It’ll be Act II for the Westman Softball Umpires’ Association when the Softball Manitoba U14 ‘A’ Girls’ Championship begins two weeks from today at Simplot Millennium Park in Brandon. The three-day Championship will be the second major softball event hosted by the WSUA this year, having hosted a highly successful exhibition game between the New Zealand ISA and La Salle Bullets on June 20th. The U14 Championship features eight teams including the host Westman Magic, coached by Jason Slator. The Magic, who are currently fourth in the Manitoba Ladies’ Super Softball League standings with an 8-7-2 record, will open the full round-robin with a matchup against the Manitoba Angels on Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. The MLSSL leading Central Energy and defending champion Smitty’s Terminators are among the other seven teams competing for the Provincial title. Manitoba Thunder, Winnipeg Lightning, Eastman Wildcats, Interlake Phillies and Manitoba Angels are the other teams involved in the Championship. The top three teams at the Championship will qualify for the Softball Canada U14 Girls’ Jamboree in Brampton, Ontario from August 16-20 while the 4th and 5th-place teams will represent Manitoba at the U14 Western Canadian Championship in North Battleford, Saskatchewan from August 4-7. The Softball Manitoba U14 ‘A’ Girls’ Championship is being held in conjunction with the Baseball Manitoba Pee Wee AAA Qualifier at Simplot Park, making for an exciting weekend of action for Western Manitoba fans. Admission is $20 for a weekend pass, $10 for a daily pass and $5 for a ‘last draw’ (after 4:00 p.m.) pass. Fans can also follow the results online at http://westmansoftballumpires.blogspot.ca/, on twitter at@U14provsbrandon or via our Facebook page. Two other exciting softball events are on tap in Brandon later this summer. The Western Canadian U16 Girls’ Championship will take place August 10-13 at the Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex, and then the ANSC will hold their official grand opening on September 9th.

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The grand opening of the Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex is slated to take place on Saturday, September the 9th, 2017. Gates will open at 10:45 am that morning, followed by opening ceremonies at 11:00 am. A double-header softball game between Dickenson State (Ashley's alma mater) and Maryville State softball teams will take place following the opening ceremonies, starting at approximately noon. Cost to attend is only $2.00. You can purchase advance tickets here. The Westman Softball Association along with the Westman Adult Orthodox Leagues, Brandon Slo-Pitch League, and the Westman Old-Timers undertook the project to build a new softball facility in the City of Brandon. It has been named the Ashley Neufeld Softball Complex to honour her commitment to the sport and Brandon. The facility includes 4 full-sized diamonds and 4 mini diamonds for youth ages 4-12, a canteen and washrooms. Location Brandon 331 -10th Street North Brandon, MB  

BDNMB.CA has already reported that Wheat Kings Tyler Coulter and Dmitry Osipov will be attending NHL developments camps in 2017. With camps just around the corner, several other un-drafted players with the ties to the Wheat Kings, and Manitoba, have been listed as taking part including those mentioned below.  Additional names may be added to the list in the coming days, as more teams release their rosters. Ty Lewis: Colorado Avalanche Zack Whitecloud: LA Kings Brady Keeper: LA Kings Logan Thompson: Las Vegas Golden Knights

The staff at bdnmb.ca recently took in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft held in Chicago. After arriving in the Windy City at 6:20 am on the Friday morning, and a quick nap, we headed over to the United Center and arrived just in time to hear Gary Betman being booed by the boisterous Chicago fans in attendance. Situated only 5 rows up from ice level in the lower bowl, we found ourselves in the middle of all the action, and among many of those selected in the first round. Sitting in the 2nd or 3rd deck just would not have had the same impact. Thanks to The Sports Corporation for hooking us up with the prime seats. Below are some pictures from the event.