Tri-City Americans salute the troops Friday night

In a salute to the troops, the Tri-City Americans will hold their second annual Military Appreciation Night on Friday when they host the Seattle Thunderbirds.

CH2M, which sponsored the Nuclear Night game for six years, decided to take the night in a different direction last year, and their choice was to honor the branches of the military.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to show our appreciation,” Americans coach Mike Williamson said.

Kerry James Dehart and John Hendry, both veterans and employees of CH2M, will drop the ceremonial puck.

Dehart served in the U.S. Army from 1991-94 with 94 Bravo as an E4 specialist. She was stationed in Korea and participated in Operation Bright Star Egypt.

Hendry was a Navy man from 1987-93. He was a petty officer first class nuclear trained electrician’s mate on the USS Hawkbill, a fast attack submarine.

“They have done so much for our countries,” Americans captain Tyler Sandhu said of the military. “They make sure of our safety. Everything they have done for us is amazing.”

Sandhu and Parker AuCoin billet with Matt Boehnke and his family. Boehnke is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who served in Iraq, Korea, Kuwait, Israel and Afghanistan. He retired in 2011.

“He has told me a lot of stories,” Sandhu said. “He is pretty awesome. He was away from his family a lot. They are strong people. Being in the military teaches you a lot.”

The game also has special meaning to Americans general manager Bob Tory, whose dad, James Tory, served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. He was a gunner on the HMCS Peterborough.

Friday is the start of a three-game weekend for the Americans (29-18-3-0, 61 points), who host Spokane (20-20-6-2, 48 points) on Saturday and play at Seattle on Sunday.

Tri-City and Seattle have each won eight of their past 10 games.

“We are going to see Seattle, Spokane and Everett a lot from now until the end of the year,” Williamson said. “Divisional games are huge. Everett is on top and Seattle is on our heels and playing extremely well.”

The Thunderbirds (26-15-3-1, 56 points) trail the Americans by five points in the standings and have five games in hand. Including tonight’s game, the Americans have five games remaining against Seattle, six against Spokane and three against U.S. Division-leading Everett.

“These will be hard-fought battles,” Sandhu said of the weekend schedule. “We are going to have to find ways to win them.”

Tri-City, the fourth-highest scoring team in the Western Hockey League, will be without the services of forward Michael Rasmussen (30 goals, 52 points) and defenseman Juuso Välimäki (13 goals, 44 points) Saturday and Sunday as they take off for Monday’s Top Prospects Game in Quebec City.

“It will be a challenge, for sure,” Williamson said. “They are two guys who play a lot of minutes in different situations and provide leadership for us. It’s a great opportunity for them, and we wish them the best. Guys will have to step up. Really, from the start of the year, we have played without some of our top guys. Ideally, we would like as many guys as possible in the lineup, but we have proven that when guys are missing, we can make up for it.”

Notes

Veterans and active military personnel can purchase discount tickets for Friday’s game at the box office by showing their military identification card.

▪ The Americans’ military inspired jerseys will be up for auction after the game at www.AmsHockeyAuctions.com. The minimum bid is $250, with a buy-it-now price of $650. The auction closes at 8 p.m. Jan. 31. Proceeds will benefit the players’ continuing education fund.

▪ The silent auction on the concourse, which will have more than 70 items up for grabs, will benefit the players’ education fund and Camp Patriot, which helps wounded and disabled veterans enjoy outdoor adventures.

This story was originally published January 26, 2017 at 7:05 PM with the headline "Tri-City Americans salute the troops Friday night."