FROM THE ARCHIVES: WHL Bruins plan on leaving New Westminster

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This article was published 22/11/2024 (563 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

This story originally ran in The Brandon Sun on June 16, 1988.

Although there has been no official word, there are indications owner Ron Dixon will move the New Westminster Bruins of the Western Hockey League to Kennewick, Wash.

“It’s going to move,” Fraser McColl, owner of the Victoria Cougars and a league governor said of the New Westminster franchise. “He (Dixon) got (league) permission to move a way back.”

Marv Kinney, administrative assistant to Kennewick city manager Joe Painter, said a new Kennewick Coliseum is about half finished. The building will seat 6,000 for hockey and will be completed in September.

Dixon, of nearby Delta, B.C., is backing Continental Sports which is erecting the multi-purpose building.

Mike McColl, general manager of Continental Sports, said season ticket sales for the Tri-Cities Americans are “real close to 3,000.”

Kennewick is in the Tri-Cities area of southeastern Washington, which also includes Richland and Pasco.

“I’m sure he’s been losing $200,000 a year and you can’t expect anyone to keep that up,” McColl said of the Bruins’ operations in New Westminster.

Official word about the club’s expected move is expected before the WHL’s annual general meeting June 26-30 when the league schedule is drawn up.

» The Canadian Press

This story about the first game between the Wheat Kings and the Americans originally ran on Nov. 23, 1988.

FIRST GAME

This story, about the first meeting between Brandon and Tri-City, ran in the Nov. 23, 1988 edition of The Brandon Sun.

KENNEWICK, WASH. — It could have turned out better.

Then again, it has been much worse in recent years.

The Brandon Wheat Kings are on their way home after a six-game Western Hockey League swing through the West Division during which they earned two victories in six tries. The 24-hour trip home will be a much more pleasant ride following a 6-3 victory Tuesday night over the Tri-Cities Americans.

“What a difference that will make on the way home,” said Brandon coach Doug Sauter. “It’s a shame we only got four points because we could have, and prob­ably should have, got eight the way we played on this trip.”

The only other victory the Wheat Kings managed was a 4-3 squeaker over Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday.

Nearly every game was a squeaker, save last night’s victory in which the Wheat Kings held com­fortable period leads of 4-1 and 5-2.

And the reason for the closely-contested games, said Sauter, was Brandon’s defensive effort.

“We allowed only 22 goals in six road games and considering we haven’t had a chance to practice, that’s awfully good,” he said.

“The thing that impressed me most this trip was the way the guys didn’t quit — not once.

“The guys made some mistakes that cost us, sure, but they hustled every minute of every game.”

The lack of practice time had been hurting their specialty teams, said Sauter, but that was not in evidence against Tri-Cities, which failed to score on all eight power-play opportunities while allowing Brandon a shorthanded goal to boot. The Wheat Kings also connected twice themselves with the man advantage.

Chris Robertson had two goals, while Troy Kennedy, Mark Bassen, Graham Garden and Gary Audette added singles as Brandon scored more than five goals in a game for the first time this season.

Stu Barnes, Kalvin Knibbs and Darren Kwiatkowski replied for the Americans, who were playing only their second home game of the season.

Wheat Kings, sixth in the East Division, upped their record to 10- 15-1 and moved to within four points of fifth-place Lethbridge Hurricanes.

The Americans, who opened the season with 17 straight road games while awaiting completion of their new arena, remain fifth in the West with a 6-13 mark.

The Wheat Kings are returning home relatively healthy, with only a few minor injuries, and coach Sauter expects all 23 players on his roster to one available for duty Friday, when they entertain Saskatoon Blades at the Keystone Centre.

TIDBITS — Brandon defenceman Kevin Cheveldayoff was booted out of the game early in the first period for butt-ending, a major infraction which carries with it an automatic game miscon­duct. Forward Cam Brown filled in on defence and coach Doug Sauter said he did an excellent job … Rookie Trevor Kidd, who has been the goaltender of record in all three Brandon road victories, made 34 saves against Tri-Cities, which got a 21-save performance from Frank Furlan … Defenceman Bob Woods collected three assists for Brandon … The Wheat Kings, who were shut out twice, scored only 19 goals during their six-game road trip, with Chris Robertson connecting for five of them. Mark Bassen, Graham Garden and Jeff Odgers scored three apiece. Rob­ertson and Bassen led the team with eight points each on the trip, while Garden had six.

» The Brandon Sun