WINNIPEG — The Manitoba Bison women’s hockey team will have a new head coach for the 2018-19 season, Sean Fisher.

Fisher was introduced as the program’s interim head coach, because Jon Rempel has received a six-month reassignment of duties to allow for professional development.

Fisher, an assistant with Bison women’s hockey for the last four seasons, is looking forward to this new assignment. “The opportunity to lead our program for the 2018-19 season is pretty special, and it’s a great professional development opportunity for me personally. We have a number of terrific coaches on our staff and I’m very excited to work with them towards the continued success of Bison women’s hockey.”

Born in Belleville, Ontario, Fisher ended a minor hockey playing career and began coaching in 2004 with the Sudbury Wolves AAA Bantam program and continued with the Nickel City Midget AAA program while attending Laurentian University. Upon graduation, Fisher began coaching women’s hockey, spending three years with the Greater Kingston Ice Wolves.

A move to Winnipeg in 2012 led to more coaching opportunities before Fisher joined the Bison women’s hockey coaching staff in 2014. He has been heavily involved in skill development, recruiting, practice planning, special teams, and video over four seasons.

Meanwhile, Bison women’s hockey head coach Jon Rempel takes a coaching hiatus after the most successful of his 14 years with Manitoba in 2017-18. The U SPORTS Women’s Hockey Coach of the Year, Rempel led the Bisons to a 19-5-3-1 regular season record, the program’s third Canada West championship, and their first U SPORTS national championship. Over his career, he has been named Canada West Women’s Hockey Coach of the Year five times (2004-05, 2006-07, 2014-15, 2016-17, and 2017-18).

“Jon Rempel has done a world class job of building this program, building the culture in our dressing room and has been instrumental in my development as a coach,” said Fisher.

“The women’s hockey program is a marquee program in Bison Sports and we are excited to have Sean at the helm for the coming season,” said Gene Muller, Athletic Director of Bison Sports. “Sean is a known and respected coach in the program. He will be able to provide a measure of both continuity and newness to the program. We wish him and the players all the best for the 2018-19 season.”