Locally: Spokane Chiefs’ Berkly Catton, Chase Bertholet receive honors
The Western Hockey League has honored the Spokane Chiefs for their success both on and off the ice.
Chiefs forward Berkly Catton has been named the U.S. Division finalist for WHL Rookie of the Year, forward Chase Bertholet was named second-team All-U.S. Division and the Chiefs have been named U.S. Division finalist for the league’s business award.
Catton is the WHL U.S. Division Rookie of the Year after finishing atop the league rankings of 2006-born players with 55 points (23G-32A). From Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, Catton finished second among Chiefs offensive leaders in goals and points, while also leading the Club with 10 power-play goals. The 17-year-old was selected first-overall by Spokane in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.
Bertholet, a 20-year-old from The Pas, Manitoba, Canada, led the Chiefs in scoring with 69 points in his first full season with Spokane, posting career bests in goals, assists, points and power-play goals. The 6-foot-0, 177-pound forward has accrued 136 career points (54G-82A) from his 166 WHL appearances. He had 28 goals and 41 assists this season.
Having finished the season with the second-highest average attendance in the WHL, the Chiefs are the U.S. Division nominee for the WHL Business Award.
The Chiefs’ average attendance is up over 30 % from 2021-22 to 2022-23, representing the largest increase of non-playoff teams.
The Chiefs saw increases in all areas of ticket sales, but most impressively in group sales, which saw an increase of 133 % from 2021-22 to 2022-23. Leveraging their ticketing software to gather and analyze customer data, the Chiefs tailored outreach and activation efforts in order to enhance the fan experience. The team saw a 94% renewal rate with full season-ticket holders.
The WHL Awards winners will be announced May 2-10.
Youth hockey
The Spokane Jr. Chiefs 14UAA team won the Pacific Northwest Amateur Hockey Association Tier II 14U state hockey tournament in Tacoma in March, earning a bid to the 2023 USA Hockey Youth Tier II 14U National Championships in Denver.
The team, comprising 17 players aged 13-15 from across the Inland Northwest, includes Raegan Mayberry the first female player to play on a Jr. Chiefs roster at Nationals, and six players that have played in back-to-back USA Hockey National Championships with the Spokane Jr. Chiefs.
The team posted a record of 1-2 at the national tournament.
The Spokane Jr. Chiefs 14UAA team is coached by Matt Thurston, a Spokane Braves alum.
Team members from Spokane and Spokane Valley include Jalon Louie Bryant, Aidan Day, Dreasyn Fields, Ryan Helton, Parker Johnson, Cooper Kile, Logan Knowles, Raegan Mayberry, Ace McLeslie (Newport), Brayden Payette, Colton Rue and Brayden Smith.
Team members from other areas of Eastern Washington and North Idaho are Rajan Matharu, Luke Maxson, Nicholas Overturf, Xavier Seeber, and Grayden Westbrook.
Academics
The Big Sky Conference announced its 2022 Fall All-Academic awards, honoring over 600 student-athletes for their excellence in academics. Eastern Washington led all member institutions with 78 student-athletes recognized.
Of the conference-leading 78 Eagles represented, 29 came from the football team, 22 from soccer, 18 from cross country and nine from volleyball.
The full list of honorees can be found at Big Sky 2022 Fall All-Academic Team (PDF) – Eastern Washington University Athletics (goeags.com)
Golf
Gonzaga’s Cassie Kim was named the women’s co-Golfer of the Month by the West Coast Conference for March.
At the Red Rocks Invitational in Sedona, Arizona, Kim led the Bulldogs to a fourth-place team finish after tying for eighth as an individual. She finished the event at three-over (219). She also tied for 21st place at the Anuenue Spring Break Classic in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Through 21 rounds so far this season, Kim averages a team-low round of 72.95. She is one-over relative to par.
Track and field
Southern Oregon University’s Lauren Forster was named the Cascade Conference Women’s Outdoor Track Athlete of the Week, for the period ending April 2.
Forster, a sophomore from Coeur d’Alene High, recorded the fourth-fastest 3,000m steeplechase time in SOU history at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic. She stands at No. 3 on the NAIA performance list with an ‘A’ mark of 11:17.13.
Volleyball
Michele Maxwell has joined the Gonzaga University volleyball staff as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
Maxwell has seven years of coaching experience, including time at Texas Tech, Texas State and most recently Mercer University.