Brandon, MB. – For the first time in eight years, the Western Hockey League’s Brandon Wheat Kings will feature new look home white jerseys for the 2017-18 campaign.  The new Reebok CCM jerseys were modelled at Thursday afternoon’s media reception at the Canad Inns by veteran center Tanner Kaspick. The white jerseys will be worn on the road for the first half of the season, before becoming the home jerseys after Christmas. However, the Wheat Kings have announced plans to debut the jerseys during their Home Opener on September 22nd against the visiting Regina Pats. The new white jersey features black on the shoulders and hemline and reversing the colours. The design was loosely based on the Wheat Kings’ 2010 Memorial Cup jersey and will fit in nicely with the ’49 Vintage style thirds as well. As with the jerseys introduced in 2009, they will be anatomically designed to work in unison with protective equipment and consists of advanced materials which will continue to provide better ventilation for the players. Tickets to that game as well as Brandon’s two pre-season games will go on sale at 10am Tuesday, September 5th at the Keystone Centre box office, online at keystonecentre.com or by calling (204) 726-3555.

Below is a list of local establishments who will be showing the highly anticipated event as boxing's Floyd Mayweather battles UFC superstar Connor McGregor in a fight that no-one believed was possible. It all goes down on PPV this Saturday night starting at 8 pm. Boston Pizza (both Brandon locations) Specials include $6.00 Schooners of beer, $3.85 highball mixed drinks, and Fishbowls at $8.99 and $10.25. They will also be offering up their medium 2-topping pizza for $15.99. Tickets are only $10 and your ticket is also good for $10 off a minimum purchase of $25, in the following 7 days. They have also teamed with ABC Taxi to give you 10% your cab fare to and from their restaurants. Smitty's (Brandon Shoppers Mall) Smitty's Sportsline and Lounge, located inside the Brandon Shoppers Mall, will be showing the fights on Saturday evening. Admission is $10 and includes one of their $10 UFC certificates. If the fight ends early then you can always try our you luck in one of their 40 vlt's.  Premium liquor fishbowls and a wide appetizer menu is also available.  Find yourself having a little too much fun?  Take advantage of their cab-in-fever  promotion where you call yourself a taxi-ride home, get a receipt, and on your next visit present that receipt to your server and receive the amount of your cab ride home, off your bill. The 40 The fight will be featured on all of the TV's inside the 40, including the projector screens, and $10 gets you inside the doors. Seating is limited so get down early for a good seat. Tavern United No additional details available at this time. A complete list of licensed establishments in the province, who are showing the fight, can be found here.

The fifth annual Oil Capitals Crop Tour, which took place earlier this month, was a success. Craig Davidson, a member of the board of directors for the Oil Caps, says there was a total of 22 different soybean varieties from eight seed genetic companies that took part in the event, which was held Aug. 3. There was also variable rate fertility, in-crop fertility, herbicide and fungicide trials, a look into planter versus drill seeding, as well as different inoculant sources – all of which were included in the Oil Caps Field. New for 2017, the Crop Club ended up expanding, adding a new 60-acre field partnership; which included Louis Dreyfus, Redfern Farm Services, Decisive Farming, BrettYoung, Pride, and Secan at the Louis Dreyfus field near Hargrave, Man. “It’s another great way to expand coverage and showcase our Crop Club partners,” Davidson said. Jamie Hodson, Director of Business and Hockey Operations for the Oil Capitals, agreed with Davidson’s sentiment, adding that partners are integral to the club’s on and off-ice success. “With agriculture being a foundation to this community and southwest Manitoba, the Crop Club has done an admirable job in showcasing all our Crop Club partners,” Hodson said. With close to 60 people in attendance, Davidson says it was one of the bigger tours with great agronomics and insights provided by our Crop Club partners. “We have many long-standing agricultural partners that have been a part of the Crop Club since its inception and we strive to continue to offer value through showcasing their genetics and technologies in-field as well as through the winter months at Tundra Oil and Gas Place.” The goal of the Oil Capitals Crop Club is simple: to be an all-encompassing educational piece where agricultural companies can showcase their latest genetics, technologies and agricultural practices to help area growers, agronomists, consultants and retailers advance their businesses through a non-biased learning approach. “Each year, we to look for ways to continue to create additional value for our Ag partners as well as producers from southwestern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan,” Davidson said. “We have invested in some leading edge practices and showcased the next generation of varieties over the years that have gone on to become common place in the area. Every year, new ideas are brought to the table that will benefit area growers in the future. “Our Ag partners and the Crop Club have been a very important part of the Oil Capitals hockey team over the seasons and will continue to be a key piece moving forward with agriculture being a stable for many families and businesses in the area,” Davidson added. Plans are in place for a morning tail gate tour in September as the soybeans mature to see the differences in varieties and to have a clearer view of the potential as the crop reaches maturity. A tentative tour date is Sept. 12 pending weather and harvest.

Following 2-days of men's qualifying action, the top 16 golfers who will go on to compete in the Tamarack Golf Tournament's Championship Flight have been determined.  In addition to the Championship Flight there are 14 other flights up for grabs.   Each flight consists of 16 golfers. The Tamarack Golf Tournament is a week long match play event that includes all levels of golfers, from juniors to seniors in their appropriate divisions.  This years tournament is taking place August 18th – 26th 2017 at the Clear Lake Golf Course. Championship Flight (Top 16, includes Saturday, Sunday and overall 2-day scores) Kody Fawcett - Onanole 69 68 137 Josh McPhail – Winnipeg 69 68 137 Steven Young – La Salle 67 71 138 Geoff Gregoire - Brandon 68 71 139 Dale Murray-Gilbert Plains 68 72 140 Rob Hall – Brandon 69 72 141 Brad Pardy - Brandon 73 68 141 Dustin Dyck – Brandon 72 70 142 Jared Jacobson – Brandon 71 71 142 Dan O’Greysik - Brandon 70 72 142 Chas Wood - Brandon 73 70 143 Chris Knoop – Moose Jaw 69 74 143 Derek Richels – Brandon 74 70 144 Derek Solman - Winnipeg 74 70 144 Jay Thiesen - Russell 68 76 144 Dave Unger - Brandon 76 69 145

Kids from ages four to 15 years old from Brandon and the surrounding area are invited to try out one of Canada’s fastest growing sports for free on Saturday Aug. 26 at 1:30 p.m. at Westman Communications Group Place. Come Try Ringette will feature an hour of fun on-ice games and activities led by Ringette Manitoba instructors. No previous ringette experience is necessary. Players must have their own skates and wear a helmet as well as mitts or gloves. Sticks will be provided, and a limited number of helmets will be available for players who don’t have their own. Visit www.cometryringette.ca to register or contact Brandon Come Try Ringette Coordinator Kyla Henderson by emailing kylajmhenderson@gmail.com or calling 204-573-5083. “Ringette is a fast game that is great for developing passing and skating skills as well as teamwork,” Henderson says. “That team spirit really shows itself off the ice as well, as players take part in team cheers and make many life-long friendships.” The ringette season begins in September and runs until March, with players normally playing games or practising twice per week. The Brandon Blizzards ringette teams are looking to build on their historic 2016-17 season when the U12 (ages 10 and 11) and U14 teams (ages 12 and 13) played in the Winnipeg Ringette League for the first time. The U14 Blizzards went on to win the provincial B championship. Amy, a member of the provincial champion U14 Blizzards, has played ringette for six years. “It looked like a fun sport that was different from hockey, and I met a whole team of girls that have been my friends for a long time,” she says. “I went to Come Try Ringette day and really wanted to play after. My mom played it when she was younger and had good memories too.” “The success that we had last season was amazing, and we’re excited to see what our players can accomplish this year as we are hoping that our U10 team will join the older teams the Winnipeg league. We would like to add a new U16 team as well,” Henderson says. “It’s just as important to us to make sure that our youngest and newest players are also learning new skills and realizing the benefits of playing ringette because they are the future of the sport. Come Try Ringette is where we can give new players a look at how much fun ringette can be. ” Representatives from the Brandon Ringette Association will be on hand to answer questions about the sport, and registration forms will be available at the event. Registration forms will also be available at the Shoppers Mall Brandon Clubs for Kids day on Saturday, Aug. 21 or by visiting ww.brandonringette.ca. Registration fees for new players start as low as $170 for the season plus fundraising and jersey deposits that can be earned back.