Northwest Notes May 21, 2020
Circling Raven plans high school tournament for golfers whose season was canceled by COVID-19
WORLEY — Circling Raven Golf Club announced Wednesday that it has scheduled a “High School Championship” tournament for Tuesday, May 26.
The event, Circling Raven said, strives to fill the void created for student-athletes whose spring golf season was cancelled due to the pandemic.
“The event won’t be sanctioned by either Idaho or Washington state school systems, but it gives area prep golfers a chance to get in a competitive round on our championship course,” Circling Raven head golf professional David VonBrethorst said. “We hope that the event inspires the participants at a time when they’ve had the carpet swept out from under them.”
Play will begin with tee times starting at 1 p.m., and golfers will compete in either an individual stroke play championship or a two-person team best ball tournament. There will be prizes for individual champions and the top three teams.
The registration fee is $40 — less than one-half what a round would typically cost normally — and includes lunch.
For more information or to sign up, visit www.cdacasino.com/event/high-school-championship
Chiefs’ Smith again named WHL Defenseman of the Year
CALGARY, Alberta — Ty Smith of the Spokane Chiefs was named WHL Defenseman of the Year for the second straight year.
Smith became the first WHL defenseman to accomplish the feat since Kris Russell earned the award in 2006 and 2007 with the Medicine Hat Tigers.
A 20-year-old prospect of the New Jersey Devils, Smith recorded 59 points (19 goals, 40 assists) in 46 games, including three power-play goals and one game-winning goal, to rank fourth in scoring among all WHL defensemen.
A 5-foot-11, 175-pound product of Lloydminster, Alberta, Smith tallied 16 multi-point games throughout the season. His top single-game performance came on Feb. 28 as he recorded eight points (3 goals, 5 assists) to break his own franchise record for points in a single game by a defenseman. The performance also marked the first hat trick of his WHL career.
Smith was the first overall selection from the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft. In 240 WHL regular season games, he’s recorded 235 points (45 goals, 190 assists). He’s also posted 16 points (3 goals, 13 assists), including one game-winning goal, in 22 WHL playoff games.
Smith was named to the WHL Western Conference First All-Star Team for the second straight year. The Devils chose Smith in the first round, 17th overall, of the 2018 NHL Draft.