RANDON – The legacy of the IG Wealth Management Bobcat BIRT Cup continues to grow. The alumni and charity tournament raised $44,000 for community initiatives on Friday, July 5 at the Wheat City Golf Course. Proceeds will go towards Special Olympics Manitoba Westman, Samaritan House, the Deloraine Winchester Community Complex and the Bobcat BIRT Cup scholarship to assist Brandon University student-athletes. "The IG Wealth Management Western Manitoba Regional Office is proud to be the title sponsor of the Bobcat BIRT Cup. We applaud the tournament's commitment to providing funding to local and regional organizations," said Dennis Hunt, Executive Financial Consultant with IG Wealth Management. "We have a long-standing partnership with Brandon University, supporting a number of fundraising initiatives such as the Healthy Living Centre and growth in the BU Athletics program. We are pleased to be associated with a post-secondary institution that prides itself on being at the forefront of education in western Manitoba and providing the best student-athlete experience possible." The 2019 BIRT Cup marked the second summer it has been organized by BU Athletics with the 2018 edition collecting $29,000. The Bobcats took over from BU hockey alum Scott Hlady, who ran it independently for a decade. The BIRT name stands for Basics, Intensity, Respect, Team — an acronym coined by BU Sports of Wall of Famer the late Neil Andrews while he was Hlady's baseball coach "The Bobcat BIRT Cup organizing committee is proud to give back to worthwhile causes," said Director of Athletics and Community Engagement Russ Paddock. "We had great representation from athletic alumni and outstanding support through our positive relationships with corporate partners." The business community played significant role in the success of the tournament with 101 sponsors supporting the Bobcat BIRT Cup. The lineup of autographed jerseys was stellar featuring Mark Stone of the Vegas Golden Knights, Elkhorn's Travis Sanheim of the Philadelphia Flyers, Patrik Laine and Josh Morrissey of the Winnipeg Jets, Brandon's Matt Calvert of the Colorado Avalanche and Canada's Olympic women's hockey team. A Wendel Clark signed Toronto Maple Leafs' sweater received a winning bid of $2,000 in the silent auction by Don Jago of Southern Water Systems. Brandon's Gerry Williams was the grand prize winner of the raffle – two tickets the NHL Heritage Classic in Regina on October 26 along with hotel accommodations. New champions were crowned at the Bobcat BIRT Cup with Warren Birch, Devin Moore, Josh McMillan and Craig Ruether winning the title with a best-ball score of 19-under par. The foursome will look to defend their crown at the 2020 tournament scheduled for Friday, July 10 at the Wheat City Golf Course. (Source: BU Bobcats)

The Miniota, MB native brings 11 seasons of North American and European hockey experience to his new role as head coach of the Briercrest Clippers. Cole played 6 seasons in the WHL for the Saskatoon Blades, the Seattle Thunderbirds, and the Kootenay Ice. He went on to play in the AHL and ECHL before leaving for Europe, spending 6 years playing professionally in Slovenia, Austria, and Italy. Cole finished his last year at the professional level with the Miniota-Elkhorn C-Hawks last season. This coaching role will be Cole’s first. He accepted the position after years of contact with Jamie Ramer, Briercrest Hockey’s General Mission Manager. Cole said, “Briercrest always intrigued me as it combines two of my greatest passions: a relationship with Jesus Christ and hockey. In hindsight, I wish I had come as a player years ago.” “He brings a wealth of experience from all levels of the game,” said Ramer of Cole. “He has experienced and knows what it takes to win a championship and is a great addition to the team as we move forward as a program. It has been very encouraging to get to know Brad over these last number of years.” Cole will be coaching alongside new assistant coach Matt Melo, a Briercrest alumnus. The Clippers will hit the ice for training camp August 24th. They will host Augustana for their first regular season game on October 11th. (article submitted)

Mark Derlago is joining the Brandon Wheat Kings organization as the team's second assistant coach. The announcement was made earlier today. Derlago spent parts of four seasons with the Wheat Kings as a player before he embarked on a pro-career (North America, Asia, Europe) which lasted 12 years. It was also announced that Don MacGillivray and goaltending coach Tyler Plante would return for their fourth seasons with the WHL club. The full release can be read here.

Winnipeg, Manitoba – The Players Cup Tournament Director Adam Boge is pleased to announce that Austin Dobrescu, from Brandon, Manitoba, has been given one of six sponsor's exemptions into this years 100th anniversary event. Dobrescu, who plays out of Shilo Golf and Country Club in Shilo, Manitoba, fills a spot vacated by the 2019 Golf Manitoba Amateur Champion Colwyn Abgrall, who will be competing in the U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club. This year Austin has been in fine form, winning Golf Manitoba's Provincial Match Play championship (held at Minnewasta G&CC and Breezy Bend CC) as well as finishing runner up in the Amateur, which was played at Quarry Oaks GC. “I would like to thank the Players Cup Committee and Golf Manitoba for allowing me to challenge myself at the next level. I look forward to having this opportunity to play in this historic event, and hopefully, it will be a successful debut.” - Austin Dobrescu For 3 years, Austin competed on Chicago State University's Men Golf Team while working on his Business Management Degree, which he will graduate with this fall.  He has spent the past several summers back in Brandon working at the Wheat City Golf Club while still taking online courses from his college. This year's event will be held again at Southwood Golf and Country Club, August 15-18, 2019. For the 100th Anniversary, the event will offer free admission as well as free onsite parking at the course. To claim your free general admission pass simply go to playerscup.golf. The impact from the Players Cup will have a year long effect in the community as the event will benefit the Junior Golf Mentorship Foundation. (Article Submitted)

Sunday afternoon in Winnipeg, the Westman U12 Magic girl's softball team capped off their provincial championship title run with a thrilling 15-13 victory over the Winnipeg Lightning. The Magic went undefeated in all five of their games over the course of the tournament which spanned two weekends due to rain. Each team managed to complete the three games in their respective pools last weekend before rain forced the playoffs and championship game to be moved back a week. In today's game featuring the top seeds in each of the two pools, the Magic advanced to Sunday's final after disposing of the same Lightning club 11-4. The Lightning then went on to defeat the Smitty's Terminators later in the day to advance to the finals. All games were played at the John Blumberg Softball Complex. Team Roster: Kenzie McIntyre Kylan Solomon Naomi McKay Quincy Smith Sally Leask Sydney Sass Jersey Hansen-Young Jordan Bell Kendall Charles Callie Hilhorst Jada McMillan Ally Neufeld Coaches: Joel Charles, Jo-Anne Neufeld, Pat Leask Team Manager: Amanda Smith