Brandon, MB (CKLQ) – The road to the Telus Cup National Midget Championship goes through Tisdale, Saskatchewan this weekend.
The Brandon Midget AAA Wheat Kings open play at the West Regionals Thursday afternoon vs the Notre Dame Hounds. The Hounds are the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Champions, as they defeated the Saskatoon Blazers to claim the crown, while Brandon is still riding high from their title clinching series win over the Winnipeg Wild.
"It’s a pretty awesome feeling to win the league," said forward Nolan Ritchie. "Losing last year was a tough feeling but going back this year and playing the Wild again was a good feeling and to beat them was even better."
The West Regionals also include the host Tisdale Trojans and the Northern Ontario champion Thunder Bay Kings. While the idea of facing an unfamiliar foe may seem like a daunting task, Ritchie says they aren’t concerned.
"It’s exciting to see someone different," he added. "It’s going to be tough at first, but we will start to figure them out and it’ll get easier as the games go on."
Brandon will take on Thunder Bay on Friday and Tisdale on Saturday. The top two teams at the end of the round robin will face off in the final on Sunday afternoon with the winner moving on to the Telus Cup National AAA Midget Championship in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
"Most of the boys couldn’t sleep last night," Ritchie added with a laugh. "We’re really excited. We can’t wait to get on the road and get there. We’re looking forward to our first game."
For more information on the Telus Cup West Regionals CLICK HERE