The 3rd annual Micheal Ferland Hockey School will take place in Virden, MB at Tundra Oil and Gas Place. The camp (July 9-12, 2020) will be open to the following age groups: Novice, Atom, Peewee and Bantam. Last year's event proved to be very successful with each age group selling out. "What makes the Micheal Ferland hockey school unique is that Micheal Ferland is heavily involved in the camp. He is on the ice daily with the kids, interacting and really bringing that personalized experience to the camp." To register online for the Micheal Ferland hockey school please visit the website.  Some of last year's guest instructors included Ryan Pulock and Travis Sanheim. The former Brandon Wheat Kings player player started a hockey school two years ago as he wanted to give back to the kids in Brandon and surrounding areas.  After playing several seasons with the NHL's Calgary Flames, and a season with the Carolina Hurricanes, he is now a member of the Vancouver Canucks.

Being a late bloomer might just be the secret to loving the sport of curling, but don’t tell that to the kids. Pat McKenzie ‘officially’ started playing in her 40s after growing up watching her father on the ice. He was an avid curler, who seemed to teach by osmosis. Years later, Pat joined the women’s league and began teaching the game to junior curlers aged 6 to 14. Their youthful enthusiasm has inspired Pat to be a volunteer instructor for more than 11 years. Some of her students have become top competitors. “I love watching our junior curlers develop their skills,” says Pat. “Sometimes they can be a handful, but mostly, as long as I make it fun for them, they are excited to learn. I remember one year after Christmas break, every one of the students got one across the hog line. I asked if they all had Wheaties in their turkey stuffing…. I was so excited to see it click for them. They surprise me every week. That’s my reward.” While ensuring that the kids love the game is her top priority, Pat admits she hopes some of them make it to the provincial level. “I was very proud last season to have two of three former students move to the Manitoba hit tap and draw competition in Brandon at the brier. At the regional level, two of her students moved onto the provincial level and one of them won her age group. I was like a proud mom.” With a busy schedule as a REALTOR® and volunteer instructor, Pat still makes time to play in the ladies’ league. She aims to be part of team that can offer their competitors a good game. Although her personal ambitions are modest, Pat could not resist rubbing the famed Brier cup for luck at last year’s competition (pictured above). Back on her home ice at the Riverview Curling Club, Pat is looking forward to a strong junior season, thanks in part to a recent grant of $500 from the Bob Picken Junior Legacy Fund. Pat is pleased to report that the grant will help to purchase equipment such as stabilizers for new players and sliders. To learn more about Sutton Spirit, visit www.suttonspirit.com (submitted)

Softball Manitoba Umpires held their annual appreciation lunch and awards presentation a few months ago and Brandon's Jason Goudreau was named the Kahunaverse Wayne Deschouwer Umpire of the Year for 2019. Jason has been a softball umpire for 5-years now and estimated that he does about 40-50 games a year. He tells bdnmb.ca that he first got involved umping as he had friends who were umpires which also helped make the transition easier. He also was quick to point out that he wouldn’t be where he is today, and accomplished what he has, without strong mentors in Earl Cheasley, Bruce Luebke, and Brad Degraeve. Some of Jason's accomplishments in 2019 included: Received his Level III certification at a two-day clinic in Winnipeg in the spring of 2019. Attended the 2019 Blue Convention in Montreal in April and took his Instructor / Evaluator course. Instructed at the Level I-!! clinics held in Brandon. Mentored young officials in Western Manitoba during the season. Officiated at the Kiwi Cup, Softball Manitoba U16 Girls’ Championship and at the MHSAA Championship. Officiated at the Softball Canada U16 Boys’ Championship in Saskatoon, and was rewarded for a strong week by being given the plate assignment in the gold medal game. As for the 2020 ball season, Jason will be taking his practical for his level 4 and getting himself prepared for nationals next season to get his full 4. This year he will doing 19 Westerns in Winnipeg, hopefully, and the Kiwi Cup men’s ball here in Brandon.

Central Plains Capitals goalie Ty Houge made an astounding 83 saves in a single game on Sunday against the AAA Bantam Parkland Rangers. The 15-year old faced 96 shots in total as Parkland toppled Central Plains 13-2. Brayden Dube tallied five goals and added two assists for Parkland who improved to 20-8 on the season. With the loss the Capitals dropped to 0-30. A copy of the league's game sheet can be found here.

Yesterday, the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights announced that they had recalled Zach Whitecloud from the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves. At the time of his recall, Whitecloud had registered 7 points in 35 games this season with the Wolves. The  6-1, 209 lb defensemen signed with the Vegas Golden Knights after finishing his collegiate career in March of 2018. He made his NHL debut later that year (April 5, 2018) against the NHL's Edmonton Oilers. The Golden Knights are in Nashville this evening to take on the Predators. There is no word yet if Whitecloud will be the lineup. Zach skated with the Brandon AAA Midget Wheat Kings in the 2013-14 season, and followed that up by playing two seasons with the MJHL’s Virden Oil Capitals.