Sports

Aide, Longie to link up again in Bismarck

By Matthew Semisch

08/26/2014

Hardly a week after it was announced that two former Bottineau-Rugby (B-R) hockey standouts were joining forces once again at the collegiate level, another pair of former Braves are now set to reunite in juniors.

Harrison Aide, a senior last season for B-R, and 2013 Bottineau High graduate Cody Longie are to become teammates again, this time for the Bismarck Bobcats of the North American Hockey League (NAHL).

Both former Braves left for Bismarck on Saturday ahead of the start of the Bobcats’ preseason camp on Sunday.

Two different moves orchestrated the pair’s reunion in North Dakota’s state capital. One, however, helped to put the other’s wheels into motion.

In the 2013-14 season, B-R failed to qualify for the NDHSAA state hockey tournament but did see Aide win the “Mr. Hockey” Award as the state’s best high school hockey player. Come the end of the Braves campaign, he reported to Bismarck where he had been tendered as an affiliate player.

Aide, a forward, suited up for the Bobcats for two games during the home stretch of their NAHL regular season, scoring one goal in that time.

It had been decided last spring that Aide would play this next season for the Virden Oil Capitals of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL). However, Aide says a family member helped him change his mind.

Will Aide, Harrison’s cousin, played for Bismarck between 2006 and 2009. Later on, he committed to play for the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and has played the past two seasons for the Columbus Cottonmouths of the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL).

Harrison Aide said his cousin sold him on the NAHL route in part because of the greater opportunities to attract college teams’ attention in that league.

“Will and I kept in contact and the more he told me about the Bobcats’ organization, the more interested I became,” Aide said. “On top of that, the MJHL only had five or six NCAA commitments last year, and the NA had so many more.

“Bismarck alone had a handful of commits just last year, so I looked at that as a better route in terms of trying to get on later with a college team.”

Longie, a defenseman, recorded a goal and five assists last season for the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League (USHL).
Fargo then dropped his rights at the end of the 2013-14 season. This allowed the Kenai River (Alaska) Brown Bears of the NAHL to draft him this summer.

When Longie found out that his former B-R teammate was heading to Bismarck, though, the desire was there to link up with Aide once again.

“I didn’t really force it, but I had Harrison talk to their coach about me and try to make Bismarck aware of what I was doing,” Longie said. “After that, I think it became easier for a trade to come about.”

Bismarck’s first home game of the new season is on Sept. 26.