Brandon, MB. — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are proud to partner with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first-ever Blue Bombers Night when the Kootenay Ice pay a visit to Westoba Place on Friday, January 18th. In making the announcement Thursday morning, the Canadian Football League club announced that quarterback Matt Nichols will be in attendance for the game and in addition to participating in the pre-game ceremonial opening face-off, the 2-time Blue Bomber Most Outstanding Player will be signing autographs during the first intermission. “I can’t wait to meet the community in Brandon and attend my first Wheat Kings game,” says Nichols. “Manitobans are passionate fans no matter the sport, and I’m looking forward to making the trip and meeting all the football fans out there.” A former member of the Edmonton Eskimos, Nichols was acquired by the Bombers in September 2015 for a conditional draft pick. During the 2016 season – his first as a full time starter for Winnipeg – the Redding, California native passed for 3,666 yards while starting the final thirteen games. One of only three CFL quarterbacks to lead their respective club to 10-plus wins in 2016, he had a streak of 166 consecutive passes without an interception. Nichols followed up in 2017 by setting career-best marks for passing with 4,472 yards and 28 touchdowns in 17 games. His 103.8 quarterback-efficiency rating topped all CFL signal callers. He led Winnipeg to an 11-6-0 record in his seventeen regular season starts. This past season, Nichols recovered from a pre-season knee injury, to lead the Bombers to a 10-8 record and a third place finish in the Western Conference. After beating the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Semi-Final, the Bombers fell to Calgary in the Western Conference Final. During the 2018 campaign, Nichols started fourteen games, passing for 3,146 yards and eighteen touchdowns. A four year starter with the Eastern Washington Eagles, the Business Management Major established fourteen school records and six Big Sky Conference marks. He was the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year in both 2007 and 2009. His career passing records (12,616) are the most in Big Sky Conference history. Tickets to the January 18th game between the Wheat Kings and Ice are on sale now at the Keystone Centre box office. Fans can also order online at keystonecentre.com or by calling (204) 726-3555. Tickets are also on sale for Friday’s annual Home Depot Family Skate Night, presented by Q Country Radio, when the Seattle Thunderbirds make their first visit to Brandon in two years. Fans attending tomorrow’s game are encouraged to bring along their skates and helmets and join the Wheat Kings for a “free” post game Family Skate.

Scoring goals for Brandon’s Andrew Clark have never been a problem.  The former Wheat King is now at the top of the scoring race in the EBEL league in Austria (the EBEL is considered to be one of the top 5 leagues in Europe).  After finishing his Wheat Kings career with 240 points he then went to get his degree from Acadia University and became CIS player of the year.  When he finished school Andrew then played in the ECHL and AHL and felt it was time to explore Europe.  This season he has an impressive 52 points in 32 games played to date and is number one in the league for the Innsbruck Sharks. Brock Trotter’s path from playing in the MJHL at the age of 16 to Austria is vastly different from Clark. A NCAA standout for the University of Denver Trotter turned to pro after three seasons and signed as a free agent with the Montreal Canadiens.  Over the last 10 years Trotter has played for 13 clubs from the NHL – KHL – Finland – Sweden and now Austria. Trotter is a partner in local Brandon restaurant Astoria Pizza and spent several months in the planning and organizing of the opening of that business.  Once it was complete, he started this hockey season a bit late but has been a force in Austria with the Dornbirn Bulldogs (about 90minutes south of Munich Germany).  Currently with 32 points in 22 games played Brock has been the hottest player in the league since he has arrived. BDNMB had a chance to sit with both players following their game on December 28th in Innsbruck Austria. Safe to say this is a better way of life than a typical normal day to day job: Brock - For sure this is what I meant to be.  Plus all my experience with hockey has helped with running a business with working as a team to attain one common goal. Andrew - Yeah eventually the old 9 to 5 gig will come into play but it’s nice to wake up and have breakfast with my family and go to the rink and come home and spend the rest of the day with them.  I am not knocking anyone doing 9 to 5 but being able to do something I love and pay the bills is something special. (Andrew Clark - Innsbruck Sharks #57) Andrew is this difficult for your wife Brittany? Personally, I think it’s hard she’s an only child and she loves to work so she finds it hard being away from that at the same time she enjoys being able to have the freedom to go downtown and leave Charlee with me.   When we go home in the summers, she is able to work, and I work out, so it works out well for us Brittany, would you say that this has been a very cool experience? The experience of living in Austria has been amazing - something I never dreamed. This year is our 3rd here in Austria and it came with the scariest moments of our lives when our baby (Charlee) at just 6 weeks old was hospitalized due to illness. I will forever be grateful for the medical knowledge and care Charlee received to save her life. Looking back at previous years in Austria we never imagined needing such medical care but now we can feel confident is sharing just how safe we feel living here - especially Innsbruck. As for our now, every day normal life I remind myself to be humble and enjoy this time - simply going to a picturesque downtown for coffee is not even close to what I normally experience at home in the Tim Hortons drive through Brittany Clark enjoying life in Austria Brock you have battled through various injuries in your career and perhaps at the age of 31 turning 32 .... would you say you are in the best condition of your career now ? Getting myself healthy and learning from lots of medical therapists to get my body back to peak performance was my focus.  I have had a decade of working with my body .... I switched a negative situation into something very positive.   I would like to thank Cross Fit Rocked and the Brandon Wheat Kings for my mini training camp before I came to Austria. Brock Trotter - Dornbirn Bulldogs (#91) Any tips Brock for the young guys and their families reading this? Don’t rush any decisions I was lucky to be educated on NCAA and WHL and the NCAA is lesser known and gives yourself time to evolve. Andrew Clark Bio https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/13598/andrew-clark Marketing Video from Innsbruck https://www.facebook.com/haifischbecken/videos/2122336128018046/ Brock Trotter Bio https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/11443/brock-trotter European Hockey Salaries http://2112hockeyagency.com/salary-expectations/    

The Brandon, Manitoba affiliate of the Expedition League has announced via Twitter that the team will be known as the Wheat City Whiskey Jacks.    The name was originally up for final consideration along with four other options: Wheat City Wonders, Brandon Bullheads, Brandon Bison, and the Wheat City Threshermen. In an earlier release the league said the Wheat City Whiskey Jacks was selected as a potential franchise name as "This is a beautiful bird found throughout Canada.  Although very cute, this bird is tough and fearless since it lives throughout the entire year in Canada." The Expedition League is an elite summer collegiate wood bat baseball league that provides affordable, wholesome family entertainment.  The new Brandon franchise is set to take to the field in the summer of 2019.

The Valley View Tubing Hill opens for the season December 27, 2018 for public sledding.  Located 5 miles south of MacGregor, Manitoba on Road 59W (Rosehill Road) and 1 mile west on Rd 60N, the tubing hill offers visitors a fully groomed hill, tow rope system, outdoor warm-up area with fire pit, and a chalet building with bathrooms, wood stove, tables, and canteen.  In addition to public sledding, the facility is also available for private rentals.   Check out their web site for rental rates, hours of operation, or for more information on the facility.

BRANDON – Five years after Brandon University hosted the school's first national championship the Bobcats will have the chance to win a national title on home court again.    The U SPORTS men's volleyball national championship will take place at the BU Healthy Living Centre in March of 2021, the school's second time hosting a national event and first for the men's side.   "BU Athletics and the entire host committee are very excited to bring an event of this magnitude to Brandon and western Manitoba," says BU Athletic Director Russ Paddock. "The U SPORTS men's volleyball championship will be a great motivator for the youth athletes in the region and a tremendous opportunity for local sport fans to witness an exciting national championship."   The men's volleyball national tournament will look to replicate and expand the immensely successful 2016 women's national tournament. The eight-team tournament saw thousands of spectators take in the action over the three-day event, leaving a lasting impact on the campus, the community, and the sports scene in Brandon and the Westman region.   "A national championship is tremendously exciting for the Bobcats, for Brandon University and for everyone in Brandon and all of Manitoba. As we saw hosting nationals in 2016, the scores of visiting teams, officials and fans bring a huge buzz to the campus and to the city, and also make a notable economic impact," said Steve Robinson, Interim President at BU.    "We know very well the thrill of Bobcats action week in and week out, with the great game-day experience put on by BU Athletics and stands full of fans — now the entire country will once again experience that for themselves. Let's go Bobcats!"   The men's volleyball team wrapped up the first half of the season schedule this past weekend and sits with a conference record of 10-2 and remains No. 2 in the U SPORTS national rankings.   Combined with a tremendously talented group and the opportunity to host for the first time, coach Grant Wilson is excited to welcome the championship to the city where he grew up and fell in love with the sport.   "I think it really gives the chance to showcase our sport, our program, and our facility," says Wilson. "After seeing our women's team host back in 2016, and seeing the experience that their team went through and how the community embraced that whole experience it's obviously very exciting. It was a pretty special time here at BU, so to think that our athletes and our team will have that same experience is something that we are definitely looking forward to."   The BU men's volleyball team has previously taken part in three national championships, earning medals in all three: a bronze medal finish in 2009, a silver medal in 2011, and a bronze medal in 2013.   Being awarded hosting rights in 2021 offers the opportunity to reflect on how far Bobcat volleyball has come since the program's inception in 2005.   "Thinking back to when Russ and I started the program back in 2005 and seeing how the program has evolved and having the experiences that we've gained, there's nothing like competing for a national championship and we've had some great experiences over the course of our program, but this just takes it to a whole new level. To be able to play in front of our home crowd and have a chance to win a national championship I'm sure will be an experience our program will never forget," Wilson adds.    Wilson and the current Bobcat squad enter the December break ranked No. 2 in the nation before heading to Quebec for a series of exhibition games against the Laval Rouge et Or at the end of December. The Bobcats will then resume conference play at home on Jan. 4 against the No. 1 nationally ranked Trinity Western Spartans.