Northwest Notes July 10, 2021

Seattle Kraken to play franchise’s first preseason game at Spokane Arena

SPOKANE — The Seattle Kraken will play their first NHL preseason game at Spokane Arena on Sunday, Sept. 26, facing the Vancouver Canucks at 6 p.m., the team announced Friday.

The game will be one of three “home” games played by the expansion Kraken in their inaugural preseason with each being hosted by a WHL club in Washington.

The Kraken will also play at Everett, Wash., on Oct. 1 vs. the Edmonton Oilers, and at the ShoWare Center in Kent, Wash., on Oct. 2 vs. the Calgary Flames.

“We are excited to host a Seattle Kraken preseason game at the Spokane Arena as they embark on their inaugural season,” said Chiefs President Mark Miles. “The event will be a great opportunity for fans in Eastern Washington to see the Kraken play while also helping grow the game of hockey in our region. Thank you to the Kraken for their commitment to supporting hockey communities across the entire state.”

“This gives us an opportunity to partner with the WHL teams, celebrate hockey across our region and grow this beautiful game,” added Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke.

The Seattle Kraken will donate a portion of ticket revenue to One Roof Foundation with a goal of raising over $500,000 to expand youth access to hockey.

Tickets for the game will be sold by the Chiefs at ticketswest.com beginning at noon on Friday, July 16. Chiefs ticket package holders will be provided access to an exclusive pre-sale.

Chiefs ticket package holders will receive an email from TicketsWest on Monday with a unique code providing access to the pre-sale, which will open at 10 a.m. on Tuesday and remain open until 10 p.m. on Wednesday. Fans who have not yet renewed or are interested in becoming a package holder for the first time can order via the Chiefs’ ticket office in-person at Spokane Arena or by phone at 509-535-PUCK.

Tickets for the Kraken preseason game are based on availability. Tickets are first-come, first-served and reservation is unrelated to Chiefs ticket package seat location.

Seattle Kraken 2021 Preseason Schedule

Sunday, Sept. 26 — Seattle Kraken vs. Vancouver Canucks at Spokane Arena, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 28 — Seattle Kraken at Edmonton Oilers (Rogers Place)

Wednesday, Sept. 29 — Seattle Kraken at Calgary Flames (Scotiabank Saddledome)

Friday, Oct. 1 — Seattle Kraken vs. Edmonton Oilers at Angel of the Winds Arena, Everett

Saturday, Oct. 2 — Seattle Kraken vs. Calgary Flames at ShoWare Center, Kent, Wash.

Tuesday, Oct. 5 — Seattle Kraken at Vancouver Canucks (Rogers Arena)

USA whips Senegal, moves into FIBA U19 World Cup semifinals

RIGA, Latvia — Incoming Gonzaga freshman Chet Holmgren chipped in 10 points, three rebounds, four assists and two blocks as the USA beat Senegal 88-58 on Friday to advance to the semifinals at the 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup.

The Americans were led by Jaden Ivey (Purdue/Mishawaka, Ind.) with 12 points and four assists. Mike Miles (TCU) added 11 points and five assists, and Kenneth Lofton Jr. (Louisiana Tech) also had 11 points.

The USA faces Canada (5-0) in the semifinal round on today. Canada has recorded win over Lithuania (80-71), Japan (100-75), Senegal (85-56), Puerto Rico (86-56) and Spain (81-77).

“They (Canada) are all players our kids know and are all high-major players going to college or at college, USA head coach Jamie Dixon said. "So, we anticipated that Canada would be one of the final four teams, and that’s where they are. These are guys that our guys know, respect and are familiar with, so I think we know what we’re going to be going against.”

The semifinal winners advance to play in the gold medal game on Sunday.

“We expect a good game, we know they (Canada) play hard and we’re used to some of the players they have,” said Miles. We’ve played against some of them, we know they’re great players and they play at a high level. We expect and good tough game, but we also expect to come out with a win.”

In the other quarterfinal games, Canada edged Spain (3-2) 81-77, France (4-1) nipped Lithuania (3-2) 84-79 and Serbia (5-0) beat Argentina (3-2) 89-83.

Eastern announces new hires in football program

CHENEY — The Eastern Washington University football program announced the hirings of Ryan Groneman and Jake Rasmussen to fill two support positions for the Eagles.

Groneman takes over as director of athletic performance and will work with the football program. Coming to EWU from positions at a pair of schools in South Carolina, he will serve under assistant athletic director for athletic performance, T.J. Conley, a former Idaho punter.

Also hired to fill the role of director of football operations is Rasmussen, who recently received his bachelor's degree from EWU and served as an operations assistant as a student. He is the son of former Eastern football coach, Rich Rasmussen.

Mott, Scholwinski, Evans, Talley, Curtan named to NWAC all-decade teams

Madi Mott, who pitched North Idaho College to back-to-back Northwest Athletic Conference tournament championships in 2018 and '19, was named to the NWAC all-decade softball first team for the 2010s.

Lindsie Scholwinski, who pitched at Coeur d'Alene High and Community Colleges of Spokane, and later was head coach for one season at Coeur d'Alene, was also named to the first team.

NIC infielder Kayla Curtan (2017, '18) was named to the second team.

RayQuan Evans, who led NIC to NWAC tourney titles in 2018 and ’19 was named to the first team in men's basketball.

NIC's Adam Talley (2013, '14) was named to the men's soccer Best XI.