Over the summer months two more players from the 2006-07 Alberni Valley Bulldogs Junior A Hockey Club finalized commitments with university programs. Bradyn Melrose of Kelvington Saskatchewan and Stephen Pattison of Red Deer Alberta leave this week for their respective schools after distinquished careers with the BCHL Bulldogs. Twenty-one year old Melrose heads to the University of Wisconsin-Superior where he will become a member of the NCAA Div 3 Yellowjackets. Melrose was sought by several US and Canadian schools but eventually chose Wisconsin-Superior as the best fit for him. Melrose came to the Bulldogs in 2004 as a highly touted rookie and beat the odds to play 3 years for the same BCHL team in the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. The big forward played in a total of 168 games for the Bulldogs scoring 61 goals and adding 56 assists for a career total of 117 pts in the BCHL. Like many Bulldog players Melrose got a head start on his post secondary schooling while playing in Alberni. Melrose took 6 courses this past year at North Island College and his success there helped him secure interest and admission to an NCAA school. At Wisconsin-Superior he will be pursuing a degree in kinesology and exercise physiology while playing for their highly regarded hockey program. Always a fan favourite, Melrose will be missed in Port Alberni where he made many valuable contributions. Also a twenty-one year old, Pattison finished his last year of junior eligibility in 2007 and will be suiting up with the Brock University Badgers of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport Association (CIS) this fall. Pattison first came to the Bulldogs in 2004 in a trade from Alberta and quickly fell in love with Port Alberni and the Bulldogs. No one wore the Bulldog jersey more proudly than Pattison and this was evident in his selection as an Assistant Captain for the 2006-2007 season. He was a stay at home defenceman whose strong skating and fearless shot blocking became his trade marks during his 142 game career with the Dogs. Pattison was also a leader off the ice in Port Alberni. Twice he has been recognized with the Bulldog's Humanitarian Award for his contributions in the community. Pattison was highly involved in the Bulldogs in Schools Program the past three years and became a player consistantly asked for by the schools to give talks on a wide variety of topics. These experiences have lead him to decide on teacher training as his path at Brock. Pattison was also always the first player to step forward for community appearances or volunteer work projects. Pattison loved the valley so much he made it his home the past two summers and stayed and worked in Port Alberni. Don't be surpized to see him back here as a teacher one day. Melrose and Pattison join five other Bulldogs of 2006-07 in continuing their hockey careers at the university level in 2007-08. Previously announced have been Brad Gorham to Ohio State, Harry Zolniercyzk to Brown, Jordan Kremyr to Providence, Maury Edwards to Massachusetts-Lowell and Tyler Ruel to Wayne State. These seven players from last season's team can be added to the impressive list of Bulldogs who have gone on to post sesondary education and hockey. In the past three years alone over twenty Bulldog players have followed this path. The Bulldogs organization is proud of this growing tradition of excellence in hockey and education. The new ownership group have set education as one of their top priorities for all players. The Bulldogs organization wishes Melrose and Pattison all the best in pursuing their education and hockey goals and thanks them for their contributions to our hockey club these past three years. For further information contact?. Alan Kerr -Head Coach and General Manager at 723-4412 or Tom McEvay – Education Advisor at 723-3744
Two More Bulldogs Committ to Universites
