Each year the MASRC honours athletes, coaches, and volunteers who demonstrate great determination, leadership, and giving back to their community. This year their annual awards celebrated a decade of achievement and the award recipients were chosen by following a set of guidelines and were selected through the Award/Scholarship Selection Committee. Manitoba Indigenous Male Athlete of the Decade - Zach Whitecloud (First Nations - Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, MB) In 2013, an article stated that regardless of your birth year, you're basically looking at 1-in-2,500 chance of playing one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) when it comes to the general public. Those chances are much lower when we are talking about Indigenous athletes. There have been less than 100 NHL players ever, who had Indigenous ancestry. Zach Whitecloud is one of them and he has now played 40 games and counting with the Vegas Golden Knights. Zach's career over the last decade demonstrates how persistence and taking advantage of opportunities can lead you to great things. In 2014, Zach competed with Team Manitoba in the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships along with teammate Brady Keeper, who was drafted into the NHL and also played a couple games with the Florida Panthers. In the past decade, Zach has played for seven different teams from the Manitoba Midget 'AAA' Hockey League (MMHL), Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), to finally being signed by the Golden Knights to a three year entry-level contract. His first career NHL game was on April 5, 2018 against the Edmonton Oilers. Other notable highlights from the past ten years: 2016-2017 - WCHA All-Rookie Team2016-2017 - Rookie year at Bemidji State - Lead defenceman in scoring2017 - played for Team Canada and placed fourth at the Karjala Cup in Finland. Zach was the youngest skater selected to play for Team Canada.He was later named to Team Canada's pre-Olympic roster before the 2018 Winter Olympics but did not make the final roster.During the 2018 offseason, Whitecloud volunteered as a guest instructor at Micheal Ferland's Hockey School in Brandon, Manitoba, alongside other NAHC stars including Brigette Lacquette, Harley Garrioch, and Shaq Merasty. (MasrcManitoba Media Release)

Brandon's Kristen Campbell recently received an invite to attend the BFL National Women’s Team Training Camp, in Calgary Jan. 17-30. Kristen, a goalie, played with the Westman Wildcats in 2012-13 and also spent several seasons playing hockey in the US at the University of Wisconsin. She backstopped the university to a national championship in 2019 and has represented Team Canada previously at the 2015 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship. Three other Manitoban's were among the 47 players selected to attend: Brigette Lacquette, Ashton Bell, and Jocelyne Larocque. Campbell, Lacquette and Larocque will participate in the camp, while Bell is unavailable to attend.

Brandon's Curtis 'The Comeback Kid' Demarce will square off against Achilles Estremadura for the Battlefield Fight League's (BFL) World Lightweight Title, on March 19, 2021. The fight, to take place at a yet to be determined location, was recently announced on the BFL's Facebook page. Battlefield Fight League is British Columbia's Premier Mixed Martial Arts Organization. Estremadura is the current 4 time BFL world lightweight champion. Demarce, a 33-fight veteran, last fought in Brandon on Nov, 9, 2019. The main card portion of BFL66's event will be available live on the UFC Fight Pass streaming platform.

The IG Wealth Management Bobcat BIRT Cup will take place on Friday, July 9 at the Wheat City Golf Course.BU hockey alum Scott Hlady founded the BIRT Cup in 2008 and the Bobcats are proud to be hosting the event under the banner of Brandon University Athletics for a fourth straight summer.The format for the tournament is best ball and the entry fee is $600 per-foursome. The team registration form can be found here.This year's event will support: Baldur Day CareGlenboro Minor Sports AssociationAlzheimer Society of ManitobaAshley Neufeld Softball ComplexNeepawa's Manitoba Junior Hockey League team and minor hockey associationWestman Wildcats U18 AAA female midget hockey club The Bobcat BIRT Cup committee is accepting funding applications for the 2022 tournament with a deadline of December 31, 2021. Please read over the application criteria before filling out the application form. Applications can be sent to Tyler Crayston, Brandon University Athletics, at 270 18th Street, Brandon, MB R7A 6A9 or email to craystont@brandonu.ca. (BU Bobcats Release)

The Olde English Road Hockey League (OERHL) welcomed its newest team Saturday, January 9, with the announcement that the Brookwood Bombers will join the league for the 2021 season. The Bombers, owned by Mason Kaspick, are looking forward to their inaugural season in the competitive OERHL. "We're extremely excited to be a part of the OERHL. When I heard about the possibility of expansion, I knew after my short stint in the league last season I needed to bring my younger core of guys into the league," said an ecstatic Kaspick. "Just having Brookwood in the OERHL expands our footprint in Brandon and grows our game in so many ways,” Linden Lanes Knuckles owner Cole McCaig tells bdnmb.ca. “This is a monumental step for the OERHL.” "We believe Brookwood's close proximity to our other teams combined with a new world class facility, ideally suited for the OERHL, will capture the interest of sports fans in Brookwood," added McCaig. The Bombers will be the league's fourth team, joining the Linden Lanes Knuckles, Green Acres Grimace, and the East Side Kings. Team colors and full roster are expected to be announced in the weeks leading up to the start of the season.