Westman Wildcats and Vincent Massey Graduates Join Cougars Hockey
BRANDON, Man. (April 5, 2023) — Payton Murray and Billie Baranyk have committed to the Cougars women’s hockey team.
Both Murray and Baranyk will soon graduate from Brandon’s Vincent Massey High School and played together on the U18 AAA Westman Wildcats this past season. Murray was a member of the Wildcats that won the 2022 Manitoba Female Hockey League championship.
Murray, a 5’5” multisport athlete has earned a spot on the Cougars as a goaltender. Although she excels between the posts, she also played softball and basketball and enjoys water sports and snowboarding.
“I’m able to keep the energy high on and off the ice,” said Murray. “I have a confident style of play and willingness to learn and improve my game.”
“What caught our eye about Payton’s game is her competitiveness in goal, ability to track pucks and her athleticism,” said Cougars coach Tony Bertone. “She will bring positivity and a team first attitude next season.”
Murray maintains a 96% average and has received bronze medal student recognition and honour roll all four years of high school. She is interested in working with children, especially at their most developmental ages. Murray will be taking the college’s Early Childhood Education program in the fall.
Baranyk is another multi-sport athlete, enjoying softball and golf as well. She’s a left handed forward on the ice, and was selected by Hockey Manitoba’s Program of Excellence as a top 40 player in 2022, the same year she lead the Rink Hockey Academy in points (43). She received the Most Valuable Player award at the AAA challenge in 2016 and again in 2018. In 2018, she was named female athlete of the year at St. Augustine School.
“My dad has had a big impact on my hockey career and I love going to the rink each day,” said Baranyk. Her father played for the Neepawa Natives and Brandon University Bobcats before coaching various teams in the Brandon area. “I love being infront of the net and in the dirty areas. I have a good, hard shot, and hockey IQ.”
In 37 games with the Wildcats this season, Baranyk scored 14 goals and had 10 assists.
“Billie is a power forward and plays with the mentality that ‘it’s my puck’,” said Cougars coach Tony Bertone. “She plays a tough game and has a quick and accurate shot.”
Branayk has also maintained honour roll as a Vincent Massey student and will be taking the Comprehensive Health Care Aid program at the college.
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About Assiniboine Athletics
The Assiniboine Cougars teams compete in men’s and women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s futsal (a variation of indoor soccer) in the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC) with the winner competing for the Canadian College Athletics Association (CCAA) championship. The women’s hockey team play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA).
About Assiniboine Community College
Assiniboine Community College has been providing exceptional learning experiences for more than 60 years, offering unparalleled learning environments and responding to the demands and requirements of the Manitoba labour market. Following the philosophy of “learn by doing,” programs combine theory with hands-on learning inside classrooms, labs, kitchens, shops, fields and the college’s Sustainable Greenhouse.
Assiniboine offers more than 60 certificate, diploma and post-graduate programs across a variety of disciplines including culinary arts and hospitality, business, agriculture and environment, health and human services, and trades and technology. The college also delivers apprenticeship programming in a range of skilled trades disciplines.
The college welcomed more than 3,700 full-time and 6,000 part-time students last year. With campuses in Brandon, Dauphin, Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie, Assiniboine provides comprehensive educational opportunities throughout Manitoba. The college also partners with many communities and organizations across the province to deliver customized education and training. Assiniboine’s annual provincial economic impact is $612 million. In the most recent survey of graduates, nine months after graduation, 94 per cent were employed, with 92 per cent remaining in Manitoba.
Assiniboine Community College campuses are located on the traditional territories of Treaty No. 1 and Treaty No. 2, the shared traditional lands of Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, Dene and Anishinabek/Ojibwe peoples, and the homeland of the Red River Métis. We acknowledge their welcome to the students who seek knowledge here.
For more information, please contact:
Tony Bertone
Women’s Hockey Coach
Assiniboine Cougars
whockey@assiniboine.net
204.761.9778
Lindsay McLaughlin
Athletics Manager
Assiniboine Community College
cougars@assiniboine.net
204.725.8700 ext 6340