Courtesy:  Brandon University News Release   BRANDON - 'Tis the season and the Brandon University Bobcats have the Christmas spirit! The Bobcats invite you to join them to bask in the glow of the sights and sounds of the holidays. Saturday, December 3 is the final game before the holiday break for the Bobcats as they host the Fraser Valley Cascades and BU Athletics is planning a pre-Christmas celebration to coincide with the contests. Fans are invited to wear their best - or ugliest - Christmas sweater to the games, and to bring a new, unwrapped toy, non-perishable food item, or other donation for Christmas Cheer and Samaritan House. Quick Facts: First 50 Brandon University students to attend wearing a Christmas sweater receive a free slice of pizza or hotdog from canteen New, unwrapped toys being collected for Christmas Cheer Non-perishable food items being collected for Samaritan House "I think it is going to be a really exciting event," said fourth-year forward Amy Williams. "Christmas is one of my favourite holidays. It is a time full of joy and happiness. I think it could be a very lively and happy event that everyone could have a great time at." "Being part of a team means contributing together to important causes," said BU President Dr. Gervan Fearon. "We can all be part of the team by coming to cheer on our BU Bobcats and contributing to Samaritan House and Christmas Cheer." BU students are encouraged to the show their holiday spirit by wearing Christmas sweaters. The first 50 students in attendance will receive a complimentary slice of pizza or a hot dog from the canteen. Jolly old St. Nicholas will also make the long trip from the North Pole to cheer on the Bobcats. Santa will also be available for photos with any young members of Bobcat Nation. "It is a cool event and hopefully we will get the chance to play in front of a lot of people, while giving back to the community at the same time," said second-year guard Josh Bell. "We want to pick up a win for our fans and support worthwhile projects in the city." The Bobcats will be lending a helping hand to the less fortunate. Samaritan House committee members will be at the games to raise awareness and collect food donations. Fans are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item. Samaritan House is currently serving 1,700 hampers per-month. "Everybody is a fan of the Brandon Bobcats and so are we," said Samaritan House executive director Thea Dennis. "We want to cheer everyone on and in turn have them cheer on those who are in need in our community." Meanwhile, the Brandon-Westman Christmas Cheer Registry is also taking in the contests. Organizers are in need of toys, socks, knitted items, board games, crayons, colouring books, toothbrushes and toothpaste. In the past few years, between 900-950 hampers have been prepared for families in need. "To me this is my Christmas more then actually Christmas Day," said Christmas Cheer chairperson Myrna Lane. "Our board members realize there is a need out there and we get a good feeling that we are helping someone that needs some assistance this time of the year." The women's game starts at 5 p.m., followed by the men's contest at 7 p.m on Saturday, December 3 at the Healthy Living Centre

While the top teams in the CFL will compete this weekend in the annual Grey Cup Game it's only fitting that the top curling teams in the country will come to Brandon to compete for their share of cash prizes, as well as the opportunity to compete for a birth in the 2018 Winter Olympics. The Home Hardware Canada Cup takes place in Brandon, MB inside Westman Communication Group Place, from November 30th to December 4th. Neil Houston, the Event Manager for the Home Hardware Canada Cup feels impressed by ticket package sales to date. Plus, Houston says people will have a chance to get up and personal with all of the teams and their players at the Patch, a place to party featuring entertainment nightly alongside some beverage and food options. In today’s age of Twitter and social media, fans want to feel closer to the players and this years event will provide visitors with the opportunity to meet the athletes at both the team autograph sessions and the up close and personal interviews scheduled throughout the event. The prize pot is $140,000 ($70,000 for men and $70,000 for women) so while the cash is important the chance to play for your country is even greater. This event also has major significance as to who will be representing Team Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Seoul. Winners of the Home Hardware Canada Cup in Brandon will receive direct-entry berths into the 2017 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings Canadian Curling Trials, which will determine the teams to represent Canada at those 2018 Olympic Games. Ryan Shields Host Committee spokesperson feels Brandon has also had a huge appetite for major curling events….. we’re very exciting about the top teams in Canada coming to Brandon. Single tickets start at $20.00. Teams and Rosters http://www.curling.ca/2016canadacup/teams/ Draw http://www.curling.ca/2016canadacup/draw/ Ticket Packages and Prices http://www.curling.ca/2016canadacup/tickets/   Photo – courtesy of curling.ca

Brandon resident, Victor St Pierre-Laviolette, who now plays football for the Regina Thunder took home several awards at the Thunders' 2016 Teams Award Night. Victor was named the Outstanding Offensive Back, Outstanding Offensive Player, and the Jim Wong Memorial MVP Award winner. He had previously been named the leagues Outstanding Offensive Back as well as an all Canadian running back in the CJFL. In 9 games he averaged 113.3 yards per game, scored 8 touchdowns and averaged 8.5 yards per carry in leading the Thunder to a 5-4 record. His 1020 rushing yards was enough to lead the league. The 5'9”, 178 pound running back is a Crocus Plains graduate and got his start playing football with the Plainsmen. The Regina Thunder compete in the Prairie Football Conference, a 6-team league featuring teams from all three Prairie Provinces. The PFC is a member of the Canadian Junior Football League and participates in national championships with two other conferences, based out of Ontario and British Columbia.  

Senior Hockey is alive and well in Western Manitoba and BDNMB.CA was the first to report that both the Tiger Hills Hockey League and the North Central Hockey League would be expanding for the 2016-17 season. Both leagues are now underway and many former Wheat King players sit atop the scoring leaders in the THHL including Kelly Glowa, Chris Low, Jesse Hall, Del Cowan and Riley Day. Former Wheat King forward Jason Swyripa currently sits 7th in league scoring in the NCHL with 4 points in 2 games played. Tiger Hills Hockey League 2016-17 Eastern Division Regular Season Standings # Team GP W L OTL SOL Pts Win% GF GA Home Away 1 Carberry 3 3 0 0 0 6 1.000 34 12 (1-0-0-0) (2-0-0-0) 2 Minnedosa 2 2 0 0 0 4 1.000 19 9 (1-0-0-0) (1-0-0-0) 3 Gladstone 2 1 1 0 0 2 0.500 15 13 (1-1-0-0) (0-0-0-0) 4 Cartwright 2 1 1 0 0 2 0.500 11 12 (0-0-0-0) (1-1-0-0) 5 Neepawa 3 1 2 0 0 2 0.333 13 21 (0-1-0-0) (1-1-0-0) 6 Pilot Mound 2 0 2 0 0 0 0.000 9 19 (0-1-0-0) (0-1-0-0) 7 MacGregor 2 0 2 0 0 0 0.000 6 14 (0-2-0-0) (0-0-0-0) 2016-17 Western Division Regular Season Standings # Team GP W L OTL SOL Pts Win% GF GA Home Away 1 Boissevain 4 4 0 0 0 8 1.000 25 16 (1-0-0-0) (3-0-0-0) 2 Killarney 3 3 0 0 0 6 1.000 15 5 (1-0-0-0) (2-0-0-0) 3 Deloraine 4 2 1 0 1 5 0.500 16 17 (2-1-0-0) (0-0-0-1) 4 Souris 4 1 2 0 1 3 0.250 10 16 (1-0-0-1) (0-2-0-0) 5 Hartney 2 0 1 1 0 1 0.000 7 13 (0-1-1-0) (0-0-0-0) 6 Melita 3 0 2 1 0 1 0.000 11 24 (0-1-0-0) (0-1-1-0) 2016-17 Regular Season Scoring Leaders Rnk Name Team GP G A Pts PIM 1 Michael Reykdal Carberry 3 7 7 14 0 2 Dustin Fisher Carberry 3 4 8 12 0 3 Grant Jacobsen Minnedosa 2 3 6 9 0 4 Kelly Glowa Boissevain 4 2 7 9 4 5 Chris Low Boissevain 4 4 3 7 16 6 Matt Saler Minnedosa 2 4 3 7 4 7 Daylon Creasy Carberry 3 4 3 7 6 8 Carey Findlay Minnedosa 2 2 5 7 0 9 Mitch Doell Carberry 3 1 6 7 0 10 Keaton Turner Carberry 3 5 1 6 2 11 Patrick Leask Boissevain 4 4 2 6 19 12 Eric Herbal Boissevain 4 3 3 6 2 13 Jesse Hall Gladstone 1 3 3 6 2 14 Jordan Geddes Gladstone 2 3 3 6 0 15 Del Cowan Hartney 2 3 3 6 6 16 Riley Day Carberry 2 1 5 6 28 17 Bryce Enns Cartwright 2 4 1 5 4 18 Cory Rae Carberry 3 3 2 5 4 19 Skyler Canada Boissevain 4 3 2 5 4 20 Aubrey Chapman Killarney 3 3 2 5 2016-17 Regular Season Goalie Leaders Rnk Name Team Record Mins GA GAA Shots Sv% SO 1 Brian Archibald Killarney (3-0-0-0) 183 5 1.64 34 0.971 1 2 Scott Forcand Gladstone (1-0-0-0) 60 2 2.00 0 0.000 0 3 Cody Matthewson Deloraine (2-0-0-1) 186 9 2.90 73 0.904 0 4 Brett Willows Carberry (2-0-0-0) 120 6 3.00 32 0.906 0 5 Kris Westblom Souris (1-1-0-1) 190 10 3.16 36 0.889 0 6 Mark Tripp Boissevain (3-0-0-0) 160 10 3.75 105 0.905 0 7 Brady Plett Neepawa (1-0-0-0) 60 4 4.00 31 0.871 0 8 Curtis Gouldie Souris (0-1-0-0) 60 4 4.00 25 0.840 0 9 Troy Chandler Cartwright (1-0-0-0) 60 4 4.00 0 0.000 0 10 Brodie Palmer Boissevain (1-0-0-0) 85 6 4.24 51 0.882 0 North Central Hockey League North Division Standings TEAM GP W L T OTL PTS OTW SO GF GA DIFF PCT STRK Swan Valley Axemen 2 2 0 0 0 4 0 0-0 14 4 +10 1.000 W2 Russell Rams 2 1 1 0 0 2 0 0-0 5 9 -4 0.500 L1 Foxwarren Falcons 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0-0 3 5 -2 0.000 L1 Grandview Comets 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0-0 4 6 -2 0.000 L1 South Division Standings TEAM GP W L T OTL PTS OTW SO GF GA DIFF PCT STRK Miniota-Elkhorn C-Hawks 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0-0 11 5 +6 1.000 W1 Moosomin Rangers 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0-0 7 4 +3 1.000 W1 Rivers Jets 2 1 1 0 0 2 0 0-0 10 11 -1 0.500 W1 Virden Oil Kings 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0-0 5 15 -10 0.000 L2 2016-17 Eastern Division Regular Season Standings    PLAYER # P TEAM GP G A PTS P/G PPG PPA SHG SHA GW PIM 1 Jeff Riddell 64 - Swan Valley 2 4 2 6 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 Darren Miller 22 - Swan Valley 2 1 4 5 2.5 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 Darcy Riddell 9 - Swan Valley 2 4 0 4 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 Kyle McLeod 83 - Minota-Elkhorn 1 3 1 4 4.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 Brock Paddock 13 - Rivers 2 3 1 4 2.0 0 0 0 0 1 4 6 Joel Mateika 18 - Swan Valley 1 2 2 4 4.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 7 Jason Swyripa 25 - Virden 2 2 2 4 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 Brady Paddock 9 - Rivers 2 0 4 4 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 Kenton Moore 20 - Rivers 2 3 0 3 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 Patrick Flynn 10 - Foxwarren 1 2 1 3 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 Robyn McKean 12 - Minota-Elkhorn 1 2 1 3 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 Jackson Wallis 21 - Moosomin 1 2 1 3 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 Derek Falloon 15 - Russell 2 2 1 3 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 2 14 Nat Howard 26 - Minota-Elkhorn 1 1 2 3 3.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 15 Brayden Nabholz 14 - Moosomin 1 1 2 3 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 16 Dillon Stonehouse 27 - Minota-Elkhorn 1 1 2 3 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 Tyler Wood 16 - Minota-Elkhorn 1 1 2 3 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 Tyler Finch 10 - Virden 2 1 2 3 1.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 Kelsey McLeod 17 - Minota-Elkhorn 1 0 3 3 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 20 Curtis Oliver 91 - Minota-Elkhorn 1 0 3 3 3.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2016-17 Regular Season Goalie Leaders    GOALIE TEAM GP W L T G A PIM SO MP GA GAA SH SA SV% 1 Alexander Lefave Russell 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 60 0 0.00 - - - 2 Deven Dubyk Swan Valley 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 120 4 2.00 62 58 0.935 3 Kyler Beckett Moosomin 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 60 4 4.00 19 15 0.789 4 Layne Anderson Rivers 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 60 4 4.00 - - - 5 Ian Chipelski Foxwarren 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 60 5 5.00 41 36 0.878 6 Cory Gardham Minota-Elkhorn 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 60 5 5.00 18 13 0.722 7 Ryan Mathieson Virden 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 84 7 5.00 12 5 0.417 8 Danny McDonald Grandview 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 60 6 6.00 - - - 9 Tyrel Heap Rivers 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 60 7 7.00 31 24 0.774 10 Grant Naherniak Russell 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 60 9 9.00 44 35 0.795

“Sweeping Cancer From Our House”, a local charity event in Brandon, MB is looking to fill 3 curling teams for their upcoming fun bonspeil at the Riverview Curling Club. The event runs from November the 10th thru to the 13th.. Registration is only $180 per team and includes at least 3 games per team, a meal on Saturday, and 4 tickets to the Saturday Social. Clubbing Fraggles will be supplying the live music at the the social. Other events scheduled over the weekend include a silent auction, special draws and the chance to win a return trip for 2 to any scheduled WestJet destination. Over the last 3 years the Riverview Curling Club club has donated over $13,000 to support cancer patients here in western Manitoba To register your team, or for more information, please contact sweepingcancer@gmail.com.