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In case you've been living under a rock and aren't aware, Brandon will play host to the Memorial Cup in May. Drive approximately 170 kilometres north on Hwy. 10 and you'll notice that another town is also preparing for a national hockey event.

The RBC Cup National Junior A Championship will take place in Dauphin in May. The Dauphin Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League will be the host team and head coach and general manager Marlin Murray has the hockey club sitting atop its division (48-11-1-0 as of Feb.18) and well on its way to what he hopes will be a memorable season.

“We're happy with where we're at so far this season, that's for sure,” said Murray. “We obviously wanted to be really competitive this year. We didn't predict that we'd be in the situation that we're in with our record so far but we have an outstanding group of guys here that work hard and come to the rink every day. It's a veteran-laden squad that knows what is at stake here.”

Murray is in a situation similar to that of head coach and general manager of the Wheat Kings, Kelly McCrimmon. Murray and his staff have been under intense pressure to build a winner and are happy with what they've been able to acquire as far as on-ice talent is concerned.

“We wanted to make sure to go after the top-end talent that was available and I think overall, we're happy with where we're at,” said Murray. “Time will tell whether it works out.

“It's been a good experience for myself and the coaching staff and I think we can be better people because of it and gain valuable experience in the process,” said Murray. “The next three to four months, we're going to remember what takes place the rest of our lives and hopefully the memories we remember are going to be positive ones.”

The Kings consist of several players from Westman and area. Wheat Kings fans would notice former goaltender Joe Caligiuri splitting time in net with Rivers product Brett Willows. Caliguiri spent parts of three seasons with the Wheat Kings and is having a solid season thus far with the Kings. As of Feb. 18, Caligiuri posted a record of 28-6-1 with a .908 save percentage and 2.64 goals against average.

“Joe (Caligiuiri) has got the experience at the WHL level,” said Murray. “He's a good goalie and a good kid. The players like him and he gets along well with everybody. He just adds that experience where he'll be able to make that key save at key times in the game.”

The Kings also acquired Brandon native Zeanan Ziemer from the OCN Blizzard in late November. The forward has become an offensive force since entering the league a couple of years ago and is well-known around league circles for his gritty play (sits second on the team in penalty minutes).

Ticket sales picking up

Murray says ticket sales for the RBC Cup have been a bit slow but it looks as though sales are beginning to pick up as the event nears.

“Dauphin is a town where they get into the excitement a little later than usual,” said Murray. “The ticket sales were a little bit low off the start but are picking up and it looks like there's going to be a very good chance each (RBC Cup) game could be sold out shortly. The fans are getting excited.”

The RBC Cup takes place May 1-9.