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Leaf Klassen holds the Manitoba Soccer Association Cup after becoming a provincial champion as a member of FC Northwest. (Submitted)

Brandon soccer player thriving in Winnipeg

By Rowan McCarthy 6 minute read Preview

Brandon soccer player thriving in Winnipeg

By Rowan McCarthy 6 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

Brandon native Leaf Klassen and his team FC Northwest hope they can make Manitoba proud at the under-17 national championships from Oct. 6 to 12 in St. John’s N.L.

The team qualified for nationals by winning the Manitoba Soccer Association Cup — otherwise known as the MSA Cup — at the end of July.

“It feels amazing, you know? It was a dream of mine for the last few years,” said Klassen about winning the MSA Cup. “It was (my) first time playing in a tournament that we won, so it was very exciting.”

FC Northwest dominated the tournament, winning all three of its round-robin games while averaging a thunderous five goals per game thanks in large part to a 9-0 win over Winnipeg Phoenix FC.

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Ryley Budd, shown talking to Uriah Moosetail, is excited about coming to Brandon in an off-season trade after he struggled to find playing time with the Saskatoon Blades last season. (Perry Bergson/The Brandon Sun)

Budd’s career impacted by Brandon

By Perry Bergson 6 minute read Preview

Budd’s career impacted by Brandon

By Perry Bergson 6 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

The city of Brandon has had an outsized impact on the hockey career of goalie Ryley Budd.

A year ago, Brandonite Ethan McCallum outduelled the Calgary product for the backup spot with the Saskatoon Blades and Budd ended up back in Junior A.

A year later, his Western Hockey League career has landed him in the Wheat City with the Brandon Wheat Kings after a summer trade.

“It’s true,” Budd said with a laugh. “There are a lot more connections here than I thought there would be. Assistant coach Ryan White, I watched his games growing up. My uncle (Michael Stone married his father’s cousin) played on the Hitmen so I was there a bunch. There were a bunch of connections when I got traded here so it’s definitely cool.”

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Finnish defenceman Ilari Kapanen, shown during a captain’s skate at J&G Homes Arena on Tuesday, was well aware of the Brandon Wheat Kings because he followed the career of Nolan Patrick. (Perry Bergson/The Brandon Sun)

Kapanen family business brings him to Wheaties

By Perry Bergson 6 minute read 2:01 AM CDT

Kuopio, Finland is a 19-hour flight from the Wheat City, but Ilari Kapanen still knew all about the Brandon Wheat Kings.

The 19-year-old defenceman, who was nabbed by the Western Hockey League team with the scheduled 106th pick of the Canadian Hockey League’s import draft in July, was a fan of a Brandon superstar a decade ago.

“I knew a little bit about the Wheat Kings before,” Kapanen said. “I watched a lot of Nolan Patrick when he played here in like 2015. I knew a little bit about the club but I didn’t know anything about the city. I knew it was a small town and went to check and saw 48,000 people here. “It’s a small town but I like it here. It’s peaceful.”

Kapanen was actually monitoring the draft on his phone when he saw his name pop up.

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Sports Looking Back: Aug. 28, 2026

2 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

ON TELEVISION

• MLB — Los Angeles Dodgers at Detroit, 5:30 p.m. (SNW); Chicago White Sox at Minnesota, 7 p.m. (SN1)

• CFL — Montreal at Winnipeg, 7:30 p.m. (TSN)

• NFL — In pre-season action, Cincinnati Bengals at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. (TSN2)

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Kushang Patel (bottom right) and his team the Brandon Pitch burners standing around the trophuy after winning the championship match of the hard tennis ball division at Canadian Packer’s Sports Complex on Aug. 9. (Submitted)

Cricket enjoys new home

By Rowan McCarthy 6 minute read Preview

Cricket enjoys new home

By Rowan McCarthy 6 minute read Yesterday at 2:01 AM CDT

The Westman Cricket Association is approaching the end of its first season playing at Canadian Packers Sports Complex and Vice-President Kushang Patel is thrilled with the more permanent situation, though it does come with some challenges.

“Overall, the tournaments went well. We are about to finish the season. People enjoyed it. It’s nice,” said Patel.

Patel, 37, has lived in Brandon since 2012 and has played cricket in the town since 2018.

When the group started playing cricket in Brandon, they used multiple workarounds to avoid the issue of a missing dedicated field for cricket. At first, they played at local schools that allowed them to make use of their fields on the weekends.

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Yesterday at 2:01 AM CDT

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Brandon’s forwards at camp

4 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

VETERANS

2006-BORN (20-year-old season)

• Brett Wilson, L.

18gp, 3g, 5a, 8p, 4pim, -1 +/-

Tamarack Golf Tournament

Weather

Aug. 28, 6 AM: 12°c Cloudy Aug. 28, 12 PM: 23°c Cloudy with wind

Brandon MB

10°C, Clear

Full Forecast

Local

1 minute read Yesterday at 2:00 AM CDT

VETERANS

2008-BORN (18-year-old season)

• Filip Ruzicka, L.

42gp, 3.19 gaa, .906 save %, 26-14-1-0 record.

Local

Polar bear killed by paddler along Hudson Bay coast

By Zoe Pierce 3 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026

WINNIPEG — Manitoba wildlife officials are investigating after a polar bear was shot and killed near the mouth of the Seal River on Friday by a paddler.

The province confirmed Tuesday the incident occurred along the Hudson Bay coast, roughly 50 kilometres west of Churchill.

Few details about the shooting have been released. Officials have not publicly identified the paddler involved or provided information about the circumstances leading up to the encounter.

Polar bears are designated as a threatened species in Manitoba and are protected under provincial legislation. It is illegal to hunt the bears in Manitoba.

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ON THE DEFENCE

2 minute read Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026

VETERANS

2007-BORN (19-year-old season)

• Josh McGregor, L.

62gp, 3g, 17a, 20p, 66pim, -34 +/-

Local

Canada strikes back at US with retaliatory tariffs as trade war escalates

Rob Gillies The Associated Press 5 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

TORONTO (AP) — Canada struck back at the United States on Tuesday with retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion worth of American goods, including steel, dairy products, appliances and farm equipment, as the trade war between the once-friendly neighbors escalated sharply.

The tension threatened one of the world’s largest trading relationships. The new tariffs extended well beyond industrial goods, hitting everyday purchases such as seafood, cheese, clothing, cosmetics and toilet paper, with some facing duties as high as 50%.

“We did not choose this conflict, but when our economic integration is used as a weapon rather than the foundation for a win-win partnership, we need to stand up,” Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said in French, calling the situation “an unprecedented challenge imposed on Canada.”

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly urged Canadians to buy Canadian products, saying doing so would help protect jobs and launch a “movement of resistance.”

Local

ROSTERS FOR THE TOURNAMENT TEAMS

1 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

TEAM THOMPSON (Grey)

Forwards

8. Carson Park (2009)

10. Brady Turko (2007)

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OVERAGERS AND IMPORTS

By Perry Bergson 1 minute read Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026

OVERAGERS

2006-BORN (20-year-old season)

• Brett Wilson, L, F.

Brandon (WHL)

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