Nearly two weeks after claiming the Saskatchewan Bantam 'AA' Hockey League championship and provincial title, the Kabos Broncos are back on the ice Thursday afternoon to get their Western's run started.

The Broncos are in Warman ready to take part in the 2017 Western Canada Bantam 'AAA' Hockey Championship.

Also at the five-team tournament will be the host Sask Valley Vipers, the BC champion Burnaby Winter Club Bruins, the Manitoba champion Winnipeg Monarchs and the Alberta champion Fort Saskatchewan Rangers.

The Rangers will be Swift Current first opponent as they two teams will kick-off the tournament Friday at 12:00pm.

The Broncos will then play Winnipeg on Friday before battling both Burnaby and Sask Valley on Saturday.

Following the completion of round robin, the top two teams will play in the final, while third and fourth place will play for bronze.

Both medal games will be played on Sunday.


Tournament Preview:

Alberta: Fort Saskatchewan Rangers
Regular season record: 27-7-2

The Rangers got past the powerhouse St Albert Raiders and Lethbridge Goldenhawks en route to a provincial championship without having a single player crack the league's top 15 list for scoring. Alex Thacker led the team with 23 goals and 34 assists (57 points). Thacker was followed by Noah Boyko and Raphael Pelletier with 52 points. Watch for Sebastien Cossa, he was the league MVP and top ranked goalie for the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft, putting on some amazing performances throughout playoffs.

Host: Sask Valley Vipers
Regular season record: 18-8-4

The Sask Valley Vipers were swept in the league finals by the Swift Current Broncos. Josh Pillar put up 54 points in 25 regular season games and 10 goals with nine assists in 10 playoff games.

Saskatchewan: Swift Current Broncos
Regular season record: 19-4-7

The Broncos averaged more than five goals per game this season, but had over half scored by three players. Reed Jacobson had 39 goals and 31 assists, Riley DeKowny had 31 goals plus 25 assists and Hayden Wilm had 36 points. Keagan Little proved to be a playoff performer for the Broncos as he finished tied for the team lead with 14 points in 10 games.


Manitoba: Winnipeg Monarchs
Regular season record: 28-5-1

The Monarchs finished first place in their league and went 8-0-0 in a pair of playoff sweeps, before beating Pembina Valley in the provincial final. Reese Belton led the team with 30 goals and Braden Fischer had a team leading 57 points. Goaltenders Fraser Senebald and Brett Murphy combined for 12 shut-outs this season.

British Columba: Burnaby Winter Club Bruins
Regular season record: 27-0-1

The Bruins rolled through their league this season only allowing 36 goals total. Ryan Helliwell is one of the highest ranked defenders entering the draft and has verbally commitment to the University of Notre Dame for 2020-2021.