This one comes from Kennewick, Wash., home of the Tri-City Americans.
On Feb. 1, following a 3-2 victory over the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds, Jessi, a young lady who is a huge Americans’ fan and who has Down Syndrome, helped with the three-star presentation. Taylor Procyshen, 19, was the game’s first star and in a gracious gesture presented his stick to her.
Three days later, this young lady had a massive pulmonary embolism and actually stopped breathing for a time.
According to Dawn Johnson, Jessi’s teacher: “She also suffered a stroke and is now blind.”
Procyshen and teammates Kruise Reddick, 17, and Jarrett Toll, 18, visited Jessi in the hospital.
“Their impact was really pretty amazing,” reports Johnson. “The family was overwhelmed with their thoughtfulness and concern for Jessi. She gave her contented smile when she heard the hockey boys were there to see her.
“The boys brought signed cards and posters and posed for pictures with her. They spoke with the family, and Jessi's mother hugged each one as they left.
“They had a tremendous positive impact on Jessi and all who were there.”
As for Jessi, it sounds as though things are looking up although she has a tough road ahead of her.
“She is on a pathway to recovery, thank goodness,” notes the Johnson, “and hopefully she can regain the use of her left side and her sight.”
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You absolutely have to love Theoren Fleury. He played for the Moose Jaw Warriors in what is known as the Trans-Canada Clash, an alumni game against the Regina Pats, on Saturday in the Brandt Centre. He caused something of a scrum when he cross-checked Regina’s Doug Trapp late in the game. And when it was over and the Pats had won, 3-2, Fleury got out the needle and offered: “It was a typical Regina game. The clock guys forgot to turn the clock off when they were in the lead. They brought in my favourite ref (Brad Howard) and he’s still as bad as he was when I was playing.” . . . It all leaves you wondering: Geez, does Brad Howard have any friends? It was Howard, now a WHL officiating supervisor, who was accosted in the Regina press box by Pats GM Brent Parker during a recent game between the Saskatoon Blades and the Pats. That move, of course, resulted in Parker writing a cheque to the WHL office. . . .
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WEDNESDAY IN THE WHL:
In Vancouver, the Brandon Wheat Kings tied the game with 3.5 seconds left in the third period and then scored the ugliest goal you have ever seen – unless you’re a fan of the Wheaties, in which case it no doubt was awfully pretty – to beat the Giants, 4-3. . . . The Wheat Kings (34-19-2-2) have won three of four and moved into a tie with the Kootenay Ice for fifth in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Giants (37-13-2-5) had won five of six going into this one. They had beaten the Wheaties 4-1 in Brandon on Jan. 12. . . . The Giants got third-period goals six seconds apart from F Craig Cunningham and F Evander Kane, his 20th, to take a 3-2 lead. . . . However, Brandon D Daryl Boyle, playing his 250th game, knocked down a shot by Vancouver D Brent Regner that appeared headed for the empty Wheat Kings net. Boyle then hit LW Matt Calvert with a long, long pass from inside the Brandon zone to the Giants line. Calvert and C Brayden Schenn went in 2-on-1 with Schenn one-timing his 23rd goal to tie it. . . . Calvert, who had two assists, also scored. He has 20 this season. . . . D Keith Aulie was credited with the winner when he dumped the puck off the end boards and it took a strange bounce to the front of the net from where it glanced off not one Vancouver player, but two, and got past G Tyson Sexsmith just 30 seconds into OT. . . . It was Aulie’s fifth goal of the season. . . . Brandon lost LW Tyler Dittmer with an arm injury and it isn’t know whether he will play Thursday in Kelowna against the Rockets. . . .
In Moose Jaw, G Dustin Butler stopped 32 shots to lead the Prince Albert Raiders to a 3-0 victory over the Warriors. . . . Butler, 20, has two shutouts this season and 15 in his career. He set the Kamloops Blazers’ single-season record last season when he put up seven. . . . The Raiders (20-34-3-2) had lost three of four going into this one. They are 11th in the Eastern Conference, 25 points out of a playoff spot with 13 games remaining. . . . The Warriors (30-17-4-6) have lost three straight and remain eighth in the conference. . . . F Jared Jagow got the Raiders going when he scored on their first shot. . . . Moose Jaw was without C Riley Holzapfel (injured) and LW Terrance Delaronde, LW Ryley Grantham and LW Frazer McLaren, all of whom were sitting out WHL-issued suspensions. . . .
In Prince George, F Ryan Howse had a goal and an assist to lead the Chilliwack Bruins to a 4-2 victory over the Cougars. . . . The victory lifted the Bruins (25-24-3-4) into seventh place in the Western Conference, a point ahead of the idle Kamloops Blazers. . . . The Bruins are 7-2-0-0 versus the Cougars this season. . . . The Cougars (15-39-1-3) have lost six straight. . . . Howse, who is from Prince George, was the first player selected by the Bruins in their first bantam draft, going third overall in 2005. . . . F Parker Stanfield scored twice for the Cougars, who held a 41-38 edge in shots. . . . The Cougars were 1-for-5 on the PP; the Bruins were 0-for-1. . . . Howse has eight goals this season. . . . Chilliwack F Liam Darragh scored his first goal of the season, while teammate Randy McNaught got his second. . . . With G Ian Curtis (rotator cuff) injured, the Cougars had Alex Wright on the bench backing up Real Cyr. Wright, 17, plays for the Prince George-based Cariboo Cougars, who play in the B.C. major midget league. He went to camp last fall with the Medicine Hat Tigers, who later dropped him from their list. . . .
In Swift Current, D Paul Postma scored twice to lead the Calgary Hitmen to a 4-2 victory over the Broncos. . . . The loss halted Swift Current’s 10-game winning streak, the longest in the league this season. . . . The Hitmen (41-15-1-3) are first in the Eastern Conference. . . . The Broncos (33-21-0-5) had beaten the Hitmen 2-0 Calgary on Sunday and had put up shutouts in three of their last four games. . . . The Broncos slipped into seventh in the conference, a point behind the Kootenay Ice and Brandon Wheat Kings and a point ahead of the Moose Jaw Warriors. . . . Postma, 18, was acquired by the Hitmen from the Broncos two games into this season. He now has 12 goals on the season. . . . C Kyle Bortis, who also went to Calgary in that deal, opened the scoring with his 30th goal at 3:41 of the first period. . . . Postma then got his 11th on the PP at 5:08. . . . LW Geordie Wudrick got the Broncos on the board at 1:25 of the second, but Postma restored the two-goal lead at 4:45. . . .
In Kennewick, Wash., D T.J. Fast and F Radek Meidl had two goals each as the Tri-City Americans dumped the Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-2. . . . The Americans (43-12-1-2), who have won eight in a row, lead the overall standings. . . . Tri-City is 5-3 versus Seattle. . . . The Thunderbirds (30-19-5-2) had their five-game winning streak halted. They are fifth in the Western Conference, three points behind the Kelowna Rockets and one ahead of the Everett Silvertips. . . . Meidl, who joined the Americans after playing for the Czech Republic at the World Junior Championship over Christmas, has nine points, including seven goals, in 19 games. He played last season with the Thunderbirds but got squeezed out when they chose to keep G Riku Helenius and F Jan Eberle as their two imports. . . . Fast now has 14 goals. He got his first on a power play and the second on a penalty shot. . . . Tri-City G Chet Pickard stopped 25 shots in earning his 37th victory.
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