Northwest Notes April 4, 2010

Hale, Canitez named to NJCAA All-American second team A pair of North Idaho College freshmen were recently named NJCAA Division I men's and women's basketball All-Americans for the 2009-10 season. The selections were made by each division's respective basketball committee at the 2010 NJCAA annual meeting held in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Hale, Canitez named to NJCAA All-American second team

A pair of North Idaho College freshmen were recently named NJCAA Division I men's and women's basketball All-Americans for the 2009-10 season.

The selections were made by each division's respective basketball committee at the 2010 NJCAA annual meeting held in Colorado Springs, Colo.

NIC point guard Michael Hale was selected to the men's second team. He averaged 11.7 points, 4.1 assists and 1.3 steals a game. Hale also shot .790 from the free-throw line and .400 from the 3-point line.

Cardinal post Tugce Canitez was also named to the second team following her MVP performance in the Region 18 tournament and the Cardinals' eighth-place finish at nationals.

Canitez averaged 15.8 points and 9.6 rebounds a game.

Freshman Michael Glover of Eastern Utah was a first-team selection, averaging 16.5 ppg and 7.1 rpg.

Salt Lake freshman Haley Holmstead was also a first-team selection and freshman Laurel Kearsley of Southern Idaho earned honorable mention. Holmstead led the league in scoring with 21.4 points per game and Kearsley averaged 10.6 points and 8.0 rebounds a game.

EWU and Michael Roos foundations unite for charity Fish & Chip tournament

The Eastern Washington University Foundation is partnering with NFL player and EWU alumnus Michael Roos to present the first Michael Roos Foundation Fish & Chip Tournament June 10-12 at The Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course.

This event will bring together 20 NFL players, EWU supporters and several corporate sponsors for three days of competition featuring golf and bass fishing.

All proceeds will go to the Michael Roos Foundation, which supports Northwest children's charities and Eastern Washington University.

In addition to Roos, NFL celebrities expected to attend include the rest of his teammates on the Tennessee Titans' offensive line, Titan quarterback Vince Young, NFL All-Pro defensive end Jared Allen of the Minnesota Vikings (a former Idaho State Bengal) and several members of the Seattle Seahawks.

Presenting sponsors include The Coeur d'Alene Resort, Cabela's, Alaska Airlines and Fox Sports Northwest.

The resort will be the site of the golf tournament and barbecue, and its marina, on Lake Coeur d'Alene, will be the launching point for the bass fishing competition and evening cruise. Cabela's is providing equipment for the NFL participants, and will host the only public event of the tournament with an in-store autograph session on Thursday, June 10, at its Post Falls location. Alaska Airlines is partnering for air travel arrangements, and FSN will produce a 30-minute television show with tournament highlights.

There are a limited number of team spots and sponsorship opportunities for this weekend tournament. Interested parties should contact EWU Director of Development Tim Szymanowski at (509) 359-6132, or [email protected].

Chiefs Beach, Wahl are moving up

The Chicago Blackhawks have assigned former Spokane Chiefs left wing Kyle Beach, the team's first choice, 11th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, to the American Hockey League's Rockford IceHogs.

Former Chiefs forward Mitch Wahl has been signed to an Amateur Tryout (ATO) agreement with the Abbotsford Heat, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Calgary Flames. Wahl was Calgary's second-round pick in 2008.

Beach, 20, led the Western Hockey League with 52 goals and tied for 11th with 86 points, both career highs, in 68 regular-season games with the Spokane Chiefs during his fifth junior campaign. The Vancouver, British Columbia, native ranked fifth in the WHL with a career-high 186 penalty minutes and finished fourth on the Chiefs with a career-best 34 assists and +22 plus/minus rating.

Beach made his professional debut last season with the Ice Hogs after signing an amateur tryout contact with the Blackhawks affiliate on April 9, 2009. He posted 15 penalty minutes in two regular-season matchups while also appearing in one postseason contest.

Wahl recently finished his fourth season with Spokane with 30 goals and 96 points, sixth in the WHL. He sits third all-time in Chiefs history for career assists with 186 and climbed up to 14th with 98 goals and sixth with 284 points on the franchise's all-time list. In October, Wahl signed a three-year entry level contract with the Flames.