Ghostriders lose Brandon Butler

The Ghostriders have lost their number one goalie Brandon Butler to a knee injury. Coach Craig Mohr says "Brandon has torn (1MM left) the cartilage in his knee and will be having surgery as soon as next week. The injury has ended the twenty year old's junior career".

Butler was injured December 16th in Golden during the warmup and didn't play again until the two Kimberley games last week where he gutted out two final starts for the Riders. After those games he told Goalie Coach Gerry Pang he was done and couldn't go against Creston. 

This was not the first time Butler played with an injury, last season he played the whole year on a broken foot that never healed until the off season. At the end of the year Brandon was named as the Ghostriders Most Inspirational player. 

Coach Craig Mohr "The Ghostriders would like to thank Brandon Butler for his 2 1/2 years of outstanding play and teamwork. He is a role model for all future Ghostriders to follow".

Goalie Coach Gerry Pang tells me at first he had some doubts about the new goalie but after working with him for a little while Butler started to remind him of his son Darren (Chicago Black Hawks) with his size work ethic and coach ability and he was was sold.

"Butler got quicker and faster had a great attitude " "Of all the goalies we have had over the years Butler was the goalie I most enjoyed working with". "He is a student of the game and could easily run a goalie school."

So GM Mohr is now actively looking for a goalie. There are a few guys out there who he is pursuing but until then Brandon Youngson, who was the Riders Player of the Game in Creston Saturday, will take over the number one spot and Fernie local Andre Pelletier will be the backup.