Courtesy: Brandon University News Release BRANDON - The Brandon University women's soccer team is looking to score the program's first Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC) championship this weekend in Winnipeg. The Bobcats are back at the MCAC Final Four for the third consecutive year following an undefeated regular season. The team finished with a 7-0-3 record, good for second place in the standings. Brandon outscored their opponents 40-5 in the process to punch their ticket for the playoffs with major momentum. "I think the team is better and we play a better type of soccer," said coach Rainer Schira. "We have confidence in every single player, we have confidence in the coaches to establish the game plan and we have confidence in the players to execute it. We should be able to peak at the right time." "We are really close as a team," said second-year midfielder Allison Cruse. "The first game of the season we were confident in what we were doing and we knew we were going to make it to the top-two in the league." The first opponent standing in Brandon's way of reaching the MCAC mountaintop is St. Boniface in the semifinals at 12 p.m. on Saturday. The Bobcats swept the two head-to-head meetings by blanking their opponents 2-0 and 3-0. In the other semifinal, the top-ranked and tournament host Red River Rebels play the Providence Pilots. The winners meet for all the MCAC marbles at 1 p.m. on Sunday. "Going into this we are focused on the next game, we do not focus on the final and the next game is the semi," added Schira. "We have to play our game and then worry about the final." Brandon is coming off a runner-up finish a year-ago for the league title. BU dropped a hard-fought 2-1 decision against Red River in the final last season. The heartbreaking end to 2015 has the battle-tested Bobcats motivated for more. "We were up with 10 minutes left and we lost the game," recalled Schira. "I think our players will take that and try to turn it into a positive. They have been there, they have the experience and they know they can win this." "I think we are really strong," added Cruse. "I think we have really improved the mental aspects of the game together and we have realized how to be positive with each other. We are in a good position going in." Meanwhile, the BU men's soccer team narrowly missed the post-season. The Bobcats finished tied for fourth and the final playoff spot with Providence, but missed out due to the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Pilots.

Courtesy:  Brandon University News Release BRANDON - Ninety-three years of hockey history will be celebrated next month at Brandon University and BU Athletics is thrilled with the expected turnout of familiar faces. BU will be welcoming home over 270 alumni and guests for a special Bobcat men's hockey reunion on November 4-5. Hockey on campus first started in 1909 at Brandon College and continued until the university program came to a close in 2002. Bobcat and Brandon College Caps alumni left a lasting legacy and BU Athletic Director Russ Paddock feels it is important to celebrate their accomplishments. "This event is a longtime coming for our hockey alumni," said Paddock. "The bond created by our hockey alumni is unbreakable and the feedback we have received about the reunion shows that. They have a special place in our history that deserves full recognition." Former players, coaches and staff are travelling near and far to attend the festivities including Rod Winkler. He played with the Bobcats for two seasons from 1979 to 1981 and is coming from Europe to attend. After completing his BU playing career, Winkler played nine seasons professionally in Norway. He currently lives and works in Asker, Norway and Geneva, Switzerland and he is looking forward to returning for the reunion. "I wanted to see some of the best guys I have been around on and off the ice," said Winkler. "Just seeing the guys one more time, it is a hard thing to pass up." Winkler, who is originally from Milestone, Sask., looks back fondly at his time with the Bobcats. In 1980-81, he helped BU capture a GPAC (Great Plains Athletic Conference) championship, while being ranked #1 in Canada. "I feel we were pretty well unstoppable that year," added Winkler. "Looking back, you only have a few moments in your career when the timing is just right and you are fortunate to be on a team like that." The Bobcat hockey reunion coincides with the first home games of the 2016-2017 Canada West season with the volleyball teams in action against the Thompson Rivers WolfPack. Alumni attending the home opener on Friday will have the chance to register for the reunion. Hockey memorabilia will also be on display as former Bobcats and College Caps enjoy a meet-and-greet. A nostalgic filled Saturday is planned with alumni games scheduled for the Sportsplex. The 50-and-older game starts at 1 p.m. followed by the 49-and-younger contest. The public is encouraged to attend the alumni games with free admission. 1996-97 CIAU rookie of the year Grady Manson and former NHL'er Tim Lenardon are among the 80 players lacing up the blades one more time in the classic Bobcat blue and gold colours. "It will be a great honour and privilege to wear the Bobcat jersey again," said Lenardon. "It will be great to see all the former players and friends back in Brandon." "I am looking forward to wearing the Bobcat jersey one more time and catching up with some of the other players that will be at the alumni game," said Manson. "The one season I played with BU was special as I got the chance to play at home after junior hockey." Fellow all-Canadians Peter Gerlinger, Rich Little and Tim Morrison are also expected to play. Once the alumni games are complete the alumni will return to the Healthy Living Centre for the Saturday volleyball matches at 5 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. The alumni will be officially recognized at the matches.

Kirkland Lycar,who once played 2 games with the Brandon Wheat Kings back in 2014/15 , has left the Dauphin Kings of the MJHL and is seeking a trade. Peter Quenneville is off to a great start with the Aalborg Pirates of the Danish Hockey League. The former Wheat King has recorded 7 points in 5 games and currently sits second in league scoring. Brandon resident, and a one time member of the Montreal Canadiens, Brock Trotter recently signed with SaiPa of the Finnish First Division. Brock played in Sweden last season. Forward, Triston Grant has singed with the Wichita Thunder of the ECHL. The Neepawa product has played a total 11 games in the NHL with the Nashville Predators and the Philadelphia Flyers over his career. Quinton Lisoway has joined the University of Manitoba Bisons Hockey team. Former Wheat King defensemen Rene Hunter is also on the Bisons' roster as are Elkhorn products Shawn & Brad Bowles. Reid Duke has been released from his tryout with the Hartford Wolf Pack and is headed back to Brandon to join the Wheat Kings. Duke's return leaves the Wheat Kings with 4 overagers, one over the league maximum.

Brandon's Curtis 'The Demon' Demarce is the new reigning Canadian Featherweight Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Champion. The fight took place in Edmonton on Saturday September 30th. Unified 28 was one of the biggest fight cards of the year. There were three title bouts in front of a crowd of nearly 3000 at The Palace. Demarce fought Parwez Ghulam. It was a three round bout, ending in TKO. Demarce says, "the fight was very frustrating for me. He ran from me the whole fight. Anytime that I tried to close the distance, get on the inside to use my boxing or get a take-down he would circle away and run. I expected more pressure from him." "Half way through the fight I had to switch my game plan, find his angles and throw something unorthodox as he was circling away from my power. A lot can happen. A good fighter finds a way to adapt on his feet, switch the plan and get the win. Happy I could get it done." Curtis Demarce at Tastee's waiting on his champ burger. What's next for Demarce? He looks to move up a weight class and capture the Lightweight title and keep both divisions active. An ambitious feat for this career fighter. No other Canadian has ever held both titles simultaneously. Demarce trains here at home in Brandon at Brandon Academy of Mixed Martial Arts and does full training camp, pre-fight at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose California. He has been fighting for over a decade now, currently ranked in the top 3 in Canada. Some of his career highlights are featured on YouTube. In the MMA context, Demarce walked away from this fight virtually unscathed. Not a mark on his knuckles, merely a broken nose, torn ligament in the foot and a couple stitches. All in a day's work. Champ Burger @ Tastee's. Curtice Demarce and his squad in Edmonton inmmediately post fight.

Those that know me well, know I have no time for being politically correct. I think it is the single most part of social behavior that ails society and I think it's why Donald Trump is so popular. People hate the politically correct world so much they overlook all of Trump's other glaring flaws as a human being simply because he says what he wants. That's not a scientific study, but just a personal observation and an informal poll I've conducted. One of the things that gets on my nerves is when someone tells me I don't have the right to comment negatively about something because I'm a white male, which is to say I've been entitled my whole life and I don't know what it means to have dealt with hard times. I may write more about that in a future column, but if I don't have the right to criticize the politically correct for changing the lyrics to our national anthem, then I'd say unless you are a woman, you don't have the right to comment on what a marvelous change this is for the anthem and its citizens either. We are both disqualified from commenting and only a woman can comment. Disclaimer-if a woman speaks negatively about this, the politically correct will brush her off and label her with some horrible title and disregard her opinion. Which brings me to a recent politically correct movement that has just floored me with the response: air shows. You see air shows are now offensive because we have a lot of new people in our country who see air shows as a glorification of the tools of war. Well, actually I didn't read that NEW Canadian people thought this. But, rather some long time Canadian people in search of trouble to start, decided this would be a fitting label for air shows because we just need to be more sensitive. Once this thought became public, of course, it gained traction from other trouble makers and other Canadian citizens who feel it necessary to spend their whole lives apologizing for being terrible a couple hundred years ago when their ancestors came to a land not yet called Canada and who weren't as sensitive to others. So, what I've done is I've decided to jump aboard. Air shows are offensive. Cancel them. Now...what do we do about the Winnipeg Jets? I mean, the Jets are not named after Air Canada. It isn't unrealistic to think someone attending a Jets game could become traumatized by viewing the logo and reading up on the team name and discovering it's a tribute to fighter planes. The time to get out in front of this is now. Let's not wait until someone shames us into realizing how offensive this name is. Let's change it. I'd also like to suggest the New York Yankees also change their name. If you Google the term 'Yankee meaning', the number one definition that comes up is 'derogatory - someone who is from or lives in the United States'. But, nobody pays attention to this one. Why? At the same time, the Washington Post conducted a survey with Native Americans and it was revealed 9/10 are not offended by the term Redskins. Yet, there are white people everywhere who are bending over backwards to change the name. Why? If you think I'm being ridiculous, ask yourself this question: if someone told me a year ago that air shows would be deemed offensive, would you laugh it off and say that's ridiculous? I think we all would. Where does it end? Will it, someday, be offensive to be called the Edmonton Oilers due to its indirect slight to environmentalists? Are the Montreal Canadiens offensive because the French spelling leaves out Canadian people who are non-French? Now, just a minute. Before you say the English would never get their way over the French, I'm not, necessarily, talking English. We are a melting pot of cultures now and it's possible a non-English person could raise this issue. Then what? We know English people come last due to the behaviour of Christopher Columbus in the late 1400's. But, where do the French fall when a different ethnic group complains? All of this can be stopped. It just requires a stand and the ability to shake off vicious name calling from the politically correct. Most of us cave once the race or bigot card is played. It's a terrible label to brand someone. But, the people who resort to using it when having a debate are misusing the term and the rest of us need to recognize that and keep up the good fight. Unless of course, you agree the name Winnipeg Jets is offensive.