One thing about the exhibition season is that if you win, it doesn?t mean much because it?s exhibition.

Thankfully the same applies if you?re losing.

The Kootenay Ice stretched their losing streak to four straight pre-season games Thursday night at the Cranbrook Rec Plex in a 4-1 loss to the Tri-City Americans in front of 531 fans.

Twenty-year-old forward Mike Brown scored two goals for the Americans while Tanner Olstad and Kruise Reddick added singles for the visitors. Ice rookie Colby Cave notched the only marker for the Ice.

Kris Knoblauch continued to audition the club?s young talent as the rookie Ice bench boss gets a sense of not only which new face might grace the veteran club come opening day but also what the future holds for the team.

?We?ve got an awful young team back there,? said Knoblauch, who will get another crack at an exhibition win Saturday in Spokane, the club?s final tune-up before they start playing for real. ?We?re only dressing three lines with the players we have in the line-up and of those we have just a few veterans.?

They were young alright, and it showed. Mistakes, missed assignments and penalties ? Kootenay was shorthanded five times in the first period alone ? enabled this loss to be chalked up to experience.

One of the few veterans in the line-up, goaltender Nathan Lieuwen started the night and didn?t take long to get into the thick of things. The Americans fired 12 shots at the 19-year-old in the first frame while only allowing four.

One of those shots found the back of the net as Brown blasted a wicked one-timer that Lieuwen had little chance on, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead after one.

In the second it was Tri-City?s turn to visit the sin bin as the visitors were fingered four times. Cave neatly deflected Mike Simpson?s point shot past Ams goaltender Chris Driedger to tie it at one not long after the last infraction expired halfway through the period.

The goal was Cave?s third in four pre-season outings, giving him the team lead and an effort seemingly getting better with each game.

?I know I didn?t have the strongest training camp,? offered the first round pick from 2009, who won?t turn 16 until Boxing Day. ?But I?ve just had to push through that. I try to harp on bouncing back and not focussing on my mistakes out there and just try and do my best. I?m getting more and more comfortable as it goes on.

?If I keep going to the net, things are going to go in for me.?

Goaltender Brett Teskey, 17, replaced Lieuwen for the second half of the game and was just as busy. Near the end of the second period, Teskey robbed Reddick early in a Tri-City power play, only to get beaten by a perfect shot from Tanner Olstad; he walked out from the corner and went bar-down to give the visitors a 2-1 lead.

In the third Reddick, got another crack at the goaltender and this time beat him from the slot with a wrist shot. An empty-netter by Brown in the final minute gave way to a line-brawl in the final seconds as Ams? forward Zach McPhee hit Simpson dangerously from behind, dazing the rookie defenceman. That brought Brendan Hurley into fray, who pounded on McPhee while each of their teammates partnered up.

Quick Hits – The Ice were without 11 veterans who were either healthy scratches or still away at NHL camps. Kevin King, 20, has returned from Dallas camp and should be available for duty Saturday in Spokane while D Hayden Rintoul is expected to return today? Forwards Matt Fraser (Vancouver, see photo below left) and Drew Czwerwonka (Edmonton) have both made it through their respective rookie camps and will join the NHL clubs? main camps? Brayden McNabb (Buffalo), Steele Boomer (Chicago) along with Max Reinhart and Joey Leach (Calgary) are still with their NHL clubs.