swept a back-to-back set with Calgary, capped by a 107- 88 road win Sunday that pushed the Surge to 0-10. Newly added forward D.J. Burns has settled in quickly, and he's ready for the moment. "A very talented team, you know, they're going to come ready, they're gonna come prepared, and they're gonna bring the heart out," Burns said of Vancouver. "That's what you want in a competitive league, I guess." Burns, who joined the Sea Bears mid-season, credited Head Coach Mike Raimbault for making the transition easy: "Coach, he's my type of guy, you know. He wants hard working guys, that's what I do. He wants rebounds, he wants toughness, and I felt like we connected instantly."

Simon Hildebrandt knows exactly what Thursday represents. "If you look at all the standings and the rankings, Vancouver's, usually number one in most of them," Hildebrandt said. "So it's good for us to, you know, prove a point and get people talking about us that way." Hildebrandt also flagged the challenge of guarding reigning MVP Mitch Creek: "He's one of those players where you feel like you're doing an okay job, but when you look up he's got like 30, 15, and 10 or something like that, and he's missed two shots. So, you know, we got our work cut out for us."

Trey McGowens, fresh off one of his best outings of the season against Calgary, put the stakes plainly. "If we win tomorrow, we're tied for first place in the West," McGowens said. "There's a lot of people saying Vancouver and Scarborough are the best teams in the CEBL, so just being able to play tomorrow and accepting the challenge to come out with a win, we'll be in the conversation as well. That's something we're really looking to do and make a statement in the league." McGowens also pointed to Vancouver guard Jaelen House as the matchup to watch: "He has a lot of different stuff to his game, but I think just how fast and quick he is; is probably the biggest challenge. He keeps his dribble alive, and he's never done, so you've just got to guard him the whole shot clock."

Both Hildebrandt and McGowens were quick to praise what Burns has brought to the locker room in his short time with the team. "He's a fun guy," Hildebrandt said. "He brings a lot of joy anytime we're on the floor, always with that big smile, big personality. He's a guy who's just going to work super hard and do all the little things." McGowens echoed the sentiment: "High energy, that's for sure, especially morning practices, nights, whatever. He cares about his teammates, and wants to win. The energy he brought, whether it was on the boards, finishes around the basket, or attacking closeouts, he did a really good job for us and helped a lot with our versatility on defense."



With five of their next seven games at home, the Sea Bears know Thursday is a chance to make a statement in front of their own crowd. Tip-off against Vancouver is 7:00 PM at Canada Life Centre.

Sea Bears are back Saturday, June 20 for the Indigenous Peoples Day Game at 3:00 PM — get your tickets now!