Ouch!!
The Western Hockey League's Brandon Wheat Kings left for their annual west coast road trip Sunday with a new goalkeeper on board and without the league's penalty minutes leader.
The Wheat Kings have announced that 20-year old Luke Hewitt has announced his retirement while 18-year old netminder Kurt Jory has been recalled from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League's Neepawa Natives.
That move left the team with three goalkeepers and as a result, Brandon coach and general manager Kelly McCrimmon designated 19-year old Mike Nichol for assignment.
A former member of the Brandon AAA midget Wheat Kings, Nichol was in his third WHL season. After posting a career best 2.94 goals against average and a .901 save percentage during the 2004-05 campaign, Nichol had appeared in three games, started two and compiled a 6.16 goals against mark this season.
As for Jory, who was previously protected by the Everett Silvertips, the 18-year old local product had good numbers during his recent stay in Neepawa. In four games, he had posted a 2.75 goals against average, a stellar .914 save percentage and one shutout.
Hewitt meanwhile met with McCrimmon on Saturday and flew home to B.C. on Sunday morning.
In thirteen games with the 3-9-0-1 Wheat Kings this season, the former Tri-City American had one goal, 67 penalty minutes and had a -8 ranking. In what turned out to be his final game with Brandon - on Friday night - the Fort St. James, B.C. native fought three times, one in each period of a 4-1 loss to the visiting Kootenay Ice.
Brandon now has twenty-five players on its roster and all but one boarded the bus on Sunday. The only player left behind is 19-year old center Jeff Topilko, who is currently on the shelf for the next two months after breaking his leg during last week's loss to Calgary.
But on top of all this..Plante has asked to be traded.
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