Thinking about taking in a Major League Baseball game? 1) Start with the team's schedule. Try to pick dates where you see at least 2 games. You really don't get the whole experience if you just see one. A day game is a totally different experience from a night game. 2) While you're at the team's website, find their link for recommended hotels in the neighbourhood. Then follow up with the hotel's own website. You'll often find package prices and special deals that partner with the ball club.  3) Take your baseball glove to the game. And put your phone down. Pay attention and enjoy the experience. You never know when a fly ball is coming your way. It's a huge adrenaline rush when a ball is launched in your direction.  4) Two games? Sit in two entirely different sections. I haven't found a ballpark with any terrible views. The bleacher seats in the home run section can be just as much fun at sitting in the club seats. (If you sit along the first baseline in the upper decks in Denver you have the best view of a Colorado sunset over the Rocky Mountains.)  5) Go early. The home team typically takes batting practice privately, before the public is welcomed into the park. BUT, the visitor’s team takes the field at the same time the doors open. Everyone, but especially kids, can stand at the fence and hope to catch one of dozens of balls coming that way.   

The MB Bruins, a team comprised of hockey players mainly from Brandon and the Westman area, captured the 2004 age division of the Manitoba Lightning AAA Spring Classic Hockey Tournament held in Winnipeg over the weekend.  They used goal scoring from five different players on route to a 5-3 victory over the Manitoba Lightning in the tournament final.  Layton Veitch, Zane Dyck, Reid Jonasson, Brenden Keeble, and Ethan Guthrie all managed to beat Lightnings goalie Alex Pauls.  Nathan Braun picked up the win in net for the Bruins.  The Bruins went 5-1 over the weekend and were lead offensively by Callum Halls who had 14 points and Zane Dyck who had 12 points in the five games. Another team made up of players primarily from Brandon and area, the 2007 MB Steel, also participated in the tournament and finished the weekend with a record of 2 wins and 3 losses.  Earlier in the spring the Steel had captured the 2007 age division of the Source for Sports AAA Summer Hockey Challenge held in Brandon each year.

The Winnipeg Chiefs captured the 2004 age division at the AAA Summer Hockey Challenge in Brandon by handily defeating the SK Crusaders 14-1 in the championship final.  The Chiefs were lead offensively by Elliot Lewis who registered two goals and four assists.   Luke Janus, Talon Weselak, and Lucas Gillson each chipped in with two markers a piece while Dylan Martens, Austin Manaigre, Mattew Lizotte, Riley Dudych, Keefe Gruener, and Carson Shewfelt each had singles.  Dawson Karol scored late in the 3rd frame to break up the shutout bid of the Chiefs net minder Andrew Ness.  The crusaders were outshot 43-5 overall. Earlier in the day the Crusaders surprised the 04 Jr. Moose with a thrilling 6-5 victory propelling them into the afternoons final.  The Chiefs sailed into the finals with a 10-1 victory, over a team from the Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Saturday evening. The 2003 division was broken down into Silver and Gold levels.  In the silver division the SK Nationals, out of Regina toppled the Westman Thunder 5-1 to capture their division.  Hunter Wood recorded four assists in the win.  Carter Derenisky fired two goals and added an assist.  Other markers came off the sticks of Mason Nichol. Riley Hoffman and Tyler Kistner.  The lone goal scorer for the Thunder was forward Denis Ntelioglou.   The Thunder were unable to answer the hot goaltending of the Nationals Arden Lloyd who made 24 saves in picking up the win.  The Nationals won all five games they participated in over the weekend while the Thunder finished the weekend with 4 wins and 2 losses. The Gold Division was a hard fought battle right down to the final buzzer and ended up in an overtime period and then a shootout.  Eventually the Westman Warriors upended the Mallard Stars 7-6.  Riley Brody scored twice in regulation and added an assist to lead the charge offensively for the Warriors.  Ayden Atkey, Ty Funk, Avery Kirkup and Brayden Howarth each chipped in with singles.  For the Stars Noah Houle had three assists in a losing cause.  Keelian Levasseur, Brayden Broome, Michael Spence, Keanu Woodhouse, Kyle Cochrane and Colby Bear each scored once for Mallard.  Mallard advanced to the tournament finals after beating the Toon Town Tigers 5-3 in the late game on Saturday night.  Earlier in tournament round robin play the boys from Toon Toon had defeated the Stars by a score of 10-1.  The Man-Sask Wolfpack had an easy time of it in the 2002 age group as they won five straight games over the weekend outscoring their opponents 59-3 over that stretch.  They cruised to the 2002 title, and take home the belt, after a convincing 12-1 win over the team from Eastman in Sundays closer.  Josh Romanyk had a goal and an assist in the final.  Scoring twice for the Wolfpack included Brady Frattinger, Drew Englot. Daemon Hunt and Cory King.  Others Wolfpack skaters to dent the twine Sunday included Brayden Michaluk, Reece Richmond and Mitch Theissen.  Trent Crane replied with the lone goal for Eastman on a shorthanded breakaway.  Overall the Wolfpack outshoot Eastman 53-6 in the final contest.  Earlier in the day Eastman punched their ticket to the finals with a convincing 9-5 victory over the Sask. Grrowl while the Wolfpack easily handled the Bearcats in their semi-final matchup by a score of 12-0.

The AHA Titans out of Saskatoon won the girls U10 championship this weekend at the AAA Summer Challenge in Brandon, MB.  The Titans finished the weekend with 4 wins and 1 tie and defeated the Southwest Blades 4-2 in the Championship Game before a very loud and packed crowd inside the Enns Brothers Arena.  Jacey Farr, Jada Johns, Brooklyn Nemingeers, and Ashton Bender each tallied once in the win while Julia Duke chipped in with two assists.  Kailyn Lang and Brooklynn Franklin each replied with singles for the Blades who had earlier in the day defeated the Huskie Prospects 6-4 to advance the to the Championship Final.  Blades goaltender Grace Glover had a very strong game between the pipes as she stopped 40 0f 44 Titan shots. The Girls U12 division was claimed by the Snipers as they toppled the U12 Jr Bisons 9-2 in this afternoons final.  Brianna Westerman led the charge offensively as she potted three goals.  Oliva Leggatt and Jeann Olfert chipped in with two goals apiece in the victory.  Others to find the back of the net include Gracie Christiansen and Bailey Farr who each had a single goal.  The Sask. Snipers used a balanced scoring attack all weekend to propel themselves into championship Sunday.  Replying for the U12 Jr. Bisons was Charly Lindberg and Maia Ehmann who each managed to get one by the Snipers goalie Ryleigh Carson.  The Bison’s earlier in the day advanced to the Championship final with a thrilling 2-1 shootout victory over the MB Hurricanes.  Dana Goertzen was the lone goal scorer in the shootout helping her team advance.  The tournament’s final championship game saw the Girls of the North, who battled the flu and illness all weekend, capture the girls U14 division as they bested the North West Calvary 4-1 in the afternoon tilt.  The Girls of the North, out of Winnipeg, used a stifling defense and the scoring exploits of Danica Namaka and Sydney Cancilla all weekend in cruising to the Championship.  Danica finished the tournament with 11 goals in five games and credits her father Marvin for her offensive creativity.    Sydney was the offensive star in the championship game as she was in on all four of her team’s goals registering 1 goal and three assists.  Aimee Patrick, had a strong final herself as she finished the afternoon  with a goal and as assist.  Other markers came off the sticks of Chloe Oleksiuk and Danica Namaka.  Alisha O’Hara was the lone goal scorer for the Calvary who were outshot 30-24 in the matchup.

The annual WHL bantam draft was held today in Calgary and a number of Brandon and Westman products were lucky enough to hear their names called.  Goaltender, Trent Miner, was the first Brandon player selected as he went 20th overall to the Vancouver Giants.  Miner is described as a technically sound goalie with size. The 6-0, 171-pound goaltender spent this past season with the Brandon Bantam AAA Bantam Wheat Kings compiling a win/loss record of 23 and 3 while sporting an impressive GAA average of 1.52.  He also has the distinction of being the first Manitoban selected in this year’s draft. Another local product, Tristen Robins (photo:Bantam AAA Wheat Kings) was selected in the 4th round, 76th overall by the Regina Pats.  Tristen is the son of one-time Wheat King goaltender Trevor Robins and spent this past season as a teammate of Trent Miners on the Brandon Bantam AAA Wheat Kings.  The speedy forward fished the regular season with 91 points in 35 games. Forward Dylan Halliday was chosen by his home town Brandon Wheat Kings with the 263rd pick in the 12th round.  Dylan scored 89 points in 34 regular season games in the Winnipeg AAA Hockey League. Other Manitobans of note who were drafted on this day include Vista’s Cole Muir who went 33rd to Regina, Eric Fawkes who went 40th overall to Seattle, and Jordan Chudley of Souris who the Kootenay Ice selected 78th overall. The Brandon Wheat Kings started their day by moving up in the draft and acquiring the 11th overall pick from the Moose Jaw Warriors in exchange for the Wheat Kings 1st, 3rd, and 6th round picks.  With the pick they selected Braden Schneider a 5’11”, 170 defensemen from Prince Albert.    Originally the Wheat Kings were not scheduled to select until the 20th pick but moved up 11 spots by making the deal.  With their pick in the 4th round, the Wheat Kings took Winnipeg’s Kyle Bettens who is the brother of Wheat King prospect Rylan Bettens.  Forward Ben McCartney of MacDonald, MB was chosen with the Wheat Kings 43rd overall pick in the 2016 draft. Players not selected in today's bantam draft need to remember that many players have gone on to very successful careers after not being drafted themselves.  Jarome Iginla, Adam Deadmarsh and Steve Konowalchuk are all examples of players who were never selected in the bantam draft and ended up playing in the NHL.  Michael Ferland and Matt Calvert are two local Brandon products who have proved the scouts wrong and are currently plying their trade in the NHL.   Current WHL player of the year, Dryden Hunt, was not selected in his bantam draft year and he too just concluded a very successful campaign with the Moose Jaw Warriors which lead to him signing an NHL level contract with the NHL's Florida Panthers.