Northwest Notes March 22, 2013
Spokane Stars to host annual Stars Shootout
The Spokane Stars AAU basketball program will host the annual Stars Shootout tournament on Saturday and Sunday at the Warehouse in Spokane.
Players from Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls High will compete on the Stars program. The tournament begins on Saturday at 10 a.m. with pool play for seeding, with each team playing two games before preceding to a single-elimination championship bracket.
The tournament is separated into an Elite division with six teams and All-Star division with 11 teams.
Cost is $5 for general admission and $3 for seniors and children.
Jankovich to speak at NIC booster luncheon
Sam Jankovich, former athletic director at Washington State and Miami, as well as a CEO of the New England Patriots, will be the main speaker at the North Idaho College Booster Club luncheon on Tuesday at the Coeur d’Alene Resort Shore Room.
Originally from Butte, Mont., Jankovich lettered in football at Montana in 1957 before a knee injury cut his career short and was a football coach at various colleges, including WSU defensive coordinator before becoming assistant athletic director. In 1982, Jankovich took the job of athletic director at Miami, where he worked with Dennis Erickson and held the job until 1990, overseeing several national championships, including three in football. Following Miami, Jankovich took the position of CEO for the Patriots and later the general manager of the Las Vegas Arena Football League team.
The NIC Booster Club meets on the second and last Tuesday of the month at noon, typically alternating between the Outback Steakhouse and Coeur d’Alene Resort. The public is welcome to attend. The cost of lunch is not covered.
Kichton receives WHL honor for second straight season
Spokane Chiefs defenseman Brenden Kichton was named the Western Conference Defensemen of the Year and first team all-star for the second straight season, the league announced.
Kitchton is the first Spokane player to earn first team all-star honors in back to back seasons and is now the Western Conference nominee for the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy, give to the league’s top defensemen. Morgan Rielly of Moose Jaw is the Eastern Conference nominee.
Kichton led all WHL defensemen in scoring with 22 goals, 63 assists and 85 points. He is a three-time winner of the organization’s John “Hitman” Hern Defensemen of the Year and two-time winner of the Chiefs’ Player of the Year honor.
The league also announced all other award finalists. Player of the Year finalists will be announced on April 18, with winners named on May 1 at the WHL Awards Luncheon in Calgary, Alberta.
WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STAR TEAMS
First team
Goaltender — Mac Carruth, Portland. Defencemen — Brenden Kichton, Spokane; Seth Jones, Portland. Forward — Colin Smith, Kamloops; Justin Feser, Tri-City; Nicolas Petan, Portland.
Second team
Goaltender — Jordon Cooke, Kelowna. Defencemen — Troy Rutkowski, Portland; Tyler Wotherspoon, Portland. Forward — Brendan Leipsic, Portland; Ty Rattie, Portland; Myles Bell, Kelowna.
EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STAR TEAMS
First team
Goaltender — Patrik Bartosak, Red Deer. Defenseman — Morgan Rielly, Moose Jaw; Darren Diet, Saskatoon. Forward — Adam Lowry, Swift Current; Michael St. Croix, Edmonton; Curtis Valk, Medicine Hat.
Second team
Goaltender — Laurent Brossoit, Edmonton. Defenseman — Alex Roach, Calgary; Keegan Lowe, Edmonton. Forward — Sam Reinhart, Kootenay; Cody Sylvester, Calgary; Hunter Shinkkaruk, Medicine Hat.
AWARD FINALISTS
Rookie of the Year (Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy) — Eastern, Leon Draisaitl, Prince Albert; Western, Seth Jones, Portland.
Goaltender of the Year (Del Wilson Trophy) — Eastern, Patrik Bartosak, Red Deer; Western, Mac Carruth, Portland.
Defenceman of the Year (Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy) — Eastern, Morgan Rielly, Moose Jaw; Brenden Kichton, Spokane.
Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year (Brad Hornung Trophy) — Eastern, Dylan Wruck, Edmonton; Western, Zach Franko, Kelowna.
Scholastic Player of the Year (Daryl K. ‘Doc’ Seaman Memorial Trophy) — Eastern, Josh Morrissey, Prince Albert; Western, Rourke Chartier, Kelowna.
Coach of the Year (Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy) — Eastern, Ryan McGill, Kootenay; Western, Ryan Huska, Kelowna.
Executive of the Year (Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy) — Eastern, Bob Green, Edmonton; Western, Bruce Hamilton, Kelowna.
Humanitarian of the Year (Doug Wickenheiser Memorial Trophy) — Eastern, Cody Sylvester, Calgary; Western, Mitch Topping, Tri-City.
Marketing/Business award — Eastern, Saskatoon; Western, Kamloops.
Regular season champions (Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy) — Portland Winterhawks.
Top scorer (Bob Clarke Trophy) — Brendan Leipsic, Portland; Nicolas Petan, Portland.