The Grand Forks Border Bruins have opted for experience over youth when selecting their next coach and general manager.The new man behind the bench for the Bruins is Brad Snyder, who has over 35 years of experience coaching hockey at various levels in Manitoba.Snyder hails from Flin Flon, where he coached the junior A Bombers as well as various youth teams at different levels.“He appears to be very committed to the job,” said Martin Vanlerberg, president of the Bruins. “He loves the area. That was one of the big pieces. He wintered in Osoyoos and came and saw some of the games and he just fell in love with the area.”Snyder came to Grand Forks for an interview with the Bruins board of directors in May and got a tour of the area.“I think he’s going to have very high expectations,” said Vanlerberg. “Like I said, he’s very committed. He’s going to bring a lot of reassurance to the boys that he’s going to be here for awhile. He’s looking at making a commitment. I think that’ll be quite reassuring.”Vanlerberg said that along with experience, Snyder also brings strong communication skills to the job and a high level of enthusiasm.“I feel communication is such a huge facet in having a successful hockey club,” he said. “He’ll be able to offer that experience to these kids. He wants to make sure the team is successful. He has that mindset. He wants to bring a winning club to Grand Forks.”Snyder spoke to the Gazette by phone from Manitoba and said he is looking forward to working with the club.“I spent last winter in the area in Osoyoos with my wife and we decided we like the area so much we wanted to stay,” he said. “When the opportunity came up for coach and general manager in Grand Forks, we’d been through here and loved it, so we thought what a great place to spend winter.”Snyder said he was very impressed with the people in the region during his tour of the area in May.Snyder recently retired from his job at the mine in Flin Flon and that allowed him to pursue a full-time coaching gig.In addition to coaching the junior A Bombers, he has coached the Manitoba Bantam rep team at the Western Canadian championships and has won six gold medals at the provincial level.Snyder said he’s impressed with the eligible returning players that the Bruins have in the fold. He expects to have a competitive team next season.“I like the number of returning players they have,” he said. “I think the write-up in the paper about the players never quitting is good. Sounds like they’re very talented but also close. I’m looking forward to getting the players together and getting them on the ice.”Snyder has also done a lot of scouting for junior teams and considers himself a strong recruiter.“I’m also a motivator,” he said. “I think I’m good at that and the players will be very receptive. I (also) like systems. I like bending the systems to what the players are like.”Snyder said he is hoping to build a strong organization and make stay for several years.“The returning players coming back are young,” he said. “I think it’ll be good taking the experience they have and the experience I have and be really successful.”