Competitive women’s hockey is returning to the ice in Brandon in a big way this fall as the Wheat City Wild prepare to take part in the inaugural Manitoba Senior Women’s Hockey League (MSWHL) season. The new league will feature six Manitoba clubs — the Westman Wranglers, Pembina Valley Storm, Southwestern Manitoba Falcons, Wheat City Wild, Southeast Silvertpis, and Central Plains Cougars — providing women across the province with an opportunity to continue playing competitive hockey beyond the traditional university and college levels.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by CSWHL (@cdnswhl) For the Wheat City Wild, the excitement surrounding the new league extends well beyond simply playing games. “We are all excited to play competitive hockey again and to be part of a team again,” said Amy Lee, speaking on behalf of the Wild’s leadership group. “We will be travelling across the province to play every weekend: road trips, team bonding, good hockey… all of it is incredibly exciting for our team!” The Wild roster has largely come together through word of mouth, with players reaching out to other players who might be interested in returning to competitive hockey. That process quickly demonstrated there was considerable interest in Brandon. “Brandon-area proved to have more than a full team worth of players interested,” Lee said. “We are looking for ways to incorporate more players into our team and league.” The roster will feature a wide range of ages and hockey backgrounds, something Lee believes could become one of the team's greatest strengths. The Wild have players coming directly from college and university hockey, while others have spent years involved in the sport as players, coaches, officials and hockey parents. “Something I am proud of is the diversity of our team in terms of age and experience,” Lee said. “There is so much hockey knowledge and experience on our roster.” That mixture of experience and youth is expected to provide both energy and depth as the Wild take on teams from across Manitoba. While winning will naturally be part of the competitive motivation, the Wild are also focused on building a positive environment away from the rink. Off the ice, the team plans to work out and practice together while becoming positive influences within the female hockey community. On the ice, Lee said the players are excited about having an opportunity to continue developing their skills in a more competitive environment. “Having a more competitive league means a chance to continue improving as a player and the opportunity to continue learning the game,” she said. The response from players throughout the area has also been encouraging. As word of the new league spread through social media and personal connections, more women expressed an interest in joining teams. The MSWHL clubs have been working together to share the names of interested players as teams fill remaining roster spots and develop affiliate-player lists. The Wild also plan to host monthly scrimmages, creating additional opportunities for women to get on the ice and make connections within the hockey community. For fans, Wild home games are expected to offer more than just a night of hockey.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Wheatcitywildhockey (@wheatcitywildhockey) The team hopes to incorporate younger female hockey players into its home-game experience, potentially featuring mini-games between periods. While details have yet to be finalized, the goal is to make Wild games a celebration of women's hockey. “Good hockey, good playlists, and good vibes!” Lee said. For the players, however, the importance of the new league goes far beyond competition. Lee believes having a place for women to continue playing competitive hockey has been a missing piece in the Brandon-area hockey landscape. The league's formation comes at a time of significant growth and visibility for women's hockey, highlighted by the continued development of professional women's hockey and the international spotlight provided by the Olympics. The Wild hope that momentum will encourage women to remain involved in the sport for longer while creating new opportunities for friendship, teamwork and community involvement. Lee also pointed to the diverse backgrounds of the women on the Wild roster, including law enforcement officers, paramedics, physiotherapists, business owners, lawyers, teachers, health-care professionals and students. Many are also mothers, volunteers and community coaches. “These women will all be working together, networking, growing connections — it is an amazing opportunity to improve our greater community as a whole,” Lee said. The Wild are also grateful to organizers from the Saskatchewan Senior Women’s Hockey League who have helped facilitate the expansion of senior women's hockey and the development of a broader Canadian women's senior hockey structure involving Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. For Brandon, the arrival of the Wheat City Wild represents an opportunity to put more local women back on the ice — and potentially inspire the next generation to stay there. “We hope that this league keeps women in skates longer and keeps teamwork and community growing in our city,” Lee said. The Wheat City Wild can be followed on social media at @wheatcitywildhockey. Information about the Manitoba Senior Women’s Hockey League is available through @mbseniorwhl, while the broader Canadian senior women's hockey initiative can be followed at @cdnswhl.

Brandon officially welcomed a major new addition to its sports and recreation landscape Friday with the opening of the Canada Packers Sports Complex. The official opening marks the next chapter for the multi-field outdoor sports facility in northeast Brandon, which was formerly known as the Maple Leaf Foods Sports Complex before being renamed Canada Packers Sports Complex by the City of Brandon. The new complex is expected to provide a significant boost to Brandon's ability to host local, provincial and national sporting events, while also providing additional opportunities for community sport and recreation. The facility has already attracted attention beyond Brandon. Earlier this week, Brandon University announced that the Canada Packers Sports Complex will serve as the host venue for the 2027 CCAA Men's Soccer National Championship, scheduled for November 10 to 13, 2027. The tournament will mark the first time Brandon hosts a CCAA national soccer championship. The opening also comes as Brandon and communities throughout Western Manitoba continue to expand opportunities for organized sport. The complex adds another major outdoor venue to a city that already hosts a wide range of sporting activities and tournaments. The facility's location and multiple playing surfaces are expected to make it particularly attractive for tournaments, allowing Brandon to welcome visiting teams and spectators while showcasing the city as a regional sporting destination. The opening of the Canada Packers Sports Complex also comes during a year when sport is receiving increased attention nationally, with the federal government describing 2026 as Canada's Year of Sport and announcing major investments aimed at increasing participation and improving sporting infrastructure. For Brandon, the official opening represents more than the completion of another recreational facility. It provides the Wheat City with a new venue capable of bringing athletes, families and visitors together — and could help establish Brandon as an even more prominent destination for sporting events in the years ahead.

The tournament is scheduled to take place from November 10 to November 13, 2027, marking a historic milestone as the first time a CCAA national soccer championship will be held in the province of Manitoba. The championship will be hosted at the newly developed Canada Packers Sports Complex, widely known as "Packers Place." Located strategically at the intersection of First Street and Veterans Way, the $19.6 million state-of-the-art facility represents the most significant municipal investment in recreation infrastructure in the history of the Westman region. Featuring a FIFA-compliant synthetic regulation soccer field, elevated spectator viewing areas, and a dedicated indoor athletic complex, the venue is poised to offer an unparalleled environment for high-level collegiate competition. The Brandon University Bobcats enter the national spotlight boasting a deeply rooted tradition of soccer excellence. Since 2016, the Bobcats have captured an impressive eight Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC) league championships. The 2027 national tournament will build upon the university's proven hosting pedigree, which most recently included the highly successful 2025 U SPORTS Men's Volleyball National Championship. "We are committed to delivering a high-quality event that provides an exceptional experience for student-athletes, coaches, officials, and fans," stated Russ Paddock, Athletic Director for the Brandon University Bobcats. The 2027 CCAA Men's Soccer National Championship will bring seven visiting teams to the City of Brandon, alongside coaches, support staff, and officials, generating substantial economic and cultural benefits for the region. The event will also feature a collaborative school engagement program with the Brandon School Division to inspire the next generation of youth athletes. Details regarding tournament passes, scheduling, and volunteer opportunities will be announced in the coming months at GoBobcats.ca

Western Hockey League fans will have a new — and free — way to watch their favourite teams this season. The WHL announced Wednesday that all 782 regular-season games during the 2026-27 season will be livestreamed for free on YouTube, moving away from Victory+ on an interim basis. The change comes amid uncertainty surrounding the future of Victory+, which had served as the WHL’s exclusive streaming partner since March 2025. The league says the move is designed to ensure fans continue to have easy access to WHL hockey when the regular season gets underway on September 18. “We continue to believe that providing easy access to games is of critical value and importance as we look to expand our reach and deliver WHL excitement to our fans,” WHL Commissioner Dan Near said. The 2026-27 season features all 23 WHL clubs playing a 68-game regular season. The Brandon Wheat Kings will open their campaign at home September 18 against the Saskatoon Blades. The WHL says more information about its YouTube streaming service will be released ahead of the start of the regular season. For local hockey fans, the change means following the Wheat Kings and the rest of the WHL will be more accessible than ever — and without a subscription fee.

The 2026 WSHL season wrapped up this week with champions being crowned in three different divisions. Division 1  Riley Brown turned aside all 16 shots he faced and Jordy Stallard scored a goal and added two assists as the Vionell Property Barons extended its winning streak to four games with a 4-0 victory over Santa Lucia Pizza at J & G Homes Arena on Monday. Capping off the scoring for the Vionell Property Barons was Kevin Knee, Jimmy Knee, Brayden Michalchuk each adding single tallies. Stallard added two assists. Goaltender Jase Wareham made 16 saves in the loss for the Santa Lucia Pizza. Michalchuk added an empty-netter with 0:01 left in the third period to seal the win for the Vionell Property Barons. Division 2  Braeden Keeble scored two goals and added two assists as the CFHA Hockey erased a three-goal deficit and extended its winning streak to three games with a 7-3 spanking over the Source for Sports Bruins at J & G Homes Arena on Sunday. Also scoring for the CFHA Hockey was Cole Lebreau with two goals and Kaelan Huibers, Carter Thiessen and Jackson Keeble with a goal each. Ryden Lemoine added three assists, Keeble, Huibers and Konner Mackay each added two assists. Goaltender Mason Lebreau turned aside 17 shots for the CFHA Hockey in the win. Striking for the Source for Sports Bruins was Nathaniel Flett with two goals and Daniel Flett with a single marker. Gilbert Teneycke added three assists. Goaltender Ashton Barnesky made 15 saves in the loss for the Source for Sports Bruins. The CFHA Hockey jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Lebreau scored his 12th of the season with 6:30 left in the first period but Flett responded for the Source for Sports Bruins with his 18th of the season to start the rally. Division 3  Rylan Westwood scored two goals as the Source for Sports Edge extended their winning streak to seven games with a 4-2 victory over the Little Italy Pizza at J & G Homes Arena on Tuesday. Adding markers for the Source for Sports Edge was Cody Johanson with two goals . Goaltender Tristan Vanmakelberg turn ed aside 26 shots for the Source for Sports Edge in the victory. Providing the only offence for the Little Italy Pizza was Owen Wareham with two goals. Cameron Ramsay added two assists. Goaltender Connor Dawson made 22 saves in the loss for the Little Italy Pizza.