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| Not sure if these are available to the public, but would you want a Tri-City Americans bathrobe for Christmas? |
F Lynn Loyns (Spokane, 1997-2001) signed a tryout contract with DEG Metro Stars Dusseldorf (Germany, DEL). He had one goal and one assist in nine games with Villach (Austria, Erste Bank Liga) earlier this season. The Metro Stars did not release the length of the tryout.
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Jack Brockest, who purchased control of the Brandon Wheat Kings during their great season of 1978-79, has died.
Brockest, a native of Onanole, Man., passed away Thursday. He was 84.
A celebration of his life will be held today (Tuesday), 2 p.m., at Central United Church in Brandon. It is located at 327 8th St. Interment will take place at a later date.
Before taking over the Wheat Kings, Brockest was one of the WHL franchise’s eight directors, having bought his way in
during the mid-1970s. On Jan. 11, 1979, with the Wheat Kings having lost just once in 36 games, Bob Cornell, the team’s governor, announced that Brockest, who had been the general manager since April 24, 1975, had purchased control of the hockey team.Brockest later bought out the remaining ‘B’ shareholders in 1980. Three years later, he sold the franchise to a community-based group.
The neat part of the Brockest story is that five years before he bought the team he had been the manager of the Keystone Centre, the Wheat Kings’ home arena. And so it was that he went from managing the arena in which they played to owning the team.
Brockest teamed with head coach Dunc McCallum and super-scout Ron Dietrich to put together three of the greatest teams in WHL history. Over a three-season stretch (1976-79), back when ties were part of the deal, Brandon went 158-27-31. That is an .803 winning percentage.
The 1978-79 Wheat Kings finished with a 58-5-9 record, good for a WHL record 125 points. They reached the Memorial Cup final, where they lost 2-1 to the OHL’s Peterborough Petes.
Brockest was predeceased by his wife Shirley. He is survived by daughter Cathie (she is married to a great sports fan, Nelson ‘Roger’ Strong) and son Bob (Doris).
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JUST NOTES: D Colton Jobke of the Regina Pats has been added to the roster of the WHL team that will play the Russians in Regina on Wednesday. Jobke replaces D Mark Pysyk of the Edmonton Oil Kings, who suffered an undisclosed injury in Kamloops on Saturday. . . . D Alex Petrovic of the Red Deer Rebels is the WHL’s player of the week. He had nine points in four road games last week. . . . G Corbin Boes of the Brandon Wheat Kings is the WHL’s goaltender of the week. He was 2-0-0, 1.13, .965 last week. . . .
The NHL’s New York Islanders have recalled F Nino Niederreiter from the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Niederreiter was there on a conditioning assignment as he recovered from a lingering groin injury. He had four points in six games, including a goal in each of his last three games there. He’ll play for the Islanders tonight against the new York Rangers. . . . Niederreiter, 19, has to stick with the Islanders or be returned to the Portland Winterhawks. . . .
Turning Point Sports Management revealed Monday night that F Chase Witala of the Prince George Cougars “has been selected to play for Team (Pacific) in the prestigious U-17 World Junior Challenge.” The tournament is scheduled for London, Ont., Dec. 29 through Jan. 4. . . . Organizers are poised to announce the roster for Team Pacific today at 10 a.m. PT. . . . A quick Twitter tour on Monday night showed that among those selected for Team Pacific are F Anthony Ast (Vancouver Giants), D Mason Geertsen (Edmonton Oil Kings), G Tristan Jarry (Edmonton), F Curtis Lazar (Edmonton), F Greg Chase (Calgary Hitmen), F Tyson Baillie (Kelowna Rockets), F Torrin White (Moose Jaw Warriors), F Morgan Klimchuk (Regina Pats), D Kyle Burroughs (Regina), D Jesse Lees (Kelowna), D Macoy Erkamps (Lethbridge Hurricanes), F Jackson Houck (Vancouver) and F Nic Petan (Portland Winterhawks). . . . Team West berths apparently have gone to, among others, F Jon Martin (Kootenay Ice), F Jay Merkley (Lethbridge) and G Eric Comrie (Tri-City Americans).
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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