NETMINDER Steve Briere will complete the Basingstoke Bison team for the coming ice hockey campaign.

The 28-year-old signing from Winnipeg (pictured above) finished last season with Fife Flyers in the British National League after joining in mid-term from Amarillo Gorillas of the Central Hockey League.

Before that, he spent two seasons in Fife and back-stopped the Scottish outfit to the BNL crown in 2003-04. He was also voted on to the first all-star team for that league.

This will be his seventh year as a professional player. He will be familiar with Bison manager Mark Bernard, who briefly coached him at Roanoke Express before he was traded to their East Coast Hockey League rivals, Cincinnati Cyclones.

Bernard said: "I see a lot of myself in Steve. He is a player who plays from the heart, has a great work ethic and he is hungry to do well."

Briere will become the latest netminder to move up from the BNL to the Elite League, following in the footsteps of Ladislav Kudrna and Elite grand slam winner last season, Jody Lehman.

Bernard added: "I am sure Steve has the ability to play in the Elite League and he will have a good season for us."

Briere finished last year in the play-offs with Fife after an impressive 91.3 per cent save-rate, and he will hope to continue that form when he returns to Britain later this month.

Past players taking part in Tony Redmond's testimonial game on Tuesday, October 11, will include Canadians Chris Crombie, Mark McCoy, Matt Cote and Dwayne Newman, along with former British stars Lewis Buckman, Gary Clark, Drew Chapman and Andy Sparks.

First published: Thursday, August 25, 2005