Americans’ 2024-25 hockey season released + More Tri-Cities baseball, soccer, basketball

The Tri-City Americans have released their 2024-25 Western Hockey League schedule.

Among the highlights are 10 games with the Spokane Chiefs — including the annual New Year’s Eve game.

The Ams will open the season with three road games: two at Victoria on Sept. 20-21, and a Sept. 28 game in Spokane.

The team’s home opener is Oct. 5 against the Kelowna Rockets.

Here is the team’s entire regular-season schedule:

September

20 — at Victoria, 7:05 p.m.; 21 — at Victoria, 6:05 p.m.; 28 — at Spokane, 6:05 p.m.

October

5 — KELOWNA, 6:05 p.m.; 8 — at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.; 12 — KAMLOOPS, 6:05 p.m.; 13 — KAMLOOPS, 4:05 p.m.; 19 — KELOWNA, 6:05 p.m.; 20 — PORTLAND, 4:05 p.m.; 25 — at Wenatchee, 7 p.m.; 26 — at Spokane, 6:05 p.m.; 28 — EDMONTON, 7:05 p.m.

November

2 — SPOKANE, 6:05 p.m.; 3 — EVERETT, 4:05 p.m.; 8 — EVERETT, 7:05 p.m.; 9 — RED DEER, 6:05 p.m.; 11 — CALGARY, 7:05 p.m.; 15 — at Prince Albert, 6 p.m.; 16 — at Saskatoon, 6 p.m.; 19 — at Swift Current, 6 p.m.; 20 — at Regina, 6 p.m.; 22 — at Brandon, 5 p.m.; 23 — at Moose Jaw, 6 p.m.; 29 — at Wenatchee, 7 p.m.; 30 — WENATCHEE, 6:05 p.m.

December

6 — VANCOUVER, 7:05 p.m.; 11 — PRINCE GEORGE, 7:05 p.m.; 13 — KELOWNA, 7:05 p.m.; 14 — at Everett, 6:05 p.m.; 15 — at Vancouver, 4 p.m.; 27 — at Portland, 7 p.m.; 28 — PORTLAND, 6:05 p.m.; 31 — SPOKANE, 6:05 p.m.

January

3 — PORTLAND, 7:05 p.m.; 5 — WENATCHEE, 4:05 p.m.; 10 — SEATTLE, 7:05 p.m.; 11 — VICTORIA, 6:05 p.m.; 12 — at Everett, 4:05 p.m.; 15 — LETHBRIDGE, 7:05 p.m.; 17 — at Vancouver, 7 p.m.; 18 — WENATCHEE, 6:05 p.m.; 19 — at Wenatchee, 4 p.m.; 24 — at Portland, 7 p.m.; 25 — MOOSE JAW, 6:05 p.m.; 26 — at Everett, 4:05 p.m.; 29 — at Kamloops, 7 p.m.; 31 — at Prince George, 7 p.m.

February

1 — at Prince George, 6 p.m.; 4 — PRINCE GEORGE, 7:05 p.m.; 7 — VICTORIA, 7:05 p.m.; 8 — at Kelowna, 6:05 p.m.; 11 — at Kamloops, 7 p.m.; 14 — SPOKANE, 7:05 p.m.; 15 — at Spokane, 6:05 p.m.; 17 — at Kelowna, 2:05 p.m.; 21 — at Spokane, 7:05 p.m.; 22 — SPOKANE, 6:05 p.m.; 28 — VANCOUVER, 7:05 p.m.

March

1 — at Wenatchee, 6 p.m.; 2 — at Seattle, 2:05 p.m.; 7 — EVERETT, 7:05 p.m.; 8 — WENATCHEE, 6:05 p.m.; 11 — SEATTLE, 7 p.m.; 14 — at Seattle, 7:05 p.m.; 15 — at Spokane, 6:05 p.m.; 16 — SEATTLE, 4:05 p.m.; 21 — at Portland, 7 p.m.; 22 — SPOKANE, 6:05 p.m.

▪ Alex Serraglio, the Tri-City Americans’ captain for the 2023-24 season, is headed to the University of British Columbia to play ice hockey for the next few years.

Now too old to play for the Ams, Serraglio is taking advantage of the Western Hockey League’s Education Package to help pay for his schooling.

While at UBC, Serraglio will join former Americans players Sam Huo and Sasha Mutala for the 2024-25 season.

Baseball

Kamiakin graduate Payton Graham spent the first part of the summer pitching for the Kokomo Jackrabbits of the Northwoods League, a Midwest summer college baseball league.

On June 30, in a 3-2 victory over the Kenosha Kingfish, the right-handed Graham tossed 8 innings of shutout ball, striking out 12 batters. Graham consistently has touching 98 mph with his fastball, team officials reported.

While he has spent the past two seasons at Gonzaga University as a reliever, Graham was used as a starter in three games with the Jackrabbits this summer.

He pitched in 20 innings, striking out 28 batters, and had a 1.35 earned run average. Opposing batters hit a meager .152 off of him.

But now Graham is done for the summer, shutting himself down.

“I was only playing the first half of the summer,” he told me. “Just giving the body and arm a rest until next fall.”

Football

Richland High graduate Nathan McClelland will continue playing football after signing with the College of Idaho.

McClelland — at 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds — was a first-team offensive lineman in the Mid-Columbia Conference last fall. He carries a 3.4 grade point average.

Soccer

Eastern Washington University’s women’s soccer team got itself a good one with Richland forward Bella Bunnage.

The recently graduated Bomber is expected to give the Eagles some offensive firepower when the team meets for pre-season practice in August.

Bunnage was a first-team MCC all-star last fall.

Basketball

Ben Anderson, who spent the last 11 seasons as an assistant boys basketball coach at Sunnyside Christian, will become the new head boys basketball coach at Tri-Cities Prep.

Long-time Prep coach Mike Conner stepped down after this past basketball season.

Track and field

Prosser’s Cory Ingvalson isn’t just a standout football coach for the Mustangs. He can coach girls track too.

In May, the 2A Central Washington Athletic Conference coaches named Ingvalson the CWAC Girls Track and Field Coach of the Year.

Othello sophomore Abby Douglas was named to the CWAC first team as a sprinter.

Selah sophomore Kate Mickelson was named Girls Track Athlete of the Year, while Selah teammate Clara Holmes — a senior — was named Field Athlete of the Year.