Bringing high-level hockey closer to home

For Tréchelle Bunn, a former Manitoba Bisons women's hockey player, seeing familiar sights can inspire young people to dream big. When 70 youth from Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation and 60 from Canupawakpa Dakota First Nation travel to Virden to watch the Bisons play on Saturday, what will be their first experience of university-level hockey may spark a passion that was previously out of reach.

The Bison men’s and women’s teams will play back-to-back games at Virden's Tundra Oil and Gas Place on Friday night and Saturday night, marking the first off-site games in Canada West hockey history. Bunn, who now serves as the chief of Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation, believes that young people need to see themselves represented and be familiar with their environment in order to dream and believe in themselves.

After retiring from the Bisons in 2023, Bunn created the Reconciliation Run Scholarship, the first and only grant for Indigenous student-athletes attending the University of Manitoba. By hosting a yearly half-marathon in her community, Bunn hopes to inspire young Indigenous athletes to pursue their dreams of university sports. The Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation, home to around 1,000 residents, faces many barriers to youth involvement in sports due to its lack of infrastructure.

Despite this, Bunn and her leadership team are determined to help youth and their families take advantage of any available opportunities.