On the Road with Mike Boyle

Wednesday, April 18th

Game 7's are always special, no matter the sport, but especially in hockey. That final game of a series seems to bring out the best in effort and competitiveness of the two teams involved. I've covered several game 7's, from the NHL level on down, and I've never been disappointed in how the game was played. Maybe in the results, but never in the game itself. I've covered the Chiefs in several game 7's. My first year in 2002-03, the Chiefs beat Portland in game 7 of their first round series. In 2008 of course, Spokane edged Tri City in the Western Conference finals to move on to the WHL finals. The next season, the Chiefs lost a heartbreaker in game 7 to Vancouver in the West semi's. In 2010, Spokane fell to Portland at home in the first round of the playoffs in a series that the home team went 0-7, a first in WHL history.

So I was 2-2 going into this year's game 7 edition as the Chiefs and Americans came down to the wire in their West semi-final. Spokane was coming off a dramatic 4-3 overtime win over the Ams in Spokane in game 6, as Liam Stewart got the game winner for the Chiefs. Now it was off for another trip down Highway 395, as the two teams would meet for the 22nd time this season. Tri was 14-7 against the Chiefs and had lost just 3 times on their home ice, so the task was a formidable one for Spokane. The drive was anything but usual, as it seemed every Washington State Patrol car in Eastern Washington was on the road. I stopped counting at nine. Guess they expected every Chiefs fan to be speeding their way to Kennewick for the game.

As for the game itself, the first period was controlled by the Americans after the Chiefs got their first two shots, albeit weak ones, in the first minute and a half of the contest. Tri City would get two power play chances and outshoot the Chiefs 14-2 after Spokane's first two attempts. Fortunately for the Chiefs, goalie Eric Williams was definitely on his 'A' game, as he turned aside all 14 Americans chances. Spokane would get their only power play of the first, and as it turns out, the only power play of the game, late in the first. Dylan Walchuk sent a pass from behind the Tri City net to an open Blake Gal on the right wing. Gal's shot was tipped by Dominick Uher into the net with just 1:12 left in the period to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead after one. After being outshot 14-4, to have a 1-0 lead was a majorrr accomplishment for Spokane.

It was more of the same in the second. The Chiefs generating little to no offense, and watching Williams stand on his head in net. He stopped 14 of 15 shots in the period, as only Brian Williams rebound just over 5 minutes into the period snuck by Williams. Spokane was outshot 29-9 after two periods, had hardly possessed the puck, and yet found themselves tied 1-1 after two periods. I just had the feeling if the Chiefs could just come out and compete at a muchhh tougher level in the third, the period, and thus the game, would be their's for the taking.

It looked great early in the third. Mike Aviani made a nice move into the Tri City zone and slid a pass into the low slot in front of the Ams goal. Mitch Holmberg got to the loose puck and tapped it into the open net to give the Chiefs a 2-1 lead almost 6 minutes into the third. The way Williams was playing in net, you had to feel that goal would probably propell Spokane to the win. Williams made a couple of sensational saves after Holmberg's goal, as he shut down Tri's Adam Hughesman from point blank range, and robbed Justin Feser in the goal mouth. Tri City would put up 19 shots in the third, and unfortunately would break through with less than 6 minutes left. Malte Stromwall, who had been quiet in the series, followed up his own shot from the right circle and beat Williams on the rebound to tie the game at two. The crowd, which had been fairly subdued, erupted, as did the Americans bench.

The Chiefs still had a great shot to settle things down and hopefully force things to overtime, where Spokane had gone 4-0 in the playoffs, including 3-0 against the Americans. Unfortunately, Spokane had a costly turnover at the Tri City blue line less than a minute after Stromwall's goal. The Ams Brendan Shinnimin, who led the WHL in scoring this season, took the puck on the right wing and snapped a shot past Williams with just 4:11 left to give Tri their first lead of the game at 3-2. Shinnimin's goal was just 64 seconds after Stromwall's tally and the building went insane at that point. Spokane lost a little air themselves, but still had a shot to tie the game.

Spokane pulled Williams with about 1 1/2 minutes left, but several shots either went wide or the Tri City goal. The Chiefs fell short as Williams sensational effort went for naught in a 3-2 defeat. Tri City dominated offensively, outshooting the Chiefs 48-19 in the game. It was farrrr and away the biggest shot deficit Spokane faced this season, and was a disappointing way to not only end the series, but the season. Without Williams play in net, the Chiefs would have lost 8 or 9-2. It still stung the players to lose by only one though. The game also marked the final contest in the careers of Captain Darren Kramer, Steve Kuhn, who never missed a game in a Chiefs sweater, Corey Baldwin and Dominick Uher. After Williams performance, Baldwin, Uher and Kuhn were the Chiefs best players on the ice. It's too bad they didn't get the chance to extend their Spokane careers.

So now the off season begins. Believe it or not, camp starts in just 4 months, so before you know it, the boys will be back on the ice, hoping the younger guys build off their playoff experiences of this season to make an even deeper run next year!

Saturday, April 14th

I'll say this about this year's Chiefs. They do have a flair for the dramatic. Last night, Dominick Uher's overtime goal lifted Spokane to a 3-2 win over Tri City in front of one of the largest crowds I've heard at the Arena this season. It was the Chiefs second 3-2 OT win over the top seeded Americans and most importantly for Spokane, evened their best of 7 Western Conference semi-final series at 2 apiece. There wasn't a lot of time to celebrate the win though, as the Chiefs headed back down Highway 395 today to face the Ams in game 5.

The winner knew they would definitely have the upper hand, having to win just 1 of 2 games remaining to advance, while the loser knew they would have to win 2 straight, one of those on the road, if they hoped to move to the Western Finals. All I could think about was the game 5 double overtime win the Chiefs got in the 2008 Western Finals to put them up 3-2 in the series. Winners of game 5's win over 80% of the time at the pro level, at least that's what the prognosticators always say on sports networks like ESPN. All I know is that the team that's up 3-2 in a best of 7 is muchhh better off than the team that is down that deficit!

So this was the scenario facing the Chiefs as they headed into the Tri Cities Saturday. The one thing Spokane did better in game 4 than they had done the previous 3 games against the Ams was get out to a fast start. The Chiefs scored the first 2 goals of the game in their game 4 win and forced Tri City to play from behind in the first for the first time this post season. Game 5 would begin much the same way, as Steve Kuhn took a Blake Gal pass behind the Ams defense in their own zone, and Kuhn went to the forehand to slide the puck past a sprawlen Tri goalie Ty Rimmer to make it 1-0 Chiefs just over 4 minutes into the game. The goal quieted the crowd and gave Spokane the lift they needed. That momentum would be temporarily halted later in the period though when Patrick Holland scored on a rebound in the slot 13 1/2 minutes into the first to tie the game at one heading to the second.

To be even after one in a hostile barn like Tri Cities was a good start for the Chiefs. Sure a one goal lead would have been better, but anytime you can start on the road at least even after 20 minutes, you're in good shape. Spokane looked even better when Reid Gow fired in a shot from the slot just 41 seconds into the second period after a furious offensive onslaught to put the Chiefs up 2-1. As tight as the series had been defensively, a 2-1 lead looked awful good. Good until the Americans tied it on their first power play chance of the game just about 7 minutes later. Adam Hughesman scored on a rebound net front to re-tie the game at 2 and get the Ams crowd right back in it.

The Americans then got their second power play of the period about 4 minutes later. The Chiefs Dominick Uher silenced the roar of the home crowd though when he sniped a shot from the right wing shorthanded just over the 11 minute mark of the period from Kuhn to give the Chiefs a 3-2 lead. It really looked like the Chiefs were on their way to a huge win on the road at that point. It took all of 45 seconds to quickly dispell that thought. Tri's Mitch Topping scored from the point just after the power play expired to bring the Ams back even at 3 and once again the momentum was with the Americans. Tri would keep it going when defenseman Justin Hamonic shot the puck from the right point, and the puck hit off the Chiefs Collin Valcourt net front and past goalie Eric Williams with less than 4 minutes left in the period to put Tri City up 4-3 after two.

It turned out to be the game winner for the Americans, as the Chiefs failed to generate a serious offensive threat in the third. It seemed like both teams were running towards empty on the tank, but Tri City did a much better job of limiting Spokane's time in the Tri City end in the final 20 minutes. Spokane pulled Williams from net with less than a minute and a half left, but the Ams got the puck up ice quickly and Connor Rankin's empty netter with a minute remaining capped a 5-3 Tri City win and gave the Americans a 3-2 series lead.

The opportunity was there for Spokane to seize the lead in the series, but in the end, the inability to possess the puck consistently killed any chance for Spokane to win the game. There's no question the team will need to get back to playing at the level they showed in most of game 4 to have a chance to take the series to a deciding 7th game in Tri City Wednesday. Now the team is playing for its' season Monday night at the Arena in game 6. Let's just hope the Chiefs show the desperation and want in their game on Monday to take this series to a dramatic finish.

Saturday, April 7th

Someone once said that the only thing better than winning the first game on the road in the playoffs is winning the second game as well. I'm sure it was someone who was very greedy as well, but as Gordon Gecko said in 'Wall Street', "Greed is good." Let's face it though, the last thing the Chiefs could ever afford to be is greedy, especially playing their arch rivals from Tri Cities in the Western Conference semi-finals. Tri City, the top seed, had seen the Chiefs take a 3-2 overtime win the night before on a Mitch Holmberg goal just 1:06 into OT, so you knewww the Americans would come out firing in game two to prevent falling down 0-2 in the series.

As for the Chiefs, the goal was to play as hard as they had the night before and play close to their team systems to frustrate Tri Cities high powered offense. Spokane suffered just one injury from the night before as Marek Kalus was knocked out with a cross check that led him to sit out game two. The Chiefs went once again with Eric Williams in goal, as he was looking to lead Spokane to their 6th straight playoff win. Tri City would break out in the first period though, as Adam Hughesman converted a Brendan Shinnimin pass in the right circle at 13:21 of the first period to give Tri a 1-0 lead. The goal resulted after a Spokane turnover in their own zone and was one of the few mistakes the Chiefs made in the first.

The Chiefs didn't really seem to be on their game though in the first, and that was confirmed in the second period as Tri City controlled the puck and outshot Spokane 14-7 in the second. There just didn't seem to be the commitment to dump the puck deep in the Ams zone and pay the price physically to win the battles for Spokane on this night and as a result, the offense didn't generate very much in the second. The one good opportunity came from leading scorer Mike Aviani, who drove in on net and denied on a point blank shot by Tri City goalie Ty Rimmer late in the period. Williams and the defense, led by Corey Baldwin, would keep Tri at bay though, as the game was still 1-0 Ams going into the third period.

Tri City would strike for a huge insurance goal early in the third period when Justin Feser converted a Mitch Topping pass net front just 4:01 into the third to make it 2-0 Americans. The Chiefs didn't muster much offensively in the third as it looked like Tri would shutout Spokane for just the 2nd time this season. Spokane caught a break when Tri's Adam Hughesman was whistled for an interference penalty at 18:16 of the third to put the Chiefs on the power play. Spokane would pull Williams from net to gain a 6 on 4 advantage, and it paid off for the Chiefs when Mitch Holmberg rifled a shot from the left circle off the face-off at 18:35 to bring the Chiefs within 2-1. It was Holmberg's 5th straight game with a goal and his team leading 8th of the playoffs.

Suddenly the Chiefs had life and they seized upon it. Spokane would pull Williams again after getting the puck into the Tri City zone with less than 20 seconds to go in the game. It appeared Tri would run out the clock when defenseman Sam Grist had the puck behind his net with 6 seconds remaining. Grist's attempt to clear the zone was kept in by Spokane's Blake Gal on the left wing out at the blue line. Gal snapped a pass to defenseman Corey Baldwin, who was open at the point. Baldwin one timed a shot at the Tri City net, and remarkably, the puck went in before the light went on or the horn sounded. In fact, Baldwin and his teammates were celebrating at the Tri City blue line as the horn went off. Tri City fans went from cheering to standing stunned, as Chiefs fans went crazy around them. Tri City players were standing in a daze in front of their net wondering how they had lost a 2 goal lead in a minute and a half.

My first reaction as I called it was the puck got in before the end of the game. I knowww it beat the horn and the light at that end. I heard later the light at the otherrr end of the arena went off before hand. I had no way of knowing thattt though as I was watching the Chiefs offensive end. I dooo know it beat the horn. Usually in most arenas, the horn is sychronized to the clock hitting zero. Not so at the Tri Cities Coliseum, as I found out on this night. In this instance, the video replay instituted by the league was hugeee. It was the only true way to see what happened. I didn't get to see the official league review, but the local television replays showed the puck crossed the goal line a mere 4 frames after the clock hit zero. What are 4 frames you ask? In TV videotape, there are 30 frames per second in that tape. Advancing the replay frame by frame, each being 1/30th of a second, the puck crossing the line fully was just slightly over 1/6 of a second too late for the Chiefs.

You talk about losing by a hair...a fraction of a second...a whisker. That's what it came down to. In the end, the call was correct to disallow the goal. Who knows what would have happened in an overtime? The fact was, the correct call was made, and the Chiefs suffered a tough loss as the series was now even at 1-1. One thing I do know though. Spokane was outplayed in this game, and the outcome was deserved. The game is usually pretty fair in its' result and the Chiefs had a justifiable 1-1 split in Tri Cities. Now the goal is to hold home ice and take a two game lead on the top team in the West. Spokane will have to refocus its attention on getting its' team game back in order for game 3 though, or the Chiefs could find themselves down in the series veryyy quickly. I for one, will be glad to be home to see how it it all shakes out this week.

Friday, April 6th

If it felt like that I had been here before, it's probably because I have. It was a year ago at this time the Chiefs were getting ready to face the Tri City Americans in the Western Conference semi-finals, so as I was heading down Highway 395 with my playoff travelling companion, video guru Chris Baird, I couldn't help but think that I was Bill Murray in 'Groundhog Day', reliving last year all over again. This is the 27th season the Chiefs have been around, yet it's just the 6th time they have met their closest and oldest rival in the playoffs. Tri City captured the inaugural series in 1995, but Spokane has won 4 straight, including last year's meeting in 6 games.

Last year Spokane was the highest seed and the favorite to move along. This year it's the opposite, as Tri City enters as the top seed in the West with 50 wins in the regular season, including 8 in 12 meetings with the Chiefs. Spokane came in after a 6 game playoff series win over Vancouver that concluded with a 3-1 victory in game 6 Sunday, April 1. Tri City meantime had swept aside Everett in 4 straight and had not played sicne the last Wednesday in March. As the Chiefs got ready for game one, there was certainly a hope that the extended layoff for Tri would come to Spokane's benefit. The Chiefs were also hoping to lean upon the confidence gained from winning the two teams last meeting in the regular season finale on St.Patrick's Day when Spokane edged Tri City in Kennewick 3-2.

The team took off for the Tri Cities the day before, while Bairdsley and I hopped down the road the day of the game. I had undergone emergency eye surgery for a tear in my left retina on Thursday, so my eye was still very aggravated and red as game one approached. Fortunately the Chiefs were feeling a lot better than my eye on Friday. Spokane once again went with Eric Williams in net, as Willy had won 4 straight to lift the Chiefs back from an 0-2 deficit in their series against Vancouver. Captain Darren Kramer was also back in the lineup after serving a one game suspension in game 6 of the Chiefs series with Vancouver.

A crowd of over 4,300 was on hand to watch game one, and there were a fair number of Chiefs fans who made the trek south to Kennewick. The Chiefs came out and played a tough, physical first period, but it was Tri City that got the early advantage on their 2nd of 3 power plays in the first. The Americans Justin Feser let go of a shot from the left point. It hit teammate Brendan Shinnimin, then ricocheted off Chiefs defenseman Corey Baldwin into the net 8:05 into the game to give Tri a 1-0 lead. Spokane would outshoot Tri 10-7 in the first, despite having only one power play and Tri City getting three.

It was more of the same in the second period, as Tri City once again got 3 power play chances, while Spokane got just one. The Chiefs penalty kill and Williams in net turned away the Ams on all 10 of their shots to keep it a one goal game. Spokane would finally pull even at 16:22 of the period when Mike Aviani, who had just missed a wrap around attempt earlier in the game, came around from behind the Tri City goal after a Darren Kramer shot, and put one through the pads of Tri City goalie Ty Rimmer to tie the game at one. It was Aviani's second straight game with a goal, and it gave the Chiefs the major boost it needed heading into the third period. It was also good to finally get one past Rimmer, who was stellar while turning aside 23 shots in the first 40 minutes.

Spokane built on that success early in the third, when Aviani and Mitch Holmberg got the puck to Kramer net front and he banged in a rebound of his own shot just 2:39 into the third period to give the Chiefs their first lead at 2-1. The lead would hold until the 14:34 mark of the third when Tri's Mason Wilgosh scored off a face-off win by Shinnimin. Wilgosh's shot hit off a Chiefs defender's stick and bounced past Williams on the Ams second goal off a deflection in the game. The game was even at two as the teams headed to overtime. It marked the 12th time in the two teams last 17 playoff meetings that the squads went to extra time, so it came as no surprise that we were headed there once again.

In previous years, the overtimes were long and tense. This one was not. Spokane's Holmberg picked up a loose puck in the neutral zone less than a minute into the overtime, stickhandled on an odd man rush up the right wing, then snapped a shot past Rimmer just 1:06 into the extra session to hand Spokane a 3-2 win and with it, a 1-0 series lead. It was an ideal way for Spokane to start the series, by playing their style of game, and getting a win on the road to take the early lead. As the Vancouver series showed though, you can't make too much out of one win. The Giants won the first two games of the series in convincing fashion, yet it was the Chiefs that came back and won.

Now the Chiefs will try to keep the momentum as the two teams take the ice tomorrow night in game 2. Adjustments will no doubt be made, but it will essential the Chiefs stick to their systems and their game plan as an open ice game will definitely play into the Americans favor. I get the chance to kick back in the team hotel though, as I don't have to worry about driving back the two hours to Spokane. I know my eye definitely appreciates the rest!

Friday, March 30th

After dropping 2 in a row in Vancouver, the Chiefs returned home to Spokane and did what they had to do, namely win both games 3 and 4 on their home ice at the Spokane Arena. Game 4's win was the most dramatic of the series by far, as Spokane's Mitch Holmberg scored just over 6 1/2 minutes into overtime to give the Chiefs a 3-2 victory and a tie series at 2-2. With the momentum of two consecutive wins behind them, Spokane headed back on the road Thursday to try to keep things rolling in game 5 in Vancouver.

As for myself, I got back behind the wheel on Friday to drive my driving companion, video guru Chris Baird up to the Great White North. It looked to be yet another rainy drive through the Evergreen State when Chris suddenly piped up that he had forgot his passport as we were outside of Mt. Vernon. I had visions of having to leave him at the border station at Blaine trying to explain to the team why Bairdsley was not with me in Vancouver. Fortunately, some mad scrambling of finding his passport, scanning it, and emailing to his phone helped our cause at the border as we were able to make our way into Canada. Now if only the Canadians would do somethingggg about the highway construction going into Vancouver. The Trans-Canada, or Highway 1, has been dug up for at least 5 years now, and shows nooo progress of ever getting done. It will not surprise me to stilll see that road worked on a decade from now.

We got through the traffic and to the PNE Coliseum in time to see a good crowd file in for game 5. I couldn't help but think of the Chiefs being in the same situation 3 years earlier as the two teams played the 2nd longest game in WHL history before Blake Gal scored in the 4th overtime to give the Chiefs a 3-2 series lead. I was just hoping..no, prayinggg, that we didn't have the same length of game this time around, or I was afraid I'd pass out in the second overtime!

In the first two games in Van, the Chiefs had fallen behind in the first period and it was an uphill climb the rest of the contests. The mission in game 5 for Spokane was to at least keep even through one or even hopefully take a lead early. Spokane followed the game plan to a tee, as Liam Stewart notched a goal in his second straight game as he scored 7:20 into the first period to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead. It was the beginning of a great night for Stewart's line as he, Collin Valcourt and Connor Chartier were relentless on the puck throughout the night. Stewart was able to get a puck on net. In the mad scramble on the rebound, the goal judge actually put the light on, but the puck had not gone in yet. Stewart alertly kept playing instead of hesitating, and snapped the loose puck in the goal on the stunned Giants, and Spokane had the early lead they so very much needed.

Goalie Eric Williams meantime was excellent in the first, as he stoned the Giants Brendan Gallagher on a point blank shot from the slot in the first minute and Williams would turn away all 11 Giants shots in the first. Spokane didn't take long to build on their one goal lead in the second either. Mike Aviani took a breakout pass from Mitch Holmberg and left a perfect feed out for Darren Kramer on the left wing. Kramer snapped a shot from the left circle past the glove of Giants goalie Adam Morrison to give the Chiefs a 2-0 lead just 1:09 into the second. Vancouver would break through late in the second though on the power play. Williams was cited for roughing after Gallagher charged into him in the net late in the second. How Gallagher was nott cited for any penalty is a mystery, but the Giants took advantage of the power play, when, you guessed it, Gallagher converted a great pass from Marek Tvrdon in the left circle at 15:06 to cut the Spokane lead to 2-1 after two periods.

It set up what promised to be a dramatic third period between the two. In my mind, the team that scored the first goal of the third would have a hugeee advantage going forward. Fortunately for the Chiefs, it was Spokane that would draw first blood. Mike Aviani and Darren Kramer were back at it, as they got the puck up ice into the Giants zone on a rush early in the period. Kramer got the puck on net, and Mitch Holmberg would follow the play and just get enough of the puck with his stick to get past Morrison's stick in the crease to make it 3-1 Spokane at 4:47 of the third. You could feel the air go out of the building on Holmberg's goal, and the Giants players certainly showed it in their body language.

The feeling wouldn't get any better for Vancouver, as Holmberg would strike again at 9:14 while Spokane was on the power play. This time it was Dominick Uher and Dylan Walchuk doing the work with the puck in the offensive zone as they kept the pressure on the Giants in the Vancouver zone. Holmberg got a shot off from the right circle, which Morrison saved, but Holmberg followed the shot with a backhanded rebound from the slot for his 5th of the playoffs to give the Chiefs a commanding 4-1 lead. Spokane then put the dagger to the Giants just 23 seconds later when Tanner Mort let go of a shot from the point and Blake Gal put a beautiful tip past Morrison to cap a 5-1 win.

Williams was rock solid in goal turning away 23 of 24 Giants shots to pick up his 3rd straight win in net. As you would expect, the game got chippy late and came to a head at the end of the contest when Vancouver's Cain Franson took a run at Walchuk at center ice. Walchuk avoided major contact, but Chiefs Captain Darren Kramer took exception from the penalty box and charged out after Franson. Amazingly enough, Kramer got the only penalty out of a fracas that saw no less than 6 players down on the ice. Franson received nothing. To make matters worse for Spokane, the WHL handed Kramer a one game suspension for his actions and the captain will now miss a pivotal game 6 back at the Spokane Arena.

It's a big blow to lose your locker room leader for your biggest game of the year, especially with the way Kramer had been working with Aviani and Holmberg the last 2 games. Spokane has managed to get 3 straight wins without their top player Brenden Kichton though, so I would bet the team will find a way to step up in Sunday's game 6 at the Arena. It was a longgg drive home, but at least Bairdsley and I were able to get across the U.S. border. By the way, the border guard in Blaine had nooo idea who the Spokane Chiefs were. We'll have to work on that next time North. Let's just hope it won't be until next season!

Saturday, March 24th

Game one's loss the night before had its fair share of positive and negative points for the Chiefs, but obviously the biggest negative was the loss itself. The team did not approach its normal game plan and paid the price by giving up their second highest goal total of the year. The prospect of climbing back into the series became a bit more daunting for the team when defenseman Brenden Kichton spent the day in the hospital to get his jaw looked at after taking a puck in the third period the previous night. With the team's player of the year and leading scorer laid up, the team would have to rely on veterans like Corey Baldwin, Davis Vandane and Tanner Mort to pick up the extra minutes, not to mention Kichton's roles on the power play and penalty kill.

As for the Giants, all they wanted to do was jump on the Chiefs early and keep them down. In the first period, Vancouver would do just that. Vancouver would get their first power play of the game 7:07 in and would convert 1:03 into the man advantage when Neil Manning one timed a Jordan Martinook pass in the slot past Chiefs goalie Mac Engel to put the Giants up 1-0. Just 2:20 later, Martinook would score his 3rd goal in 2 games to extend Vancouver's lead to 2-0 after one. The Chiefs started slowly offensively, put started to get some momentum going in the last half of the stanza to outshoot Vancouver 9-8 in the period.

In the second, the Chiefs played their best offensive period of the series thus far, outshooting the Giants 19-10 and controlling the puck possession in the period. That was the good news. The bad news was Vancouver outscored the Chiefs 3-0 in the period to take a commanding 5-0 lead after two. Marek Tvrdon started a 3 point period for himself with a goal 9:53 into the second to put Van up 3-0. Brendan Gallagher then scored on the power play by banging home his own rebound under the pads of Engel at 11:32 to make it 4-0 Giants. Tvrdon then capped the period by snapping a wrist shot from the right wing while the two teams were skating 4 on 4 at 16:29 to push the score to 5-0. That goal spelled the end of the night for Engel, who surrendered 5 goals on just 17 shots. Eric Williams came on in relief and kept the Giants off the board the rest of the period. The Chiefs were able to draw a penalty from Vancouver's Austin Fyten in the final seconds of the second to put themselves on a brief 5 on 3 power play to start the third.

The Chiefs failed in the 36 second 5 on 3 chance, but would convert the back half of the power play when Steve Kuhn banged home a rebound of a Davis Vandane shot on a rush up ice at 1:03 of the third to put Spokane on the board at 5-1. The Chiefs then cashed in on their next power play opportunity when Mitch Holmberg roofed home a rebound from the left circle from Mike Aviani and Kuhn at 3:05, and suddenly it looked like the Chiefs could work themselves back in the game as they trailed 5-2. I felt if Spokane could get one more quick goal, then suddenly the pressure would squarely shift to the Giants. Alas, it was Vancouver that took the momentum back when Manning scored on the power play just over 5 minutes later on a rebound in the left circle after a scramble for the puck in the crease, and the Giants were back up 6-2. Holmberg would score on a wrister from Jason Fram at 10:54 to bring the Chiefs back within 6-3, but Brendan Gallagher scored his second of the night on a shot from the left goal line at 14:40 to seal the Giants 7-3 victory.

Spokane outshot Vancouver in every period to outchance the Giants 41-29 in the contest. The Chiefs also went a respectable 2-6 on the power play. Generally when you do that, you're going to have a good chance of winning. Unfortunately, the Chiefs penalty kill was not good, as Vancouver went 3-7 on their power play, and they converted 7 goals on those 29 shots. It was another frustrating result for the Chiefs, as they played better than they had the night before, but ended up losing by a bigger margin than they had the previous contest. Now the team headed back to Spokane with the prospect of having to sweep both games at the Spokane Arena, and probably having to do so without their leading scorer. There really haven't been any must win games for the Chiefs this season, but that is all about to change in game three. Spokane can nottt afford to go down 0-3 in the series, so it will be interesting to see how desperate the team comes out with their season on the line.

Friday, March 23rd

Playoff time is here again, as the Chiefs are in the post season for the 6th straight year. For the 3rd time, Spokane is heading North of the border to take on the Vancouver Giants. In their previous two meetings, the teams had split, with the Chiefs winning in 6 games in 2008 and the Giants winning in 7 games in 2009. During the regular season, the Giants had won both meetings, both by one goal, 3-2 in a shootout in October in Vancouver, and 2-1 in Spokane in February. The team headed North the day before today's game to get a good morning skate at the PNE Coliseum, the old home of the Vancouver Canucks. As for myself, I drove up the day of the game with the team's video guy, Chris Baird. It's a playoff ritual that Bairdsley and I drive to road playoff contests and it's nice to have the company to keep me a little more alert on the road during those late night rides home.

I got to the team hotel about an hour before the Chiefs departed for the rink. The team seemed loose, but at the same time, there's always an air of focus and intensity before a playoff game that you don't see for most regular season games. Winning that first game in a series and taking the upper hand early is so important and Spokane was hoping to use the momentum of beating top seed Tri City in the Chiefs last road game the previous Saturday. The atmosphere of the PNE Coliseum is one of the best in the league. It's an older barn, built in the late 60's, yet was refurbished for the 2010 Winter Olympics, so it doesn't have that run down feel that it had before the refurbishing. The fans are supportive and knowledgable and they can get into the game, making it a fun one to call. My broadcast position is right in the middle of the stands, so the fans are sitting right next to me. They are always polite to me, but I've had some colleagues that have had far different experiences.

Those certainly weren't on my mind as the game got underway. The Chiefs came out physically early in the contest, which was a good sign to see. The team wasn't generating much offensively though, as Spokane wasn't getting the puck deep in the Giants zone and certainly were not working the fore check to the level they needed. The Chiefs did get two early power play chances, but got absolutely nothing out of them, as Spokane got all of 6 shots off in the first period. It looked like the Chiefs and Giants would head to the first intermission scoreless as the Giants got an offensive zone face off with just 6 seconds left. Off the draw, Vancouver's Brendan Gallagher turned and fired a shot from the top of the right circle. Chiefs goalie Mac Engel made the pad save, but the rebound came out in the crease where Van's Jordan Martinook pushed the puck over to an open Austin Fyten, who shoveled the puck in the net with just 2.6 seconds left to give the Giants a 1-0 lead after one.

It was a demoralizing goal to say the least, as now the Chiefs had to go to the second period playing from behind on the scoreboard. What would happen at the start of the second period though would put the Chiefs squarely on the heels. Spokane had the puck on the offensive less than 2 minutes in when defenseman Tanner Mort fell down at the Giants blue line with the puck. Vancouver's Cain Franson picked up the loose puck and skated in a breakaway, beating Engel on a backhander just 1:44 in to make it 2-0 Vancouver. Spokane's Mitch Holmberg then threw the puck right to Vancouver's Marek Tvrdon behind the Chiefs net less than two minutes later. Tvrdon came around the net on the backhand and wrapped one around Engel into the net at 3:30 to give the Giants a 3-0. Two unassisted goals and the Chiefs were right behind the 8 ball.

Spokane would go on the penalty kill trying to prevent a 4-0 Giants lead. The Chiefs Blake Gal would take a Mike Aviani pass down the left wing and snap a shot past the glove of Vancouver goalie Adam Morrison's glove at 6:42 to cut the lead to 3-1. Just as the Chiefs had some momentum, the Giants Brett Kulak would shoot from the left wing and Martinook would tip it in with just 4 seconds left on Van's power play as the Giants regained a 3 goal advantage at 4-1. So much for momentum. Spokane didn't quit though, as Steve Kuhn took a Gal feed down the left wing and once again beat Morrison's glove at 15:26 to bring the Chiefs within 4-2. Once again though, the momentum of that goal would be snuffed out, this time just 1:08 later as Martinook scored his second of the period to put Vancouver up 5-2 after two periods. Talk about a team off it's game. The Chiefs gave up 18 shots and 4 goals in one period. There were gamesss this year Spokane didn't surrender that many shots or goals.

It would have been easy to roll over and quit at that point. To the Chiefs credit, they came out firing in the third. Spokane converted their first power play chance as Jason Fram's shot from the right circle got past Morrison with a nice screen from Darren Kramer at 6:32 of the period to make it 5-3. Vancover then went on the power play, but Dominick Uher carried a Dylan Walchuk pass out of the zone and snapped a shot from the right wing to score shorthanded at 7:37 and get the Chiefs within one at 5-4. The game had tilted in Spokane's favor, but the Chiefs were unable to get over the hump and get the equalizer. Vancouver would re-establish a two goal lead when Franson took the puck from behind the Chiefs net after Spokane had repeatedly failed to clear the puck, and would score on a wrap around at 16:12 to give Van a 6-4 lead.

Spokane fought back one more time, as Mike Aviani would score on a rebound at 18:29 to get the Chiefs back within 6-5. After the face off, Spokane got the puck in the Giants zone and were able to get Engel to the bench to get the extra skater on in the last minutes. Gal had a good look from the slot, but shot the puck wide left, and Vancouver would eventually clear their zone to work the puck into the Chiefs end. Franson picked up the loose puck and scored with less than 2 seconds remaining in the empty net to secure a hat trick and a four point night, and seal a 7-5 Vancouver win. The Chiefs were outchanced 39-24 in giving up their second highest goal total this season. The game kind of reminded me of the 8-6 loss to Portland in the last game of the first half before the holiday break. It was a loose game by Spokane standards, and the Chiefs have to really batten down defensively going into Saturday's game two. There's no reason to panic about tonight's game, but if the same thing happens in game two, there will be a lot of head scratching heading back to Spokane.

Saturday, March 17th

The regular season would come to an end in the Tri Cities as the Chiefs would head down Highway 395 to take on the West's top team, the Americans. Unfortunately for Spokane, the game would mean nothing in regards to the standings for the Chiefs, as the team was eliminated from the 4th place spot in the Western Conference standings with the previous night's loss to Seattle at home. It was the second loss of the week to the Thunderbirds as the Chiefs continued to battle inconsistentcy in the latter half of the season.

Now Spokane would take on an Americans team that was battling for the top spot in the league standings. Tri City had wrapped up the top seed in the West with a win over Everett the night before and were prepared to give a sellout crowd a big send off with a win over the rival Chiefs. Spokane rested defenseman Corey Baldwin as an opportunity to let him rest up for the upcoming playoff series with Vancouver.

The drive to Tri was the usual two hour cruise. The weather was actually halfway decent as the sun actually showed itself after a week full of rain. The Chiefs couldn't have asked for a better start to the game, as Mitch Holmberg would take the puck around the net, come around the left circle and snap one in the net past Tri goalie Ty Rimmer just 1:47 into the first period to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead. The Americans would benefit from a questionableee penalty call on Spokane defenseman Brenden Kichton for a closing a hand on the puck to go on the power play less than 3 minutes later. Tri would convert the power play on a Patrick Holland shot from the slot to tie the game at one. Kichton would get even at the 13 minute mark though, as he would send a shot from right point past Rimmer to give the Chiefs a 2-1 lead after one.

Spokane played well in the first, outshooting Tri City 14-4. The second period would see the Chiefs on the defensive, as Tri City would get the only two power plays of the frame. Fortunately Spokane's penalty kill came up big, as they denied Tri the equalizing goal. Tri City would get even though when Jesse Mychan backhanded one from the right circle to the top left corner past Chiefs goalie Mac Engel at 10:18 of the second as the game was tied at 2 going into the third period.

The third period would be a little chippy between the two rivals and a couple matching minor penalties would start the period. Spokane would fail on their first power play attempt against the second rated penalty kill in the league, but on their second and final power play chance of the period, Spokane would convert. Off the face-off, Kichton would feed Reid Gow at the point. Gow's shot would be stopped by Rimmer, but Dylan Walchuk would put home the rebound at 8:31 of the period to give the Chiefs a 3-2 lead. Tri City would go on the power play late in the third, but the Chiefs would turn aside the Ams to preserve the lead. Tri City would pull Rimmer late in the period to get the extra attacker on the ice, but the Chiefs would deny Tri any good looks offensively in the last minute to preserve the 3-2 win.

Engel turned away 30 Tri City shots to get Spokane's 4th win in 12 tries with the Americans this season. The Chiefs finished the season with 85 points, just one back of Vancouver for 4th in the Conference and two mere points out of home ice advantage in their series with the Giants. Now the Chiefs get to focus on their first round playoffs with Vancouver that will begin Friday in Vancouver. The nice thing about this win is that the team will go into the post season on a high note, rather than dwelling on losing the home ice spot. The bus ride back featured the movie, 'Anchorman-The legend of Ron Burgundy.' As I have to work at KREM-TV the next 3 days, the movie is a damnnn funny depiction of TV life. Nothing like a funny movie and a good win to finish a St. Patrick's Day for an Irishman!

Tuesday, March 13th

Final week of the regular season for the Chiefs started like just about every other week of the second half of the regular season, with a lot of games crammed in a short period of time. There has been a lot of 4 games in 5 nights, and 3 in 3's since the end of December for the team, and this key week of the season is going to be nooo different. Spokane starting off 4 games in 5 evenings over on the West Side of the state with their final visit to the Seattle Thunderbirds. The Chiefs begin the week just 2 points back of Vancouver with 4 games left, while the Giants have just 2 games left on their schedule, a home and home series with Kelowna this weekend. That leaves Van the opportunity to earn a maximum 4 points, while the Chiefs can earn 8. I don't hold a degree in math, but I dooo know if Spokane wins all 4 games, they will clinch home ice against the Giants in the two teams first round playoff series.

The team went over Snoqualmie Pass on Monday after a practice at Eastern Washington University. I on the other hand, worked Monday at KREM-TV, dealing with all the madness of a selection Monday for the Gonzaga Women's basketball team, and the Spokane Shock's opener at the Arena. Let's just say, I was a little envious of the boys getting out of town when they did. I really became downright jealous when I drove over the Pass on Tuesday. The drive was great until going up to the summit. The roads got as slick as an ice rink, and the 4 lanes quickly became just one in a matter of a half mile. Trucks and cars piled off the side of the road. I counted at least two dozen that either wrecked, or just couldn't make it up the hill to the summit. To add to it, my gas light on the rental car flashed on as I was crawling at 10 miles per hour, and weaving my way around the car carnage on the hill. Fortunately, there was a gas station by the Summit Inn, and I was able to make my way down the hill without having to hitchhike in a full blizzard.

Getting to the ShoWare Center in Kent was just plain relief as I figured the game itself would be pure relaxation after the ride I had just endured. The Thunderbirds entered the game in 9th place in the Western Conference playoffs, 3 points back of Victoria for the final playoff spot. Seattle, like the Chiefs, had 4 games left, while Victoria, like Vancouver, only had 2, so the Thunderbirds were figuring if they win out, they make the post season. With both teams needing the 2 points badly, it made for a playoff type game in the first period, as both teams were throwing the body around with reckless abandon, blocking shots and hitting anything that moved. It didn't lead to a lot of great scoring chances in the first, but the best by far came when the Chiefs Steve Kuhn was tripped going after a loose puck in the Seattle zone late in the period. Kuhn was awarded a penalty shot, but in a first scenario I've never witnessed before, Kuhn overskated the puck at center ice after touching it, and his chance to give the Chiefs the lead went up in smoke.

The second period would see the Chiefs control the game 5 on 5, and would twice come within inches of taking the lead. Kuhn hit a post after a shot from the slot early in the second. Then Mitch Holmberg backhanded one that hit the crossbar and shot straight back out. It looked like Holmberg's shot may have gone under the bar and hit the net, but after a lengthy review, his shot was ruled a no goal. Spokane also failed on 2 straight power plays early in the second, and that would end up costing the Chiefs. Seattle would get two power play chances of their own, and would capitalize on both to send the struggling Spokane penalty kill into head scratching mode. Seattle's first goal would come as a result of mis-management of the puck by the Chiefs as Dominick Uher overskated the puck in the neutral zone, leading to a 3 on 2 for Seattle back into the Chiefs end of the ice. That's never good, and it wasn't this time either, as Connor Honey converted into the open net at 11:58 to make it 1-0 Seattle. The Thunderbirds would make good on their second attempt as well. This time, the Chiefs penalty kill failed to clear the puck down the ice on several occasions, leading the T-Birds to get a shot from the point by Shea Theodore. Spokane goalie Mac Engel made the save, but the puck crept by him and laid in the crease, where Seattle's Seth Swenson dived and poked home the loose puck at 15:31 to give the T-Birds a 2-0 lead after two.

Things were nottt looking for Spokane at this point in the game. The Chiefs were dominating play 5 on 5, but the special teams were again proving to be an Achilles Heel for Spokane. That would play out in the third period as well, as Honey would skate through the defense and backhand one past Engel for yet another Seattle power play goal just 6:39 into the third to put the Thunderbirds up 3-0. Much like against the league's worst power play of Prince George a week and a half earlier, the Chiefs gave up 3 goals to a power play ranked next to last on the man advantage. Nottttt a good sign going into the playoffs. Spokane would get on the board less than 2 minutes after Honey's 2nd goal, as Corey Baldwin's shot from the point was tipped by Kuhn past Seattle goalie Calvin Pickard at 8:08 to bring Spokane within 3-1. The Chiefs put on a furiousss rally in the third, putting up an astounding 21 shots in the period, while holding Seattle to just 6. Unfortunately, even after pulling Engel in the final 2 minutes, Spokane could not get another puck in the net, as the Chiefs fell 3-1.

It was just the second loss to Seattle in 7 games, and the only defeat in Seattle in 4 contests this season. The setback was a costly one for Spokane, as they failed to pull even with Vancouver for 4th in the conference. Now the Chiefs have just one game in hand, and have tough games with Kamloops and Seattle at home, before ending the season Saturday at Tri City. It's going to be another gauntlet for Spokane, like much of the second half of the season has been for the team. I'm just hoping the 3 games will go as smooth as the ride home from Seattle, as the roads were amazingly good after the torture session just 8 hours earlier. The bad part is the Blazers have been resting in their hotel in Spokane all night, while the Chiefs rolled in about 2:30am into the Arena. We will now see what kind of energy the Chiefs will bring to the ice for Wednesday's meeting with the Blazers. Hopefully more than I'm feeling right now!

Saturday, March 3rd

With three wins in three games on the road trip under their belts, the Chiefs awoke Saturday morning in Prince George to sunshine and a chance to complete a 4 game sweep of the trip through British Columbia. Tonight's game would also present the Chiefs a chance to even the season series against Prince George with a win. The day went pretty quickly, as the team got the chance to relax at the hotel, while I went out for a jaunt around the neighborhood as I took advantage of the bright sunshine that was in strong contrast to the snow that fell the night before.

The Chiefs went with Eric Williams in net as the team rested Mac Engel, who had given up just 4 goals in three games on the trip. The game started great for Spokane as the Cougars took back to back penalties to give the Chiefs a 5 on 3 power play for a minute and a half. Mitch Holmberg took full advantage as he worked the puck into the left circle and snapped one upstairs inside the near post to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead. It was the Chiefs first power play goal since February 18th and snapped a 1-36 streak on the man advantage. Unfortunately, the penalty kill, which was 15-15 on the road trip, surrendered a rebound goal to Prince George's Caleb Belter midway through the period on PG's first power play to tie the game at one.

In the second period, the Chiefs came out and sustained pressure for one of the few times in the contest, as Spokane kept the puck in the Cougar zone for the first minute of the second. The Chiefs would be rewarded when Dominick Uher snapped home a shot from the left wing just 51 seconds into the frame to give Spokane a 2-1 lead. The Chiefs failed to sustain the momentum though, as the Cougars stormed back to with two goals less than 3 minutes apart to take a 3-2 lead. The Chiefs defense on both goals was below average at best, and defenseman and forwards made mental mistakes and failed to cover Cougars net front. leaving Williams out to dry. It was especially evident on the Cougars third goal, their second power play tally of the night, when PG basically had a 2 on 1, as Troy Bourke hit a wideee open Chase Witala in the right circle, and Witala buried the one timer. The Chiefs would answer though, as Corey Baldwin's shot from the left point found the net at 12:28 of the period to tie the game at three after two periods.

There was enough mistakes to the Chiefs game through two periods to have them down by 3 goals in most games, but Spokane was hanging tough despite looking like a tired hockey team through 40 minutes. Pucks drifting off sticks, bad decisions with the pucks, and too many bad passes to count were the highlights of Spokane's game through two periods. The Chiefs though had an opportunity to still the win the game with a solid third period.

In the third though, Spokane failed to mount anyyy kind of offense, despite having two power play chances. The team just lacked jump and energy, and were not winning many puck battles on the wall, and when that happens, this team is in trouble. The good news was Spokane was keeping Prince George at bay, limiting the Cougars to just 6 shots in the period. Usually in a tight game like this, it's a mental mistake that proves to win or lose the game. On this night, it was the Chiefs that broke down, as they committed a too many men on the ice penalty with just 15 seconds left in regulation to put PG on the power play. It was a critical error at a most inopportune time. The Chiefs did the same thing in Brandon last year and it cost them an overtime game to the Wheat Kings.

On this night, it was deja vu all over again, as the Cougars waited all of 18 seconds to score. Bourke found Cody Carlson open on the 4 on 3 advantage in the left circle, and Carlson's one timer beat Williams clean up top and Prince George snapped their 7 game losing streak with a 4-3 overtime win. The Cougars, who have won 20 times in 65 games thus far, beat Spokane three out of four this year, two of them in extra time. As bad as the loss was, snapping the Chiefs three game win streak, Spokane did get a point out of the game. Coupled with Vancouver's loss at Victoria, the Chiefs now have a two point lead over the Giants for 4th place in the Western Conference playoff race.

That 4th spot will determine home ice advantage for the Chiefs first round playoff matchup with the Giants. With just 7 games left for Spokane, 5 of them at home, the team now has a golden chance to secure that home ice spot. The schedule is anythinggg but easy though, as the team now returns home to face Kelowna, who just swept Kamloops in back to back games this weekend. After that, it's Tri City and Kootenay, so the challenge is going to be formidable. My big question is what Chiefs team is going to show up? The one that won 3 straight, or the outfit I just painfully watched? Hopefully it's the former, or otherwise it's going to be a longg week at the Arena. With just 2 weeks left, it's time for the team to go into overdrive.

Just like KJ the bus driver is doing now with the bus. It's about 14 hours home with the border stop and breakfast in Omak awaiting us, so time for me to settle in and try for my 2 hour naps here and there on the bus. It's near impossible to get great sleep on the bus, but I'm going to try my best. I'm just glad the last long road trip of the year is over, and now I can settle in at home.

Friday, March 2nd

What do they say about March? It comes in like a lion and out like a lamb? I don't know if a 14 hour trip from Victoria to Prince George is roaring like a lion. It felt more like a tiger taking a giant bite out of my backside. The two wins in Victoria to end February were huge for the team, particularly the second win on Wednesday night. It was the first game I felt the team played its' game for 60 minutes since mid January. So what better way to celebrate than go all day and into the evening on a bus? Let's face it...there is nooo easy way to travel to Prince George. I think that we only have to go there once a year. Imagine playinggg for the Cougars! Their travel is easilyyyy the worst in the league. Their closest trip is almost 7 hours! Compare that with the Chiefs, whose longest division rival trip is 5 hours to Portland.

The team headed out from the hotel in Victoria shortly after 7am on the Chiefs "day off". After packing up the equipment at the rink, the team had to head to the ferry terminal to catch the 9am ferry to Vancouver. The ferry ride went from sunny skies in Victoria to rain in Vancouver over the hour and a half journey. The team got a chance to watch a couple of movies on the bus. The first was a oldie but goodie, 'Silence of the Lambs.' I've watched that film at leasttt 20 times and I always marvel at Anthony Hopkins performance as Hannibal Lecter. I don't recall if he won the Oscar for best actor...but he should have. The second movie was a comedy from last year, 'The Change Up', with Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman. It's pretty darn funny and there are some classic one liners I wish I could remember and use on a regular basis. If you have kids, the diaper changing scene early in the movie is hilarious...and unforgettable...as it will no doubt jog memories of your own personal changing experiences.

The boys got to stop a couple of times along the way, the last time for dinner in Quesnel, about an hour and a half south of Prince George. The dinner was a buffet with prime rib the entree. It was fantastic. Sooo glad we had a good meal towards the end. It kind of softened the length of the journey, as the team got to the hotel about 9pm. 14 hours from the start of the day in Victoria. Now that is in noooo way a day off folks. At least we were able to get to bed at a decent hour and get a good night's rest. Game day saw breakfast and lunch at the team hotel, as it was a good day to kick back and relax for the night's game with the Cougars. It was the first time the Chiefs have faced PG since maybe Spokane's most disappointing loss of the year at home on December 10th. On teddy bear toss night, the Chiefs blew a 3-0 third period lead and lost in a shootout 4-3. It was the second straight time Spokane had blown a lead against Prince George and suffered a one goal loss.

Friday night would be an opportunity for redemption, but you always wonder how the team would come out energy wise after a lengthy road trip. Early in the contest, the Chiefs seemed to show some pretty good jump, but so did the Cougars, who had lost 6 straight, including 4 in a row at home over the last week. The game was pretty even until a turnover by Chiefs defenseman Davis Vandane in the neutral zone gave Troy Bourke the puck on the right wing. Bourke found Daulton Siwak open in front of Spokane goalie Mac Engel. Engel made a tremendous save on Siwak's point blank shot, but Siwak poked the rebound through Engel's pads and just over 7 1/2 minutes into the game, the Cougars led it 1-0. The goal seemed to ignite the Chiefs offensively, and it would pay off late in the period. Mike Aviani got the puck free low in the PG defensive zone and sent it out to the blue line. Spokane defenseman Cole Wedman gathered in the loose puck and found an open Marek Kalus in the low slot. Kalus, with his back to the goal, deked to his backhand and spun around to whip a shot past Cougar goalie Drew Owsley to tie the game at one at 15:56 of the period.

The first would end tied at one as the Chiefs outshot PG 10-5 while getting the only 2 power play chances of the period. Spokane took the momentum of the late goal by Kalus into the second, as they would dominate the period offensively, outshooting the Cougars 16-5. The Chiefs would possess the puck much of the period in the Cougar end, and it paid off with 2 goals in 41 seconds midway through the period. Davis Vandane got the loose puck from Collin Valcourt in the attack zone on the right wing, skated across the slot from right to left, and let go of a perfecttt back hand pass to a wide open Todd Fiddler on the right post. Fiddler slapped the puck in the open net at 10:53 to give the Chiefs their first lead at 2-1. It was Fiddler's first goal since January 28th at home against Kootenay, so it was good to see him snap a goal scoring drought that had lasted 15 games and over a month. Spokane wasted little time getting another one on the board, as Marek Kalus took a pass at center ice and skated up the right wing into Cougar territory. Kalus hit Mike Aviani in stride in the middle of the ice, who quickly put a backhanded pass on the tape of an open Darren Kramer crashing the net on the left wing. Kramer found the net for his 20th goal of the season at 11:34 to give the Chiefs a 3-1 lead after two. It was Kramer's first goal in 10 games since the Seattle game in Spokane on February 6th.

Spokane was totally controlling the game at this point, outshooting the Cougars 26-10 through 2 and holding a two goal lead. All I could think about though was the Chiefs blowing a 3-0 lead going into the third the last time these two teams met, so I knowww the team could not let off the pedal going into the third. Apparently the Chiefs understood that as well, as they came out in the first minute of the third to put away the game. Steve Kuhn drove the puck in on net. Owsley couldn't wrap up the loose puck in the crease by the left post, and Dylan Walchuk banged away at the puck until it squirted past the goal line just 44 seconds into the final period to make it 4-1 Chiefs. Walchuk also snapped a long goal scoring drought with his first goal in 9 games,since February 10th, also against Seattle.

The defense and Engel did the rest, killing off 3 straight Prince George power plays in the third to cap off a 4-1 win. The penalty kill went a perfect 5-5, while the offense outshot the Cougars 38-18 in the contest. The Chiefs power play continues to struggle, going 0-6, leaving the team 0-11 on the three game road trip, and a measly 1-36 in their last 9 games. Spokane's last power play goal came at Tri City back on February 18th from Liam Stewart. It is a biggg source of concern as the team heads to the playoffs in three weeks, and if your power play isn't ticking, it makes it awful tough to win as getting 5 on 5 goals in the post-season are much more difficult than the regular season. The good news is the Chiefs penalty kill, which is 15-15 in the three game road swing. The penalty kill will also be huge come playoff time.

Despite the below average post game meal at the rink...I mean, how do you overbake spaghetti and meatballs?...the team got good news after the game, as Vancouver fell to Medicine Hat. So with the win here tonight, the Chiefs are now a point up on the Giants for 4th place in the Western Conference, and with it home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Just 8 games remain for Spokane, and after tomorrow's game with the Cougars, 5 of the last 7 will be at home in the Spokane Arena. That's just fine by me, as I'm sure I can speak for the whole team when I say I'm ready to get out of the hotels and bus and sleep in my own bed. One more game remains though, and the Chiefs hope to make the 14 hour bus ride home to Spokane a happier one with a second straight win tomorrow night. The snow is falling now...the forecast is calling for a foot tonight..oh joy, but at least I can hit the hay instead of worrying about driving in it!

Wednesday, February 29th

The last day of February gave the Chiefs a chance to finish off the month on a winning streak as the team was hoping to complete the back to back sweep of Victoria. It's alwaysss tough to win back to back games on the road on consecutive nights, and Spokane knew it would have to play just as well or better than the did in the previous night's 4-2 victory. The weather was a lot nicer today in Victoria, as the wind died down, and there was actually signs of sunshine after a cloudy, dreary day the day before.

The day flew by, which is always good when you're due to leave the day after for the next stop on the road trip. The Chiefs once again went with Mac Engel in goal, as Engel was rock solid in net the night before in Spokane's win. The one thing I was looking for was the team to build on last night's win and start to play their style consistently over the 60 minutes against the Royals. The first period wasn't especially dynamic from either team. Spokane had a 5 on 3 power play for 32 seconds early in the game, but failed to capitalize. The Chiefs would get a couple of chances from Mitch Holmberg in the final half minute but Royals goalie Jared Rathjen turned away both shots from close range as the teams were scoreless after one.

The late flurry offensively by the Chiefs carried over into the second period, as Spokane put on the pressure in the Victoria end from the first minute of the period. The Chiefs would break through just over 6 minutes in, when Todd Fiddler hit Steve Kuhn up the left wing. Kuhn got by his defender and put a puck on net. Rathjen made the save, but the puck was loose in his pads net front and Blake Gal got a piece of the puck to push it in the net and give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead. Victoria would get a chance to even things up on their second of three power plays in the period, but Kuhn would get the puck up ice after a steal and his shot on net found its' way into Rathjen's pads again, where this time Liam Stewart poked in the loose puck for a shorthanded tally at 15:15 to make it 2-0 Spokane. Gal would then take the puck up ice on a rush just over a minute and a half later and drop it back to Brenden Kichton who was trailing on the play. Kichton ripped a shot from the slot for his 14th goal of the season, and Spokane took a 3-0 lead into the second intermission.

If that goal wasn't a back breaker to Victoria, Kuhn and Stewart would team up again to make sure they ended the competitive phase of this contest. The Chiefs were shorthanded again midway through the third period, when Kuhn took the puck up the right wing. Kuhn hit Stewart charging to the net and Stewart's deflection net front resulted in his 2nd shorthanded goal of the night and his first multi-goal game of his career. The goal also resulted in Kuhn's third assist of the night as the Chiefs silenced the Victoria crowd for a 4-0 lead. More importantly, the goal seemed to take the fight out of the Royals. Spokane would strike just 2:58 later as Mike Aviani took a Marek Kalus pass and slammed a shot past Rathjen before colliding with the Victoria goalie to put Spokane up 5-0.

Mac Engel's bid for a shutout came to an end after a Chiefs turnover in their own zone resulted in a Steve Hodges goal at 12:52 to make it 5-1 Spokane. The Chiefs would cap the scoring as Darren Kramer forced the puck free off the right wall after Dominick Uher was denied on a breakaway. Connor Chartier picked up the loose puck and hit an open Uher in the slot, who made sure the second time around for his team leading 28th goal of the season to cap a 6-1 Chiefs win.

Spokane played one of their finer games over the last month as they outshot the Royals 36-25 in the game. Despite going 0-3 on the power play, the Chiefs were perfect on the penalty kill again, going 4-4. Engel played his second straight solid game in net, coming away with 24 saves. Stewart's two goals led the way, but Kichton had a goal and 2 assists, while Kuhn put up a 3 assist night. Blake Gal also chipped in a goal and an assist, as the Chiefs got contributions from everyone in the lineup.

It was a great way to start this 4 game road trip with back to back wins against a Victoria team that's in a battle for a playoff spot. The Chiefs will now get more of the same as they make the trek North to Prince George on Thursday to face the Cougars back to back nights on Friday and Saturday. The bus departs just after 7am, and the drive should take all day and into the evening to get to PG, so getting some sleep is the priority now. I hate saying goodbye to Victoria, but I certainly look forward to a return trip!

Tuesday, February 28th

This road trip to British Columbia could not have come at a better time for the Chiefs. After getting clobbered in back to back games by Portland and Tri City by a combined 15-6 margin, getting away as a group on the road can have a healing effect on a team under siege. Now the travel on this trip is going to be anything but easy, as a journey on the ferry to Victoria followed by a trek North of 500 miles to Prince George will have the boys sick of the bus in no time. The hope though is that the team will get back to playing at the level they showed in January rather than the results that have come in February, as the team has fallen out of the U.S. Division race. Now the team must play back to back games on two occasions this trip, beginning in Victoria Tuesday and Wednesday, while repeating the feat at PG Friday and Saturday.

First up is the Royals, who overcame a 3 goal deficit to send the Chiefs to a shootout in a 6-5 Spokane win on February 3rd. The former Chilliwack Bruins alwaysss play the Chiefs tough, and this road trip would certainly bring more of the same if history was any guide. The team departed Spokane Sunday afternoon, while I stayed behind to anchor that day at KREM-TV. While the boys got a good night's sleep, yours truly was up at 4:30am to catch a 6am flight to Seattle. From there, it was a shuttle to Everett, that delivered me to the team hotel in time for a 10 minute breakfast. The team then hit the ice in Everett to get in an hour practice before heading back on the bus for the trip to Victoria. The border crossing was pretty smooth; so smooth in fact, that the bus got to the ferry terminal almost 2 hours prior to the 3pm departure to Vancouver Island.

If you've never taken the ferry or seen Victoria, you owe it to yourself to do so. It was a beautiful day out, with lots of sunshine, although the temperatures were definitely winter like and the wind was not exactly warming on the deck of the ship. It's amazinggg how many cars, trucks and trailers they can stack on those ferries. The amount of horsepower those boats have to generate to move through the water must be staggering. Traveling on the boats is pretty nice, too, as they have everything you could want, from shops to cafe's. The trip took about an hour and a half to the island, and the team bus was one of the first off the boat to make the 20 minute trip to the rink to hang the equipment. The arena in Victoria was pretty impressive, with lots of suites and a very modern look to it. The team hotel is right off the downtown area, which is very scenic and cozy. I am extremelyyy impressed with Victoria, and it is now my favorite city to visit in the league...and I've been here all of a day and a half!

Now the tough part for anyone in a great city that has a lottt to see and do, is to focus on the task at hand. The Chiefs still had a game to play tonight, and if Spokane hopes to have home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs against Vancouver, the team must start putting some wins together to make up the 5 point deficit staring at them with just 11 regular season games left. The beginning of the game with the Royals didn't show signs of the Chiefs turning things around as Victoria's Dakota Conroy banged home a rebound just over 5 minutes into the game to make it 1-0 Victoria. A shot from the Royals Mike Forsyth was stopped by Chiefs goalie Mac Engel, but the rebound laid just outside Engel's pad, and Conroy took advantage and banged the puck in to put Spokane down.

Fortunately for the Chiefs, they bounced back from the early deficit. Mike Aviani hit Mitch Holmberg with a pass in the slot, and Holmberg's shot was turned aside by Royals goalie Jared Rathjen. Spokane's Collin Valcourt banged away at the rebound to keep the puck alive in front of the net. The puck squirted out to an open Holmberg in the low left circle and Holmberg snapped the puck top shelf for his 25th goal of the year to tie the game at one. The game would remain that way after the first, as Spokane would outshoot the Royals 12-8 while killing off both Victoria power play chances in the period. In the second, neither team would score, but the Chiefs definitely benefitted from Engel being on his game as the Royals got 3 power play opportunites in the period. The Chiefs didn't get their first man advantage until Victoria had 5 such chances. Spokane still managed to outshoot the Royals 25-19 through 2 as the game remained tied at one heading to the third.

After just 2 goals combined through 40 minutes, the two teams would combine for 4 over the final 20 minutes of the contest. Valcourt would give the Chiefs their first lead of the game just 1:30 into the third period. Marek Kalus brought the puck up the right wing into the offensive end of the ice, and hit Brenden Kichton trailing on the rush at the point. Kichton's shot was turned aside by Rathjen, but Valcourt was parked net front and slapped the rebound in to give the Chiefs the lead. Victoria would respond less than 6 minutes later as Jaime Crooks shot hit off a Chiefs defenseman and found its' way past Engel to tie the game at two. It was the type of fluke goal that has set Spokane into a spiral over the last 3 weeks.

This time though, the Chiefs bounced back and played their best hockey of the night. After seizing back the initiative offensively, the Chiefs would break through late in the third, when Dylan Walchuk chipped the puck up the left wall to Steve Kuhn. Kuhn worked his way past a Royals defenseman and led a rush up ice with Blake Gal. Kuhn threw the puck towards the net, and Gal, who was charging down the slot, tipped the puck past Rathjen at 16:40 to give Spokane a 3-2 lead. Victoria would pull Rathjen in the final minute and a half of the period after winning a face off in the Spokane end of the ice. Off the draw, a Royals shot was blocked by Corey Baldwin, who skated the puck to center ice and buried the puck in the Victoria empty net to seal a 4-2 win.

It was a great finish for Baldwin, who at one point had taken 3 straight penalties that led to Victoria power plays. It was a nice win for the team as well, as Spokane showed signs of getting back to playing the team game that had led to their success earlier in the season. The team also played mentally tough in a tie game in the third on the road, which is a huge boost to start this road trip. About the only thing better was the post game meal at the rink, which was excellent to say the least. The post game cookies were outstanding as well, and since the team is eating there again tomorrow, I really have something to look forward to. Now it's time to relax at the hotel...OK, relaxing meaning typing this blog. I'm ready for a good night's sleep and hoping for more good things tomorrow.

Friday, February 24th

It's a been a rare thing for the Chiefs to have 4 days off between games in the second half of the season, but that was exactly what Spokane got after their 3-0 win over Seattle Sunday. The break giving the team a chance to practice on their special teams, particularly the power play which has been struggling of late, going just 2-25 in the last 6 games. The Chiefs would need their special teams clicking too, as they were off to finish a 4 game road swing against the U.S. Division leading Portland Winterhawks. Portland has caught fire, winning 9 straight and surging to within a point of Kamloops for the top spot in the WHL.

The boys headed West on Thursday after a morning practice at Eastern Washington University. The team took a bit of a hit when forward Dylan Walchuk took a puck to the mouth and had to have a tooth put back in at the dentist after practice. Walchuk had to stay behind, but would join the team on a flight to Portland later that night. The drive over was great, as the sun was out almost the entire way through the Columbia Gorge and the team had a chance to watch the movie 'Drive', with Ryan Gosselin. I had never seen it, and while the film had a pretty good story going for a while, the ending was nottt good. Made me wish I had those two hours back. It did help pass the time, and the rest of the way I got to work on homework for the next night's game and sleep.

The Thursday night meal at Old Spaghetti Factory was an adventure as we missed the turn to the restaurant. That turned into a half hour odyssey trying to find our way back. It also left me starving to boot. Fortunately, the spaghetti hit the spot, not to mention the spumoni. The next day saw the team do breakfast at the hotel before heading to the Rose Garden for a morning skate. The good news for the team was that defenseman, Reid Gow, who had missed nearly a month with a wrist injury, was back from injury and would suit up for tonight's game with the Winterhawks.

A day of sunshine turned to rain by late afternoon. I just hoped this wasn't a sign of things to come. The first period was pretty even, but Portland would take a 1-0 lead on a Ty Rattie power play goal. Rattie now has a league leading 52 goals, half of which have been scored on the power play, which also leads the WHL. Portland had come in #1 on the power play in the league, going 7-11 in their 2 game sweep of Prince George earlier in the week. It became obvious early that the Chiefs couldn't be going on the penalty kill all night, or Portland would eat them alive.

In the second, the Chiefs came right back and tied the game as Dominick Uher took the puck to the net, and deked Portland goalie Mac Carruth into thinking Uher would shoot. Instead, Uher put a perfect pass to an open Mitch Holmberg on the left post and Holmberg backhanded it in just 2:17 into the period to tie the game at one. The game was even until midway through the second. Chiefs defenseman Cole Wedman coughed up the puck in the neutral zone, and Portland broke in on an odd man rush. Chase Deleo's shot was stopped by goalie Mac Engel, but Engel left the rebound net front, where Joey Baker put the rebound through Engel's pads, and Portland took a 2-1 lead. Spokane then got a power play attempt less than a minute later, but defenseman Brenden Kichton put the puck on the tape of the Hawks Taylor Peters in the Chiefs zone, and Peters walked in for an easy backhander, and suddenly it was 3-1 Portland.

The Winterhawks kept up the momentum late in the third, as a failure to clear the puck by Spokane led to a scramble in front of the Chiefs net. Engel lost his stick in the fray, and when Sven Bartschi found an open Marcel Noebels on the far post with just 34 seconds left in the period, it was 4-1 Portland. Just when it looked like things were going to get out of hand for the Chiefs, Uher took the puck on a rush up the left wing and snapped his team leading 26th goal of the season past Carruth with just 9 seconds left to bring Spokane back within 4-2 after two periods. It was becoming obvious that if the Chiefs took care of the puck and didn't give Portland easy opportunities, it was going to be a fairly even game. More importantly, Spokane didn't give up any power plays in the second. Unfortunately, the Chiefs failed on their 2 chances, including giving up the Peters shorthanded goal.

In the third, a loose puck picked up Brendan Leipsic in the neutral zone led to yet another odd man rush for Portland, and Oliver Gabriel converted just over 3 minutes into the period to extend Portland's lead to 5-2. Back would come the Chiefs though as Collin Valcourt's shot from the left side wasn't handled by Carruth and Liam Stewart was there to bury the rebound at 4:10 of the third to make it 5-3. It was Stewart's 5th goal in his last 6 games as he is making a very strong case to be the Chiefs rookie of the year. Spokane didn't know this would be their last high point of the game, as back to back turnovers by Chiefs defensemen 38 seconds apart led to a breakaway goal by Leipsic and a goal out on the slot by Bartschi to let the Hawks break open the game at 7-3.

The Bartschi goal led to the departure of Engel, who was hung out to dry most of the night by the turnover plagued defense. Eric Williams would play the last half of the third, but couldn't stop Portland's second power play of the night, as Nick Petan scored late in the game to cap an 8-3 Portland win. Spokane actually outshot the Hawks 15-11 in the third, but were outscored 4-1, as Portland notched their 9th straight win, and their 6th in 8 meetings with the Chiefs this season, including going a perfect 4-0 at home. It was the Chiefs most lopsided loss of the year, and it certainly doesn't send the team on a high note for an all night bus ride home for tomorrow night's matchup with Tri City.

The Chiefs did get some good news though as Kamloops beat Vancouver tonight, so Spokane is still 3 points back of the Giants for the final home ice spot in the first round of the playoffs. Spokane will have to be a lottt better handling the puck defensively tomorrow night though, or the Americans will perform the same surgery the Chiefs saw tonight. Hopefully the home cooking will make things a lottt better than things feel tonight. The bus is quiet and the rain is pouring down in the Gorge, so it's a good time to say good night, and catch up on some much needed sleep.

Sunday, February 19th

The drive always seems longer after you lose a game. It certainly felt that way after the Chiefs lost in Tri Cities to the Americans Saturday. The trek through Snoqualmie Pass was especially long this trip to Seattle, as the roads were treacherous with nearly a foot of snow falling. The bus had to stop and chain up to get over to the West Side, adding an extra hour and a half to the trip. The team didn't arrive to the ShoWare Center in Kent until just before 3am. With the game with the Thunderbirds looming at 5pm the next afternoon, the turnaround was going to be a quick one for the boys.

The sun actually was out on Sunday as the team got in a quick breakfast and pre-game lunch at the team hotel. I had enough time to get my homework for tonight's game as I watched former Chief defenseman Jared Spurgeon help his Minnesota Wild to a 2-0 win over Boston. It's great to see Spurgey doing so well. He is the smartest player I've covered in 10 years of calling Chiefs games and it's no surprise to me that he is succeeding at the NHL level.

Spokane was out to snap a 4 game losing streak, a season high, as they faced a Thunderbird squad that had been flattened by Portland 11-2 the day before. I knew today's game was going to be a battle of attrition, as both teams were playing their 4th game in 5 days, and third in a row. The first goal is always huge in this type of contest, and the Chiefs would strike first. Marek Kalus would bring the puck into the Seattle zone down the left wing and snap a pass to defenseman Tanner Mort in the right circle. Mort threw the puck on net, and Dominick Uher tipped it past Seattle goalie Calvin Pickard at 10:05 of the period to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead after one. It was Uher's team high 25th goal of the year, and his 5th goal in his last two games in Seattle.  The lead could have been much larger, but Pickard turned away 16 other Spokane shots as the Chiefs outshot the T-Birds 17-4 in the first.

In the second, Spokane would extend the lead when Collin Valcourt tipped a Corey Baldwin shot from the point at 13:45 of the period to make it 2-0 Chiefs. Connor Chartier started the play with some aggresive work on the puck on the left wing. Chartier forced the puck free to an open Baldwin, who fired the puck on net, where Valcourt tipped it net front for his 14th goal of the year. It was a huge goal for Spokane as it's always nicer to take a 2 goal cushion to the third than a precarious one goal lead.

The Chiefs would get the jump start in the third period they needed when Liam Stewart picked off an errant Seattle puck in the T-Birds zone. Stewart got past Seattle defenseman Dave Sutter and went in on a partial breakway, snapping a shot past Pickard just over a minute and a half into the period to give Spokane a 3-0 lead. It was Stewart's 4th goal in his last 5 games and really put the pressure on Seattle to get back in the game. The Chiefs defense and goaltender Mac Engel did the rest, as Engel turned away all 18 Thunderbird shots to preserve the Chiefs first shutout of the season.

It was a solid game all the way around for Spokane, as the team kept the game simple and didn't try to out fancy the opposition, which had been a problem the previous week. It was obvious that both teams were tired as the game progressed, but it was good to see the Chiefs win the battle of wills between the two teams. It was also great to snap a season long 4 game losing streak before the team headed to Portland for their next contest on Friday. As for now, the team is on the bus home, and Snoqualmie is a lottt tamer than it was last night. The movie 'Drive' is playing and the team is getting a chance to finally enjoy a win after a week. I'm sure the drive home will feel a lottt shorter tonight too!

Saturday, February 18th

The one nice thing about a road trip to the Tri Cities....and it's the only nice thing...is the distance. At two hours travel time, it's the Chiefs shortest road journey in the league. It's just the right time to nap too, and I usually do, but this trip was different. After having my car stolen from in front of my house overnight Wednesday, I've been dealing with a lot of phone calls and worry about having to find a new car. Not to mention I can't believe some idiot would want an 18 year old vehicle in the first place. On this bus ride South on this Saturday, I got the phone call that the Spokane police had indeed found my car in a park on the South Hill. It was minus my golf clubs, flashlight and prescription sunglasses...again..what would anyone dooo with those?? Not to mention they drained a full tank of gas out of the old Honda. Crackheads...I've got a good place to deposit them.

Anyway, I digress. It was a relief to get that call believe me. I do want to thank everyone who was on the lookout over the past 3 days. It's good to know there's so much support in the hockey community in Spokane. I'm just glad that my car since 1995 will still be slogging along with me. I know the old Prelude has taken this trip down Highway 395 more than a few times over the last decade. On this trip, I got the chance to work on my pre-game homework for tonight's game with the Americans. The Chiefs were coming off their 3rd straight loss the night before in Cranbrook against the Kootenay Ice, and I was hoping the boys would avoid a season high 4th loss in a row.

The weather was cloudy and cold allll the way from Spokane to Kennewick, but there was actual blue sky to the South and West, which was nice to see after so much gloomy weather over the past week. The Americans were coming off a 5-2 win in Seattle the night before, so they were feeling pretty good about themselves as they looked for their second straight win over the Chiefs in the last week. The previous Saturday in Spokane, the Chiefs had lost 5-3 to the Ams, and were hoping to return the favor on winning on the road.

The start of the game was about as good as Spokane could hope for as the team scored on their first power play chance of the contest. Corey Baldwin's shot from the blue line found the stick of Liam Stewart, who directed it into the net at 5:28 of the period to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead. On the bump up shift after the ensuing face off, the Chiefs struck again, as Marek Kalus scored on a rebound of a Darren Kramer shot 19 seconds after Stewart's goal to give Spokane a 2-0 lead just 5:47 in. The Chiefs then took 3 of the next 4 penalties to give the Americans 3 power play chances. The third time proved to be the charm for Tri, as Brendan Shinnimin scored at 14:01 on a shot from the left goal line that slipped past Spokane goalie Mac Engel to make it 2-1 after one.

Despite getting outshot 12-4 in the first, the Chiefs held a one goal lead. In the second, the Chiefs had a 5 on 3 power play for 43 seconds, but couldn't convert and in the end, it cost Spokane. Tri would convert on their only power play of the period, which turned out to be their last of the game, when Shinnimin scored 4 seconds into the man advantage on a rebound out front at 14:55 to tie the game at two. Tri would then keep their fans on their feet 53 seconds later when Derek Ryckman scored on a slapper from the point to give the Ams their first lead of the game at 3-2.

The Chiefs never fully recovered, although the boys got a power play late in the third. Spokane got a greatt set up when Mike Aviani found an open Darren Kramer in front of the net, but Kramer's shot rang off the post, and the Chiefs chance for a win went wide of the net. Spokane ended up being outshot 34-21 in the contest, and went 1-6 on the power play, while Tri went 2-4 on the man advantage. After a great start, the Chiefs got off their game just enough to give Tri City their 6th win over the Chiefs in 9 meetings. Now the boys have to regroup and head over Snoqualmie Pass to play Seattle. The forecast is for a foot of snow in the pass tonight. Let's just hope the bus doesn't get buried and provide an omen for Sunday's game with the Thunderbirds.

Friday, February 17th

After a 4 game homestand, the Chiefs headed back on the bus as the team is now going on a 4 game road trip. With 8 of the next 9 games away from the Spokane Arena, the team is going to get very familiar with the bus over the next three weeks. Game one of the trip takes the team North of the border, as the Chiefs head to Cranbrook, B.C. to take on the Kootenay Ice. Having just dropped two games in a row to division leading Tri City and a key conference game to Vancouver at home, Spokane is going to need to bounce back on the road, where the team is under .500 this season. The last time the Chiefs were in Cranbrook, it was their last road game on February 4th, when the Ice scored two goals in the third period on their way to a 4-2 win.

The trip to Cranbrook was pretty uneventful, which is the way I like it. Cloudy skies with no precipitation and clear roads makes for ideal conditions to do homework on the bus, and get a good nap in as well. The bus passed several Chiefs fans making their way to Cranbrook for the game, so it will be good to see the hometown support in the stands. I always enjoy the games between the Chiefs and Ice. They are well played, and the fans keep the rivalry respectful and friendly. The games this season have been good ones so far, and I expect more of the same tonight in the Chiefs last visit to Cranbrook this year.

Spokane came out with some scoring chances in the first 3-4 minutes, but were never to able sustain any offensive pressure against the Ice. Kootenay would take advantage of a Chiefs mistake in their own defensive zone just over 7 minutes into the game as Max Reinhart took a puck off the right wall and found a wide open Joe Antilla in the slot. Antilla rifled the puck past Spokane goalie Eric Williams for Antilla's 4th goal in 4 games against the Chiefs to make it 1-0 Kootenay. Another Chiefs turnover outside their blue line led to a 3-2 Ice rush into the Spokane zone, and once again Reinhart delivered the pass, as he found Drew Czerwonka open in the right circle and suddenly it was 2-0 Kootenay.

Things were uggglyyy at this point and I was picturing a first class blowout. The Chiefs bounced back though, as Spokane's Marek Kalus picked up a loose puck on a turnover in the neutral zone, skated across the Kootenay blue line and put a knuckleball shot on Ice goalie McKenzie Skapski that eluded Skapski's glove and suddenly Spokane was back in the game at 2-1. The enthusiasm didn't last long though, as Reinhart completed a 3 point period as he got wideee open in the slot 1:13 later to extend the lead to 3-1 Kootenay after one. As has been the case over the last week, it seems every time Spokane makes a mistake with the puck in their own zone or outside their blue line, it ends up on an odd man rush and in the back of the net. The same mistakes that cost Spokane goals in their losses to Tri City and Vancouver were certainly haunting the team on this night in Cranbrook.

The second period didn't start out well for the team either, as yet another turnover in the defensive end led to a 3-2 rush for Kootenay.. The initial shot was stopped by Williams, but Kootenay's Jon Martin pounced on the rebound and stuffed it in midway through the second to make it 4-1 Ice.  At this point, things reallyyy looked bleak, as I started to recap the game in my mind for the soon to be coming post-game show. Spokane showed some life late in the second when Brenden Kichton put a shot on net from the blue line, and Dominick Uher tipped the puck past Skapski with under 4 minutes left in the period to cut the Kootenay lead to 4-2 after two.

In the third, the Chiefs showed their best offensive period of the game, as they would outshoot Kootenay 11-4. Spokane broke through midway through the period when Blake Gal drove the puck nicely up the right wing and hit an open Uher driving the net to make it a 4-3 game. There was still over 8 minutes left when Uher scored, but the Chiefs never got another golden chance to score to tie it up. In fact, any chance of pulling Williams in net in the final minutes were dashed when Spokane took back to back penalties in the final 1:47 to give Kootenay a 5-3 advantage. Spokane never got possession of the puck after that 5 on 3, and the Chiefs fell 4-3 to the Ice. Spokane would outshoot Kootenay on the night 28-22, in large part due to the shot advantage in the third. The 3-1 deficit after one proved to be too much to overcome though, and the Chiefs suffered their 3rd straight loss and second in a row in Cranbrook to the Ice.

With Spokane's loss, and Vancouver's win over Edmonton tonight, the Chiefs are now 4 points out of 4th place in the conference in the race for the final home ice spot in the playoffs. Unless the team starts playing smarter with the puck in the very near future, the Chiefs will find themselves relegated to that 5th spot in their series with Vancouver in the first round. Now the team is heading back through a nice snowstorm in Northern Idaho, and the snowy, slick roads is slowing the trip home down a bit. The video of the game was shown, and it was just as painful to watch the second time around. Hopefully the team will turn things around tomorrow night in Tri Cities, or it's going to be an ugly night in Kennewick.

Saturday, February 4th

There wasn't a lot of time to enjoy the previous night's 6-5 shootout win over Victoria. The fact that the game wenttt to a shootout may have had a lot to do with that, as the Chiefs coughed up a 3 goal lead in the second by giving up 2 goals in the final 5 minutes to force extra time. Spokane had to feel good about getting the two points though, as they were without 3 defenseman, Corey Baldwin who was suspended after the game in Kamloops for two games for a check to the head penalty, and Tanner Mort and Reid Gow, who were both injured.

With that backdrop, getting a win with just 5 defensemen, three of them rookies, was a big accomplishment. Now the team headed back on the bus to head North to Cranbrook, B.C. to face the Kootenay Ice. Just a week before, the two teams had played an instant classic, with Spokane rallying from a 3-0 deficit to get a 5-4 overtime win in Spokane. Now the Chiefs would try for their second win of the year in Cranbrook as they had earned a 3-2 shootout win in late December.

The day was ideal for a drive through the Idaho panhandle. Dry roads, and sunny skies were a plenty as the drive went quick. The boys lunched in Bonners Ferry before heading across the border into Canada. The Ice are always good at home, and tonight's game was expected to be every bit as tough as the previous two encounters.

Spokane got off to a bit of a slow start in the first couple of minutes against the Ice, but picked up momentum as the period progressed. At one point, the Chiefs put up 9 straight shots on Kootenay on their way to outshooting the Ice 11-4 in the first. Unfortunately, the Chiefs couldn't get any shots past Kootenay goalie Nathan Lieuwen and the game was scoreless after 20 minutes.

In the second, Kootenay's Dylen McKinlay scored off an odd man rush after the Chiefs got caught up ice after a neutral zone face off, as the Ice took a 1-0 lead just over two minutes into the period. Spokane would answer though, as Liam Stewart's shot was turned aside by Lieuwen back into the slot, and Mitch Holmberg rifled home the rebound just over 7 minutes in to tie the game at one. McKinley would take a puck in the slot and beat Chiefs goalie Mac Engel with less than 3 minutes left in the second though, and Kootenay would take a 2-1 lead into the third period.

Spokane would come out in the third and play well, and generate a power play chance when Brenden Kichton was held driving the puck to the net down the slot. On the power play, the Chiefs doggedly kept the puck in the attack zone, and Kichton slapped the puck in from the point at 8:36 to tie the game at 2. Blake Gal, who played on the blue line the entire night, had the primary assist, as Spokane seized momentum of the game at this point. The building was quiet, with the exception of the Chiefs fans that made their way North.

The Kootenay fans would get right back into though as less than 3 minutes later, Joe Antilla's shot from the left wing somehowww eluded goalie Mac Engel and the Ice re-took the lead at 3-2. I had a perfect angle on the shot and Engel just missed the puck. It was not deflected and he had a clear look, but the puck just missed his glove. In fact, afterwards, Engel checked his glove as I'm sure he still couldn't believe it didn't go in. I know the look. I've had those moments in baseball.

The goal seemed to take the wind out of Spokane's sails temporarily. The Chiefs would re-group though and get some quality chances offensively over the next 4-5 minutes, but Spokane could not find a way to get the puck past Lieuwen. McKinlay would make the rally meaningless as he would notch his hat trick goal with less than 2 minutes to go to cap a 4-2 Kootenay win.

It was a disappointing way to lose, especially when the Chiefs seemed to have the game swinging their way at 2-2 midway through the third. It certainly looked like the Chiefs would get at least a point out of the contest, but instead it was a loss that left a lot of what if questions. The loss also enabled Vancouver to tie Spokane for 4th in the Western Conference playoff race for the final home ice advantage spot, as the Giants won in Portland.

The team doesn't get a lot of time to reflect on the loss though, as the boys are heading home to face Seattle at the Arena on Monday night. It's a bit of a grind right now as it seems the team is playing 4 games in 5 nights regularly, but the good news is that the team will be home for the next 4 games. They will also get Baldwin back from his suspension, so hopefully those two things will lift the team up from what has been a grueling schedule mentally and physically.

Wednesday, February 1st

The team arrived into Kamloops at 4am after their win over Seattle the night before, as much as the lack of sleep, the Chiefs would find a bigger challenge awaiting them in the hometown Blazers, who owned the best record in the league entering the game. Kamloops had a 2 point lead on Tri City and Edmonton in the race for the Scotty Munro Trophy to the WHL's best team in the regular season coming into Wednesday's game. For the Chiefs, it was definitely a chance to measure themselves against one of the league's best.

I've been battling a head and chest cold the whole trip, as I'm sure the listeners have picked up on during the previous night's broadcast from Seattle. I spent the day locked up in my hotel room pouring more medications and Vitamin C into me than any human should have to endure. It worked though, as I was raring to go when the team bus took off for the rink. I was hoping the Chiefs would be just as ready, as I'm sure the lack of rest from the night before was not going to help the team's cause.

It was Gordie Howe night at the Interior Savings Centre this night, as Mr. Hockey himself was in the barn to drop the ceremonial first puck. I had nooo idea it was even going on until the ceremony played itself out at center ice. I watched Gordie play as a kid, first with Detroit, then with Hartford as I grew up watching the Philadelphia Flyers. I can remember Gordie playing with his sons Mark and Marty in Hartford with the Whalers, and it was a thrill to see one of the all time greats in person.

Once the festivites were over though, the game started with a bang. Both teams came out to take the body early and it led to a physical battle between the two teams in the first. Kamloops controlled the game offensively early, getting off the first 5 shots of the contest. Spokane would slowly work their way back into the game as the period progressed, and actually took the lead in shots later in the period. Kamloops would strike first though, as a puck stopped by Chiefs goalie Mac Engel's stick laid at the foot of his skates, Engel had trouble finding the puck. Kamloops Matt Needham didn't and he banged the puck through Engel's skates in the net late in the first to give the Blazers a 1-0 lead after one.

In the second, the Chiefs would draw even. Engel, who was sensational in the second, denied a point blank chance by the Blazers on a back door play to keep it a 1 goal game. Spokane then took the puck up ice and Dominick Uher would snap one from the right wing past Kamloops goalie Cole Cheveldave 4:23 into the period to tie the game at one. It was Uher's 5th goal over the last 1 nights as his linemates Mitch Holmberg and Dylan Walchuk picked up the assists. Engel would keep the game tied as he robbed Kamloops leading scorer, Brendan Ranford on a backhander net front later in the period.

The third period would see the Chiefs get a 2-1 opportunity to take the lead, their second 2-1 of the game, but Mitch Holmberg's pass was blocked by a Blazer defenseman. Blake Gal had a similiar chance in the second period, but had the puck drift off his stick, as the Chiefs failed to convert a couple of golden opportunities. Engel kept the Blazers at bay though and the game remained tied at 1 as the contest entered the late third period. The game would turn with just over 6 minutes left when Chiefs defenseman Corey Baldwin hit Kamloops Dylan Willick with a huge check. Willick spun and had his helmet come off, and the referee ruled Baldwin's hit a 5 minute major for a check to the head. It was a huge call and led to Baldwin's ejection from the game.

Kamloops Matt Needham instigated a fight with Baldwin and drew a 2 minute penalty for it, leaving the two teams at 4-4 over the next two minutes before a 3 minute Kamloops power play. The 4 on 4 situation played into the Blazers favor as they would score 2 goals 53 seconds apart to break open the game. Brandon Herrod's shot from the left wing beat Engel short side to give Kamloops a 2-1 lead. Then Spokane got caught up ice and Ranford went in a breakaway and scored on the backhand to make it 3-1. The Chiefs Cole Wedman then drew a hooking penalty while the Blazers were on the power play and Kamloops took advantage of the 5-3 power play when Austin Madaisky scored with less than 3 minutes to go to extend the lead to 4-1.

Despite Engel's best efforts, the Baldwin penalty changed the complexion of the game. Spokane was unable to get anything going offensively and were on their heels from that moment of the contest. The game deteriorated in the final minutes as the two teams got in several fights, including one near line brawl wtih 6.8 seconds left. The officials called the game at that point before things went downhill even further, and Kamloops came away with a 4-1 win.

Spokane had their chances to knock off Kamloops, but failed to take advantage of their odd man rush opportunities, while the Blazers fully capitalized on their chances late on the 4-4 and power play. The game did show me that the team can go toe to toe with any team in the WHL, including the top team right now in Kamloops. Spokane will get one final shot at the Blazers March 14th at the Spokane Arena, and it will be an interesting matchup to say the least.

Now though, the bus is rolling down the highway towards Kelowna and the long 7 hour trek home to Spokane. Victoria awaits the Chiefs in two nights, as the team is in the middle of 5 games in 7 days. I just hope to get some good rest and put this pesky cough and cold to bed for good!

Wednesday, January 24th

Coming off their best weekend of the season with three straight wins over Tri City and Portland on three consecutive nights over the previous weekend, the Chiefs headed back over Snoqualmie Pass for their final meeting of the season with the Everett Silvertips. Needless to say, the weather was anything buttt ideal, as a rain/snow mix greeted the team outside of Ritzville and pretty much turned to snow by the time the team hit Cle Elum. It was slow going through the pass as the roads resembled an ice rink. The bus had to chain up in fact, and KJ our main guy behind the wheel got us underway after about a 15 minute pause. A normal 4.5-5 hour trip to Everett took close to 6 hours and made for a long day of traveling on Tuesday.

Fortunately, all this took place the day before the game. The movies weren't bad either, although I didn't pay too close attention as I was doing my other blog for KREM.com and doing some game prep for the next night's meeting with the Tips. I did enjoy both flicks though. Adam Sandler's remake of the Gary Cooper classic "Mr. Deeds" was pretty funny. It was followed by a Mel Gibson film, "Payback", which was a good suspense movie. Dinner proved to be good call as well, as the Olive Garden breadsticks and salad always work for yours truly. Throw in a little Taste of Italy meal, and I was more than ready for a relaxing evening of work at the hotel.

Game day was the usual in Everett..gee let me guess...cloudy and rainy, perhaps? Wow...what an amazing psychic I can be. How can people live in this all winter? It made for a good reason to finish my game prep and blog and just hang out in the room. The last time the Chiefs were in Everett, Spokane blew a 3-0 third period lead and fell 4-3 in overtime. In my mind, I knew the boys would not let that happen again, and were going to be far more prepared mentally to play the last place Tips than they were almost two weeks earlier. This game also marked the last of the 10 game season series, so going out on a losing note to Everett was not the way the Chiefs wanted to remember their season long encounters.

The Silvertips were coming off a 7-4 loss in Portland the night before, but didn't look like a tired team in the early going. Defenseman Ryan Murray would send a blast from the point past Chiefs goalie Mac Engel just over 5 minutes into the game to give Everett a 1-0 lead. Spokane would bounce right back though, scoring on their first power play of the night. Brenden Kichton's shot from the right point went off the pad of Everett goalie Austin Lotz and right to the stick of the Chiefs Todd Fiddler, who banged it home just past the 8 minute mark of the period to tie the game at one. Spokane's power play has been in struggle mode for the most part the last month, falling to 19th in the league, so it was good to get it going right off the hop in this one. Fiddler's goal is his 6th since joining the club less than a month ago, two more than he had in half a season with Prince Albert.

The goal also sent the team to the first intermission tied at one, and a tie game on the road after one is always a lottt better than trailing. In the second, the power play would be berrry, berrry good to Spokane, as Steve Kuhn converted while the Chiefs were on a 4 minute man advantage to give Spokane a 2-1 lead after two. The Chiefs got the power play when Liam Stewart was sent harddd into the boards by Everett's Jordyn Boyd. Boyd was given a 4 minute double minor for a check from behind rather than the 5 minute major that would have led to his ejection. Stewart was shaken up on the play as it looked like he hurt his right leg sliding into the wall, but he would recover to re-enter the game later in the period. On the power play, Corey Baldwin let go of a shot from the blue line, and Kuhn did the dirty work in the goal mouth and popped the puck in the air over Lotz to give the Chiefs a lead they would never lose.

The third period wasn't without excitement for the Chiefs though, as Darren Kramer would tip a Davis Vandane shot midway through the third to give Spokane a 3-1 lead. Vandane let a slap shot rip from the right point and Kramer tipped a greattt shot from the slot while skating right to left across to give the Chiefs a hugeee two goal lead. That goal would be magnified late in the third, when Everett's Josh Birkholz would score on a rebound with less than 5 minutes left to draw the Silvertips within 3-2. The building was rocking and the fans were seeing another third period comeback for their Tips. The Chiefs took a wise timeout less than a minute later to settle things down and it worked.

Everett would empty their net with less than a minute and a half left, but the Chiefs were excellent with their forecheck pressure, keeping the Tips out of the Spokane end of the ice and constantly sending the puck in the Everett end. Everett never got off a serious threat on the Chiefs defense, and when Blake Gal found Kuhn open at center ice, Kuhn buried the puck in the Silvertip net with just one second left to wrap up Spokane's fourth straight win, 4-2. The Chiefs outshot Everett in every period and won the shot battle 36-21. The special teams were good as well, going 2-7 on the power play and 2-2 on the penalty kill.

It was a tough, hard fought road win, so hopefully the hard work and effort will continue when the Chiefs return home for two big challenges at home this weekend. First up is Portland on Friday night in what promises to be a very physical battle after last weekend's wars. Then the defending league champion Kootenay Ice follow on Saturday. Those games are a couple days away though, so it's time to savor in the present. Rain in Everett and Seattle has now given way to snow on Snoqualmie Pass, and they've now closed I-90 going home to do avalanche control. So now we get to sit on I-90 for who knows how long. I'm just glad I'm on the bus and not having to drive it myself.

Tuesday, January 31st

The final day of January saw the Chiefs head over Snoqualmie Pass for the second time in the last week, as Spokane opened a 2 game road trip in Kent against the Seattle Thunderbirds. Spokane was coming off their most dramatic win of the season, a come from behind 5-4 overtime win over the defending league champion Kootenay Ice the previous Saturday. Spokane rallied from a 3-0 second period deficit and came from down 4-2 with less than 8 minutes left in the third. The Chiefs hoped to build off that win as they took on a Seattle team that had knocked off Spokane 3-2 on January 16th with a 2 goal rally in the third period in Spokane.

The Chiefs were still without defenseman Tanner Mort, who's still recovering from a shoulder injury, while Spokane lost defenseman Reid Gow with an arm injury over the weekend. The good news for Spokane was the team was welcoming back defenseman Cole Wedman from injury, enabling the Chiefs to suit up a full 6 defenseman for the game with the Thunderbirds. Spokane started Eric Williams in net, as Williams had posted the win over Kootenay after coming on in relief of Mac Engel in the second period.

Spokane has traditionally played well in the ShoWare Center, losing just 3 times in 3 years since the T-Birds moved in. Spokane would take advantage of their first power play of the night when Dominick Uher would take a Mitch Holmberg pass up the right wing and put a shot just through the pads of Seattle goalie Calvin Pickard at 9:28 of the first period to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead. It would prove to be the beginning of a career night for Uher. Seattle would answer with a goal on their first power play as Conner Honey scored on a rebound from the left circle with just 7 seconds left on the Thunderbird power play. to even the game at one after the first period.

The Chiefs would dominate the offensive chances in the second, and would score just 2:43 into the period when Uher would tip a Wedman shot from the right point to give Spokane a 2-1 lead. Despite outshooting Seattle 16-5 in the second, the T-Birds would even the game on a Seth Swenson rebound late in the second to send the game to the third tied at two. With a 29-13 shot advantage after two periods, Spokane should have probably had a lead going into the final period, but now found themselves in a dogfight in the last 20 minutes.

Spokane would seize the lead at 12:07 of the third with the two teams on a 4-4 situation. Dylan Walchuk brought the puck up the right wing and patiently waited for Brenden Kichton to join the rush. Kichton came to the top of the slot and snapped a wrist shot top shelf past Pickard for his 11th of the year to make it 3-2 Spokane. Once again, the Thunderbirds came back, as Dillon Wagner finished off a Honey pass in the slot at 15:14 to tie the game at three. It looked like the game was headed to overtime when Seattle was trying to clear their zone with just over a minute to go.

Walchuk would steal the puck at the Seattle blue line and leave it for Uher on the left wing. Uher came down the wing and snapped a shot over Pickard with 1:12 left in the game to give the Chiefs a 4-3 lead. Seattle would pull Pickard with less than a minute to go and get a couple of good looks on Williams in the final seconds, but Spokane would keep the puck out of the net. Corey Baldwin would put a puck up the left wall for Uher, who would skate in on the Seattle empty net and deposit his career high 4th goal of the night in the net with 8.1 seconds left to seal up a 5-3 win. 

The Chiefs outshoot the Thunderbirds 39-22 in the game, yet had to fight to the final seconds to pull out the win. It was certainly not Spokane's best game from a forward's perspective, but the defense was solid throughout, and Uher carried things with Walchuk offensively to give the Chiefs their second straight win, and second in a row in Seattle. Spokane finished the month of January 11-2-2, getting 11 wins in a month for just the 5th time in franchise history. More importantly, the Chiefs moved into 4th place in the Western Conference playoff race, holding the final home ice advantage spot in the first round.

Now the team is on the bus North for the all night ride to league leading Kamloops. The movie 'Friday Night Lights' is on the dvd player and the team gets to relax for a few short hours before getting ready for a matchup with a Blazer team that has beaten Spokane in the two teams previous meetings. Hopefully the team will up its game offensively and the Blazers a battle tomorrow night. As for now, it's time to kick back and take a big nap!

Friday, January 20th

It almost seemed appropriate that the biggest snowstorm of the winter decided to land in Spokane after the Chiefs lost at home to Seattle on Monday 3-2. After beating Tri City at home Saturday, Monday's uninspired effort almost felt like a snowstorm was pounding the Arena. Now the big question was how would the Chiefs rebound as they headed to the Tri Cities to face an Americans team that had lost just twice at home in 21 games, including going 3-0 against Spokane.

The Chiefs had not won a game when they scored just one goal against Tri, while going 2-0 when they scored two or more. So the one goal mark was the magic number for the Chiefs as they headed South on Highway 395. The roads were in decent shape heading down, but a freezing rain started up around Connell, and continued all the way to the rink in Tri. Needless to say, I was glad I was letting KJ our bus driver do the work on this road trip.

Spokane was minus forward Jarid Hauptman, who quit the team after the Seattle game to head home to Alberta. His loss cut into the Chiefs depth at forward, but the team has battled through it all year long, so they will deal with it. It will in fact lead to more ice time for more players, so that will come as good news for some. The one thing with the weather on this night is it definitely cut into the crowd size at the Toyota Center. The house was about half full, so that cut down on the noise factor, and thus the momentum the Ams would build off their vocal home audience.

Tri would jump out on top midway through the first period. A pass from Jordan Messier found its' way through the crease, past goalie Mac Engel and forward Collin Valcourt and onto the stick of Brian Williams, who tucked it in the net at 7:19 of the period to make it 1-0 Tri City. Spokane goalie Mac Engel kept the Chiefs in the contest with some sharp goaltending as he turned away 12 shots to keep it a one goal game.

Engel would step up his play in the second, as he turned away 7 shots, at least 4 of which were high quality chances, as the Chiefs kept within one after two periods. Spokane had chances to even the contest, as the Chiefs had 4 power play chances in the stanza, but Tri City's top rated penalty kill kept Spokane off the board as the Chiefs headed into the third down 1-0.

In the third, the Chiefs would finally get the break through goal after some yeoman work by forward Liam Stewart. Stewart's work on the low wall would free the puck up to Connor Chartier out net front. Chartier would get the puck towards the net, where Ams goalie Eric Comrie came out to meet the pass. Spokane's Collin Valcourt got the puck before Comrie and slid the puck around Comrie into the open net to tie the game at one 5:08 into the period to even the game at one. It was a huge lift for Spokane as the goal took the crowd out of the game and put some jump in the Chiefs.

Spokane would go on the power play for the only time midway through the third period on a Derek Rykman tripping penalty. He was also given a 10 minute misconduct for slamming his stick into the glass in front of the referee, leaving the Ams down a defenseman for the rest of the game. On their 6th power play of the game, the Chiefs finally broke through. Brenden Kichton's shot from the point hit two different sticks, both from Tri City players and the puck dribbled inside the right post to give the Chiefs a 2-1 lead at 10:56 of the period.

Tri City would get a couple of power play chances after that after penalties to Spokane's Marek Kalus. The second penalty came for a delay of game, and the Americans pulled Comrie out of the net to garner a 6-4 skater advantage. The Chiefs would force the puck out of their defensive zone late in the game, when Dominick Uher would skate the puck in the right corner. Uher then let a pass fly into the crease, where it hit off Tri City's Brendan Shinnimin and past Comrie with just 2:40 remaining to give Spokane a 3-1 lead. Engel would do the rest, turning aside all 18 shots by Tri City in the third, to cap a season best 37 save effort in lifting Spokane to their first win in Kennewick in 4 tries this season.

It was a huge bounceback win for Spokane, and enabled the team to claim the only two points in the division on this night, as Portland was idle, and Tri City, Seattle and Everett all lost. Spokane also gained two points on Kelowna in the race for 5th in the Western Conference, expanding that lead to 9 points. Spokane also remained just 4 points back of Vancouver for 4th, so this was a biggg win in many ways for the Chiefs. Now the big question remains...can the boys build on this as they get ready to host Portland over two straight nights beginning tomorrow?

For now, it's a quiet bus ride home to Spokane as the freezing rain is coming down again on Highway 395, making a skating rink of the roads heading back to Spokane. I just hope the trip home is as smooth sailing as the third period was tonight here in Tri Cities.

Friday, January 13th

Friday the 13th games are always ones to fear because people expectttt unexpected things to happen, so they usually do occur. Having won 2 straight from the Everett Silvertips this week already, the Chiefs tried to make it 3 in a row over the Tips and their second straight in Everett, where it is always tough to pick up 2 points. The team headed back over the pass to the West Side once again on Thursday, while I took the old Prelude over on game day after working at KREM-TV Thursday night.  The drive was ideal over, as the Sun would peak out on occasion, but wasn't too bright to blind me for the 4.5 hour trip.

The Chiefs decided to go with backup Eric Williams in net, after he picked up his first win as a Chief against the Silvertips the previous Sunday, while Everett went with their backup Austin Lotz, who had faced Spokane once before, an 8-1 Chiefs win in early November. Spokane looked like it was going to try and repeat history early in this contest as well, as Darren Kramer tipped in a Blake Gal shot from the point just 7:45 into the game to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead. Davis Vandane started the play by forcing the puck free on the right wing and fed an open Gal at the point. It seemed like Deja Vu all over again, as Yogi Berra would say, when the Chiefs did the exact same thing just under 5 minutes later. This time it was Brenden Kichton getting off a shot at the point, and newcomer Dylan Walchuk scoring his first goal as a Chief at 12:35 to give Spokane a 2-0 lead after one.

Spokane dominated the first period as they outshot the Silvertips 17-8 and controlled the puck possession of the period. In the second, the Chiefs did enough to maintain control of the game as they once again outshot Everett, this time 14-7. Spokane would extend the lead for good measure as well, as Vandane's shot from the right point found its' way through Lotz's pads at 12:16 of the period for Vandane's first goal of the year and a 3-0 Spokane lead after two. The Chiefs were in control of the game as they took a 3 goal lead into the third period.

It was Friday the 13th after all, but the first half of the period was an evenly played affair on the scoreboard, although the Chiefs weren't getting a whole lot of offensive opportunities going. Midway through the period, Spokane would get a power play chance, their 4th of the game, and I even mentioned on air it was a chance to really put the game away if they could convert the opportunity. Unfortunately, the only converting came from the Silvertips, as the Chiefs turned the puck over, and then watched the Tips beat them down ice to score a shorthanded goal from Ryan Murray at 10:10 of the third to bring Everett within 3-1. The goal woke up what had been a dormant crowd and it got the Silvertips going as well.

The Chiefs didn't help their own cause by taking an unneccessary penalty, their only one in three periods as it turns out, at 13:05 of the third, to put Everett on the power play. Josh Birkholz converted a pass through the slot and scored over Williams at 13:41 to get the Silvertips within 3-2 and reallyyy get the building rocking at that point. The Chiefs took a timeout and seemed to settle down at that point, especially in their own zone, but didn't generate any serious offensive threats. With a one goal deficit, the Silvertips pulled Lotz from net in the final minute to bring on an extra skater. The Chiefs had a chance to clear the puck up the wall, but failed to do so, and Nick Walters shot found its way to Williams pads. Williams made the save, but the rebound was put in the net by Everett's Kole Bauml with just 28 seconds left to tie the game at three.

What looked like a sure 2 points was now a game going to overtime and old Uncle Momentum was clearrrlyyy not on the side of the Chiefs at this point. Spokane would keep the overtime at an even pace until midway through the OT. Walchuk took a double minor for a high stick going for a puck, and now the Chiefs had to rely on the penalty kill to try to force the game to a shootout. Everett had other ideas, as they converted both their power plays on this night, as Josh Winquist one timed a shot from the right circle over Williams 3:23 into overtime to give Everett about as unlikely a win as they will see this season. It was a crushinggg loss to lose what looked like a sure two points for Spokane.

It's the second time this year the Chiefs have blown a 3 goal third period lead, both of them against last place teams in the Western Conference, with the first against Prince George at home in early December. Now the task becomes a simple one for Spokane...learnnn from the experience..again..and build some maturity to their game to play a full 60 minutes to earnnn the two points. Fortunately for the team, they won't have long to dwell on the disappointment as first place Tri City rolls into the Arena after blowing out Vancouver 11-7 in Van tonight. Let's just hope the boys play like they did in the first against the Americans and nottt like the third on Saturday night.

Sunday, January 8th

Since the Everett Silvertips joined the league in the 2003-04 season, the Chiefs had neverrrr scheduled back to back games in Seattle and Everett. Ever. So when I looked at the schedule in August and saw the Chiefs were doing so this season on January 7-8...I had to do a double take. All I can say is..it's about time! It's great to wake up and know you have all of a 40 minute commute to your next game. It's like driving from the South Hill in Spokane to Couer d'Alene. I loveddd it! Not to mention it was a nice day for a drive as the sun peaked through as I headed up 405 to hook up on I-5 North. It didn't hurt that the Chiefs had knocked off Seattle the night before to put themselves 10 points up on the Thunderbirds in the U.S. Division.

Revenge had to be on the minds of the boys too as the Chiefs had lost 6-2 to the Silvertips the last time the two teams had met in Everett. The big concern coming into tonight's meeting was fatigue. It was Spokane's third straight game in as many nights, and 4th in 5 nights, and the last game on that configuration, especially with 3 of the 4 games on the road, is always the toughest on teams both physically and mentally. Fortunately for the Chiefs, it was also Everett's third game in 3 nights, although the Silvertips had stayed home the night before.after playing in Portland on Friday.

Spokane went with new goalie Eric Williams on this night after Mac Engel had won the previous two nights over Moose Jaw and Seattle. Williams had not won a start for Spokane since being acquired from Prince Albert and the Chiefs were hoping to change that fact against the Tips. Williams teammate in Prince Albert, Todd Fiddler, would help Williams out just 4:39 into the first period. Dominick Uher and Mitch Holmberg led a 4-2 rush up ice after an Everett turnover in neutral ice. Uher would find Fiddler open on the left wing, and Fiddler would snap home his 4th goal in 6 games with the Chiefs from the left circle to give Spokane an early 1-0 lead.

Williams though would give up the equalizer just 41 seconds later, as Ryan Murray's routine slap shot from the Chiefs blue line went off Williams stick and into the net to tie the game at one. My one thought at the time...this was nottt a good goal to give up. Everett would confirm that thought just under 7 minutes later, when Kole Bauml redirected a pass netfront past Willams on the power play to give the Tips a 2-1 lead. Now the crowd was rocking and Everett was brimming with confidence. Fortunately for Spokane, the Chiefs stood up and came right back at the Silvertips. Brenden Kichton and Connor Chartier played a give and go up ice, and Chartier would head down the right wing to the goal line, turn and hit a wide open Mike Aviani on the rush. Aviani one timed the shot past Everett goalie Kent Simpson to tie the game at 2. Aviani's goal came just 42 seconds after Boml's tally and shifted the momentum righttt back to Spokane. The Chiefs kept things rolling on the very next shift, as Uher and Fiddler led a rush up ice and found Mitch Holmberg in the slot. Holmberg put it through Simpson's pads just 26 seconds after Aviani's goal to give Spokane a 3-2 lead after one.

It was a hugeee goal to send Spokane in with a lead despite not having one power play in the first and having to kill off 3 Everett man advantages. The goal seemed to get the Chiefs going into the second period too, as Spokane dominated the period offensively. Things got jump started after Collin Valcourt was given a 4 minute double minor penalty midway through the second to put Everett on the power play. The Chiefs penalty kill was excellent, limiting Everett to just one shot and forcing a turnover at the Spokane blue line that led to a Blake Gal breakaway just over 3 minutes into the Silvertip power play. Gal would snap a wrister past Simpson at 10:31 to give the Chiefs a huge 4-2 lead. Spokane totally controlled play the rest of the period, and when Brenden Kichton found Marek Kalus in the right circle on a power play at 16:04, Kalus converted a shot through the pads of Simpson to give the Chiefs a 5-2 lead after two. Spokane fired off 15 of the periods 17 shots and would enjoy a 3 goal lead going to the third.

The two teams played pretty evenly into the third until Spokane's Jarid Hauptman was whistled for a double minor for spearing midway through the third. It was a missed call, as Everett's Jari Ericson had fallen in the neutral zone with Hauptman. As Hauptman tried to get up, Ericson continued to lay on Hauptman's stick. Hauptman tried to pull the stick out from under Ericson, who was showing nooo hurry to move, and the referee decided that Hauptman purposefullyyyy speared Ericson. The penalty led to yet another questionable 4 minute double minor power play for the Tips and they would convert at 14:01 of the period to cut the lead to 5-3.

Everett would pull Simpson in the final minute and a half of the period and bring on an extra skater, but the Chiefs defense and Williams held firm as Spokane secured their 3rd straight win of the weekend 5-3. It was the Chiefs 6th win in 7 games with the Silvertips and put Spokane 12 points up on Seattle for third, and pulled the boys within 10 points of second place Portland. With three home games with the Winterhawks looming in a couple weeks, any chance to gain ground on Portland now will help Spokane's chances of making a run for second. It was a nice win for Williams too, as he turned away 16 shots in the third and 27 in the game.

Now the team gets a couple days off before getting right back into it with 4 games in 6 nights from Wednesday to the following Monday. The next two games will come against these very same Silvertips, with a home game Wednesday, before the Chiefs head back across the pass on Friday. Hopefully the Chiefs will continue to play the same they did in the second period of tonight's game, because when the Chiefs control the puck, play physically and have an aggressive forecheck, they are a tough team to play. Let's hope the boys keep up the good work Wednesday at home.

January 7th

It just felt like the Chiefs came off the road. Oh yeah, they did just 3 days previous. Spokane able to fit in a home game last night with a 5-2 win over Moose Jaw as the Chiefs capped a perfect 6-0 season vs. the East Division. Now the Chiefs were staring at 12 straight games in their own U.S. Division, beginning with a two game road trip to Seattle and Everett. The team left for Seattle right after the Moose Jaw game, while I drove over this afternoon to meet the team at the hotel to catch the bus to the rink.

It was the first time the Chiefs have faced the Thunderbirds this season, which is the first time in my 10 years that Spokane has nottt faced a division foe in the first half of the year. Seattle began the night 8 points back of Spokane for third place in the division, so the 8 games between the two teams over the final 36 contests of the season will go a long ways as to who can try to stay in the race with Portland for second.

The ShoWare Center in Kent has proven to be a good home away from home for the Chiefs, as Spokane has lost just 3 games over the last 2 1/2 seasons that Seattle has played there. With Spokane coming off a nice win over Moose Jaw, the Thunderbirds had suffered a 7-3 shellacking in Tri City the night before. I was fully expecting Seattle to come out strong in the first period to make up for the previous night's loss.

The first couple of shifts Seattle came out physically and threw the body around with good speed on the ice. Spokane shook off the Seattle thrust and started to take the game over about 7 minutes into the first. The Chiefs would break through midway through the period when Dominick Uher, in his second game back from the World Junior Tournament, took the puck from Todd Fiddler at center ice. Uher came across the Seattle blue line and put the puck on Mitch Holmberg's stick on the right wing. Holmberg did the rest, shooting the puck over Seattle goalie Calvin Pickard's glove at 10:36 of the first to make it 1-0 Spokane.

The goal seemed to really lift Spokane to a new level and they would pounce on the T-Birds during Seattle's only power play of the first. Corey Baldwin stole the puck at center ice, skated over the Seattle blue line and fired a shot. The shot went off a Seattle defenseman's leg and bounced right to the stick of a streaking Steve Kuhn, who was flying down the slot. Kuhn gathered in the puck and slid it through Pickard's pads to give Spokane a 2-0 lead. Spokane then swarmed over the Thunderbirds in the Seattle zone the rest of the period and popped another shot past Pickard when Todd Fiddler snapped home a Brenden Kichton pass in the slot at 18:48 to give the Chiefs a 3-0 lead after one. Spokane dominated the period offensively, outshooting Seattle 16-7 and keeping the puck in the Seattle end of the ice most of the period.

You always worry about a letdown with a 3 goal lead, and the Chiefs added to that concern when former Chief Burke Gallimore deflected a shot just 22 seconds into the second period to cut the Spokane lead to 3-1. The Chiefs settled down the rest of the period though to outshoot Seattle 15-7 in the second and maintain their 3-1 lead going into the third. In the third, Seattle would score on a rebound at 12:50 of the period to make it a 3-2 game. The crowd was not veryyy vocal, and the Thunderbirds were upping the ante effort wise as well. The Chiefs would answer though, as Holmberg poked the puck free to Fiddler at the Seattle blue line to create a 2-1. Fiddler would feed Holmberg net front. Holmberg's first shot hit the right post and kicked out, but Holmberg stuck with it and backhanded the rebound past Pickard at 16:22 to secure a 4-2 win.

Seattle got a power play late in the contest, and pulled Pickard from goal with just under 3 minutes left for a 6-4 advantage, but the Spokane penalty kill finished off a 5-5 night to preserve the win. Goalie Mac Engel came away with 24 saves to capture his 17th win of the season and continue his solid play in the second half of the season. It was a big win for the Chiefs as they pull 10 points ahead of Seattle for third in the division. It also give the team a boost momentum wise heading into another key division game at Everett tomorrow night. The last time the Chiefs were in Everett, they got rolled 6-2, so that should certainlyyy be on their minds this time around.

At least the team gets to stay in Seattle tonight for the short half hour ride to Everett tomorrow afternoon. Sure beats the usual 4.5 hour trek to Everett, so I hope the rest will prove beneficial and lead to a third straight win for the boys.

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

The New Year brought yet another road game for Spokane, as the team finished up its' four game road trip after the holiday break in the same city it began, Kelowna. The Chiefs had skated to a convincing 4-1 win over the Rockets 8 days previous to this contest, so the hope was the team could bring the same effort to tonight's game that they showed against Kelowna in the first two games that resulted in Spokane wins. The team was still without Dominick Uher, who was away at the World Juniors with the Czech Republic team, and Tanner Mort, who had suffered a shoulder injury in the last game against Kelowna.

The biggest key to the first two wins for Spokane was their first period starts, as the Chiefs had jumped out to early leads in both games. This night would prove to be different almost from the puck drop. Kelowna's Mitch Chapman sent a shot from the right point that found its way through net front traffic and the pads of Chiefs goalie Eric Williams, just 2:38 into the game to give Kelowna a 1-0 lead. Spokane would slowly work their way back into the game, and would pull even late in the first. Mitch Holmberg took a Liam Stewart pass and went up the left wing. Holmberg pulled up and hit a trailing Jason Fram in stride on the right wing, and Fram snapped the puck past Rocket goalie Adam Brown at 15:43 of the first to tie the game at one. Despite getting off just 5 shots and having just one power play in the period, the Chiefs were in good shape to be tied at one after the first.

Unfortunately the momentum of Fram's goal did not carry over to the second period for Spokane. Kelowna's Colton Heffley lifted a shot over Williams on the Rockets first power play of the game at 3:37 of the period to give Kelowna a 2-1 lead. Heffley gathered in a rebound while wide open net front and put the shot over Williams glove with just 3 seconds left on the man advantage to give the Rockets a lead they would never lose. After Heffley's goal, the game became the Brett Bulmer show. The Minnesota Wild draft pick scored less than 3 minutes after Heffley's goal on a rebound to put Kelowna up 3-1. Bulmer then took the puck around the back of the net and backhanded a shot top shelf on Williams at 10:16 to make it a 4-1 game. That spelled the end of the night for Williams, as Mac Engel came on in relief. Bulmer would victimize Engel while Kelowna was on their second power play of the period as he shoveled a shot in on a scramble net front to cap off a natural hat trick and give the Rockets a 5-1 lead after two.

The Chiefs had to kill off Kelowna's third power play of the period into the third, and after doing so successfully, would score just 1:13 into the third. Once again, it was Holmberg settting up the play with a nice feed from the right goal line to a streaking Darren Kramer who came open in the slot. Kramer put the shot over Brown for his 13th of the season, and the Chiefs had life as they trailed it 5-2. I just had the feeling if Spokane could notch another goal in the next 5 minutes, it would make for a very interesting finish. It was not to be though, as despite outshooting Kelowna 11-5 in the period, the Chiefs only managed a hit goal post by Todd Fiddler for offense, and ended up falling 5-2. It was nice to see Spokane rebound to some extent in the third, as that will hopefully carry over into the Chiefs next contest at home on Friday night against Moose Jaw.

One thing that this game in Kelowna showed the Chiefs was you can't have one bad period on the road and hope to win....even if the other two periods are average or good. It was a less than pleasant way to end the four game road trip as the boys dropped two straight after winning the first two. It will be nice to get back home for the first time since December 17th, but there won't be a lot of time to enjoy home, as the team is heading right back on the road Saturday and Sunday to Seattle and Everett. I just hope the team gets back to playing the way they are capable in front of the home fans before hitting the road.

Saturday, December 31st

I won't lie. This is my leastttt favorite game of the year to cover. Spending New Year's Eve in the Tri Cities is nottt how I'd draw up my end of the year plans if I had my choice. This is the 10th straight year I've spent a New Year's Eve away from friends, parties and loved ones, and I can't say I've adjusted to it. If the tradition got tossed to the curb, I'd be the first to applaud it. That said, here I am on the bus heading down to Tri for yet another New Year's Eve game with the Americans. The Chiefs come in off a nice road win over Kootenay the night before, so I'm just hoping some of that momentum will carry over against an Ams team that has won 9 straight and has the best record in the league.

Spokane has dropped 2 straight to Tri, scoring just one goal in each of the losses. In fact, the Chiefs have managed just 1 goal in their other loss to the Ams, that coming back in September in the season opener. So I guess the big factor will be if the team scores than one goal, they stand a good chance of winning. If not, it's 3 straight losses to their biggest U.S. Division rival.  The drive down was pretty uneventful as the team left the sunshine of Spokane for the cloud cover of Tri City. Usually it's the other way around. Just hope that's not a sign of things to come.

Last year in this game, the contest was postponed due to the ice failing in front of the Ams bench. Somehow I think that will not be an issue and be fixed this year. A sellout crowd showed up to the game. No big surprise as it answers my question as to what else is there to do in the Tri Cities on a New Year's Eve? Somehow I don't think the big party at the Red Lion is a better alternative. All I know is, the crowd is ready to go and the arena is louddd as always.

The Chiefs hoped to get off to a good start in this one, as starts are alwaysss important in this building. If you take the crowd out of the game here, your chances of coming out with two points greattlyyy increase. Unfortunately for Spokane, it was the Americans that got on the scoreboard first, as a shot by Tri's Justin Feser was saved by new Chiefs goalie Eric Williams, but the rebound kicked out in the slot to an open Michael Plutnar, who came in unmarked, and his rebound found the net to make it 1-0 Tri City. Spokane then had a chance to tie the game on the power play, but with the puck in the neutral zone, Chiefs defenseman Jason Fram fell down, leaving Tri City's Patrick Holland to pick up the loose puck and skate in on a breakaway. Holland beat Williams with a forehand shot, and suddenly it was 2-0 Tri City.

Now the Chiefs were in trouble, as the building was rocking and Tri was flying around the ice. Spokane settled down though, and gradually worked their way back into the game. The payoff would come for the Chiefs in the final minute of the period, as Mitch Holmberg got hold of a loose puck and sent a pass into the slot. Marek Kalus gathered in the pass and shoveled it past Tri goalie Ty Rimmer with 30.1 seconds left to bring Spokane within 2-1. The momentum of that goal would quickly disappate though, as Todd Fiddler was whistled for a slashing penalty just 7 seconds after the goal to put the Ams on the power play. Then with just under 2 seconds left, Corey Baldwin was whistled for another slash and Tri would get a 5-3 power play to start the second period.

It looked like the Chiefs would get past the 5-3 in the second, but a pass by the Americans through the crease hit off a leg and laid there while Williams slid to the far post anticipating the pass getting through. It left the net wide open and Jordan Messier said thank you very much with the tap in, and Tri led it 3-1. It was a huge swing for the Americans as they now enjoyed a two goal lead and had the crowd rocking the house. Spokane would get back to back power plays in the second, but generated absolutely nothing on them, and the Chiefs trailed by two going into the third.

The third period started with Tri defenseman Sam Grist sending Kalus head first into the boards. Somehowwww Grist got a 4 minute double minor for a check from behind instead of a 5 minute major and a game misconduct. I'll say this...if a Spokane player had delivered the hit...like Dominick Uher and Blake Gal earlier this year in Tri, it wouldd have been a 5 minute major. As it was, the Chiefs got a 4 minute power play and were unable to generate anythinggg on it. Spokane would get another man advantage shortly after failing on the 4 minute power play, and still failed to get the goal to bring them within one. This turned out to be theee crucial part of the game for the Chiefs, as their failure to win puck battles or generate any offense on their 6 power plays cost them any chance of winning the game.

Tri City would tack on a goal midway through the third period after a careless turnover by the Chiefs in front of their own net, and the Americans would skate off with their 10th straight win 4-1. Spokane has now lost 3 in a row to the Americans, and in all four losses to Tri this year, the Chiefs have managed just one goal in each of the defeats. The chances of contending in the U.S. Division are almost over, as Spokane is now down 19 points to Tri with 38 games left to play. Now the team must regroup as they head back out on the road to meet Kelowna for the second time in 8 days.

Now I sit on the bus as the New Year rings in with me near the Ritzville exit and we're watching the game video of the less than pleasant third period in Tri. A good party sure sounds great right about now.

Friday, December 30th

Perhaps the most challenging weekend yet in the season awaits the Chiefs as they continue their road trip to start the second half of the regular season. Tonight, the team heading to Cranbrook, B.C. to face the defending league champion Kootenay Ice, before heading to Tri City on New Year's Eve to take on the team with the best record in the WHL. With a good win at Kelowna on Tuesday under their belts, Spokane would head into Friday's matchup with the Ice on a high note. Kootenay was a bit shorthanded with a number of players off playing in other tournaments, while the Chiefs were still down Dominick Uher, who was busy helping the Czech Republic team beat up the U.S. on this day.

I love trips to Cranbrook as they are short, and scenic. Today was no exception. I got plenty of time to do my pre-game prep work, and get a good spaghetti and chicken pre-game meal in Bonners Ferry to boot. It's a lottt nicer taking the bus some trips than driving myself, and this was one of those days. We got to the rink in Cranbrook earlier than normal; about a half hour in fact, but there still seemed to be plenty to do, so I never felt like the time dragged getting ready for the game. In fact, I got a chance to visit with quite a few of the Chiefs fans that made their way up to Cranbrook, which is about a 3.5 hour drive from Spokane.

The game marked the debut for new Chiefs forward Todd Fiddler and goalie Eric Williams. The two met the team in Cranbrook and while Williams got the night to back up Mac Engel in net, Fiddler was thrown right in, as he lined up with Steve Kuhn and Mitch Holmberg to start the night. On Fiddler's very first shift, he got a pass between Kootenay defenders in the offensive zone and got off a point blank backhand shot on Ice goalie Mackenzie Skapski. As he did manyyy times on this night, Skapski made a great save to keep the Chiefs off the board. In fact, the two teams failed to score in the first, in large part due to the play of Skapski and Engel, who turned away 14 and 11 shots respectively in the period.

In the second, Kootenay broke through, as defenseman Joey Leach one timed a shot from the left point to beat Engel at the 7:46 mark to make it 1-0 Ice. The Chiefs would come right back though, and it was Fiddler who found a way to beat Skapski, as he scored 7 seconds after matching minor penalties that left the two teams playing 4-4 hockey. Kootenay answered later in the second though, as a puck took an odd bounce out of the left corner in the Spokane end, and ended up in the left circle. No one from the Chiefs could get to the puck, and Dylen McKinley flashed into the circle after a change, and rifled a shot by Engel at 16:12 of the second to give the Ice a 2-1 lead after two periods. It was a tough goal to swallow late in the period, and it left Spokane staring at a deficit going into the third in a game in which they had put up 30 shots on Skapski through 2 periods.

The third period would see the Chiefs pull even, in large part to finallyyy getting some power play chances. Spokane had just one man advantage in 2 periods, and it was cut short by a Chiefs penalty. After a high sticking minor to Kootenay's Eric Benoit, the Chiefs did nothing in the first minute of the power play. After a change to the second unit though, things picked up in the offensive zone. Marek Kalus would find Reid Gow at the point. Gow's shot was saved by Skapski, but Liam Stewart was out net front to hit a rebound. Skapski made the save...of course..but Stewart stuck with it and backhanded his own rebound past Skapski to get the Chiefs even at 2 at the 7:02 mark of the period. Now the Chiefs were back in the game, and they would stay even with Kootenay for the rest of regulation to force overtime.

Engel and the defense had been pretty solid most of the game, and would remain that way in the 5 minute overtime. The scoreless 5 minute period, which didn't see a lot of offensive threats, would force a shootout, where Spokane had just a 1-3 record on the season. The only shootout win came in a 9 round victory over Regina. Tonight's shootout would only go 2/3 of that one. It didn't look good early for Spokane as Jarid Hauptman was stopped, while Kootenay's Max Reinhart scored easily on Engel in round one to make it 1-0 Ice. After a scoreless second round, Spokane's Mitch Holmberg had to score to keep the Chiefs alive. He did just that with a top shelf back hand to even the score at one. Then Engel turned aside Kootenay's Jesse Ismond to force the sudden death rounds.

In rounds 4 and 5, neither team was able to light the lamp. Round 6 would see the Chiefs Brenden Kichton roofed one on the forehand over Skapski to put Spokane ahead 2-1. It was up to Engel to deny Kootenay's Brock Montgomery, and Engel did just that, turning aside the wrister to give the Chiefs a come from behind 3-2 shootout win. After 2 dismal outings to end the first half, Engel has turned it around in the first two games of the second half, going 2-0 and giving up just 3 goals; as compared to 10 in the two games before the break. No question the prescense of Williams will help keep Engel on his toes in the next few games and that will only help the Chiefs.

It was a huge come from behind win on the road for the Chiefs, who won back to back road games for the first time this season. Now the realll test comes as the team will have to rebound the very next night down in Tri Cities against an Americans team that has the best record in the league, and hold a whopping 17 point lead over Spokane in the standings. Tomorrow night will help show where the Chiefs stand in their own division, and for that reason alone, will be a huge contest.

Tuesday, December 27th

The 9 day holiday break couldn't have come at a better time for the Chiefs, as Spokane gave up 14 goals in back to back losses to Everett and Portland. I don't know if Christmas dinner tasted as good with that statistic to reflect upon as the team got ready for the second half of the season in Kelowna. Spokane knew they would open the 2nd half with 4 straight road games, with two of them against the Rockets within an 8 day span. After winning just 3 of their first 14 games on the road in the first half of the schedule, the Chiefs knewww they had to get a lottt better away from the Spokane Arena if they hoped to make up ground on division leading Tri City or second place Portland.

The Chiefs are still without Dominick Uher, who is playing for the Czech Republic team in the World Junior Tournament in Canada until at least the New Year. Other than that, the team was relatively at full strength, as they welcomed back defenseman Tanner Mort to the lineup after missing the previous 3 weeks. The team bus departed on Monday morning for Tuesday's game, as the rest of the team flew in from all over Canada to meet for a Monday practice. I drove up on Tuesday, and fortunately the roads were dry and clear, so it took the usual 5 hours to arrive in Kelowna.

The last time the two teams played, the Chiefs outshot Kelowna 45-12 on their way to a 5-1 win on October 8th at the Arena. Mitch Holmberg and Anthony Bardaro led the way that night with 2 goals and an assist apiece as the outcome was never in doubt. The Chiefs were without Bardaro on this night, as he was a late scratch at game time. Spokane would get more than enough from Holmberg on this night though.

The first period went about like the game in Spokane did in October, as the Chiefs dominated offensively, outshooting Kelowna 15-4 in the first period. Rockets goalie Adam Brown single handedly kept Kelowna in the game though, as he turned aside 14 shots in the period, including 3 in a row in a flurry early in the stanza, when he used about every piece of equipment to keep the puck out of the net. Holmberg would solve Brown though with just 3 minutes left in the period to make it 1-0 Spokane after one. Holmberg got a pass in the left circle while Spokane was on the power play and rifled one top shelf for his 11th goal of the season. It was a big goal for the Chiefs as they got rewarded for a dominating effort in the period.

In the second, it was more of the same for Spokane, as the Chiefs outshot the Rockets 13-7 and would add two more goals to take a 3-0 lead into the third. Spokane converted their second power play of the night at 14:18 of the period when Holmberg hit Marek Kalus in the slot and he one timed the puck through Brown's pads to make it a 2-0 game. Just 1:33 later, Collin Valcourt would score a goal in his 3rd straight game as he batted the puck in during a net front scramble.

The one thing you worry about is a letdown going into the third with a good lead like Spokane had built up. The Chiefs had a chance to put the game away in the third when they had 2 different 5-3 power play chances in the first 3 minutes of the period, but failed to score. Chiefs goalie Mac Engel made a couple of big saves to keep the Rockets and the crowd out of the game though, and Spokane held the three goal lead until midway through the period.

Spokane's Steve Kuhn would take the puck and hit Holmberg in stride behind the Rockets defense, and Holmberg would slide the puck past Brown for his second of the night to make it 4-0 Spokane. It would mark the second straight game that Holmberg notched 3 points against the Rockets. The only thing that remained to be settled was whether Engel and the Chiefs would get their first shutout of the season. Kelowna's Brett Bulmer would spoil the shutout with just 1:52 left as he scored on an odd man rush from the slot, but Spokane would come away with the 4-1 win.

It was a great start to the road trip as the Chiefs will now face two of the toughest tests they will face, as they travel to defending league champ Kootenay on Friday and divison leader Tri City on Saturday. Spokane will do so without Bardaro and backup goalie Luke Lee-Knight as they were dealt after the game to Prince Albert for goalie Eric Williams and forward Todd Fiddler. They'll both be with the team when Spokane hits the road this weekend, so hopefully they'll make an impact and the Chiefs continue their momentum.

Friday, December 16th

The Chiefs embarked on the final road game of the first half of the regular season with a return trip to Everett, where Spokane scored a 5-2 decision the Friday previous to pick up their 3rd road win of the season. Coming off a 3-2 overtime win over the Silvertips on Wednesday on Steve Kuhn's game winner, the Chiefs had now won 5 straight against the Tips in the regular season series. The team took off on Thursday afternoon to aviod dealing with the Friday traffic that bogs down I-405 and I-5 to Everett into a parking lot. As it turns out, an accident on Northbound 405 diverted the team to I-5 and downtown Seattle and the mess that ensues there every day starting at 3:30pm, but at least the bus kept moving. Not to mention, the movie "Hangover 2" kept the boys entertained. I know I found it pretty darn humorous to watch.

I spent a relaxing night of watching HBO in the room, which included watching the 24/7 series, Flyers/Rangers, the road to the Winter Classic. If you're a hockey fan, it's a can't miss series. The previous installments from year's past have been excellent and this year's edition is no exception. It sometimes feels like a behind the scenes look at our hockey team when I watch it, or any other hockey club for that matter. Make it point of tuning in if you can.

Game day in Everett began much the same way the day before was, cloudy and raining. Gee, biggg surprise there. I couldn't take living on the West Side of this state for very long. The traffic is bad enough, but going days without sunshine at some point would drive me up a wall. Anyhoooo, the day went pretty quickly after breakfast and lunch at the team hotel. It's about 7 minutes travel time to the rink, so it's almost within walking distance.

The Everett Events Center, now called Comcast Arena before that sponsorship goes away, has been a house of horrors over the years for the Chiefs, but Spokane has played muchhh better there over the past 5 years. The Chiefs have won 5 of their last 6 there, including last Friday's contest, so it was hoped the team would come out with another solid performance to give the team a boost going into their final game of the first half with Portland the following night at the Spokane Arena. The Winterhawks have been off since a Sunday loss at Tri City, and will be waiting in Spokane when the team returns in the middle of the night from Everett, so the boys can use all the momentum of a win they can get.

Unfortunately, quick starts have been rare for the Chiefs against the Silvertips this year. Tonight is no exception as Josh Winquist scored on a rebound just 2:39 into the contest to give Everett a 1-0 lead. Spokane would come right back though, as Anthony Bardaro took the puck behind the Tips net, fed Darren Kramer in the slot, and Kramer would backhand a shot over Everett goalie Kent Simpson at 4:25 of the period to tie the game at one. Spokane would dominate the period offensively from there, as the Chiefs ended up outshooting the Silvertips 21-6 in the frame. The offensive outburst would finally be capped by a Collin Valcourt backhander that beat Simpson upstairs again at 18:17 of the period, giving the Chiefs a 2-1 lead after one. Right before the end of the period, matching minor penalties were called, the only two called of the first, leaving the two teams skating 4-4 heading into the second.

The first period felt like a repeat of Wednesday night's game in some respects, as Spokane outshot Everett 16-4 in that period, but had trailed 1-0 heading into the second. At least tonight the Chiefs were able to grab a lead heading into the second. The team wasn't exactly on its' 'A' game in the first, but I had the feeling that if the team picked it up a bit intensity wise in the second, they could open the game up a bit in its' favor.  Unfortunately, the only team that came out with intensity in the second was Everett. The Silvertips scored on the 4-4 just 48 seconds in when the Chiefs broke down defensively getting back and Brennan Yadlowski went in open in front of the Spokane net to score to tie the game at two.

It was like the dam burst at that point on the Chiefs. Spokane played with no structure at either end of the ice for the rest of the period, and the Silvertips jumped all over the Chiefs. Two Spokane players left a puck lying in the left circle in their own zone, and sat and watched the Tips Jordyn Boyd rush in and slap it past goalie Mac Engel at 5:57 of the period to give Everett a lead they would never lose at 3-2. Engel would give up 3 goals on just 11 shots before being replaced by backup Luke Lee-Knight. The change in net hardlly fired up the Chiefs though, as a turnover at the Everett blue line while the Chiefs were on the power play would lead to a Josh Birkholz breakaway shorthanded goal at 9:07 of the period, giving the Silvertips a 4-2 lead headed into the third. It was a brutallll period of hockey from a Spokane perspective, perhaps the worst 20 minutes the team has played this year.

Yet being down 2, you had to feel if the team came out flying in the third, that a comeback was possible. After all, Spokane had won 4 times when trailing going into the third this year. The Chiefs though came out as flat as the second, and when Jari Erricson buried a rebound after Lee-Knight coughed up a shot right to him net front, Spokane found themselves down 5-2, and this contest was over in the competitive phase. Careless penalties, many out of frustration, would doom the Chiefs in the third, and when Winquist scored his second of the night on the power play at 8:40 to cap a 6-2 win, I could hear the late Dandy Don Meredith singing his old Monday Night Football staple, "Turn out the lights....the party's overrrr."

The Chiefs would end up outchancing the Silvertips 46-25, but the Chiefs effort in this one was welllll short of earning1 point, let alone two in this contest. After a somewhat promising start in the game, the team disintegrated into a haphazard, non-structured and effortless performance. It was a longggg bus ride home to Spokane, with only the copy of the game being played on the bus to occupy the thoughts. It was just as painful to watch the second time around, believe me. I just hope the team takes that vision to bed with them as they get ready to play Portland tomorrow night. A similiar performance would leave a baddd taste in the mouth heading into the 9 day Christmas break, so let's hope the boys come out with the effort we've been used to seeing over the last few seasons.

Friday, December 9th

It was really nice to come home for 3 days after the road trip to Alberta, Canada, but the time just flew by before the Chiefs headed back out on the road to Everett to finish off their longest road trip of the year. The team left Thursday around lunchtime after a morning practice at the Spokane Arena. The drive went quick, as the sun was out most of the way over to the West Side. Unfortunately, the weather turned foggy as the team headed into Everett and the fog would just increase overnight as the next morning looked like pea soup.

The day flew by as the team ate both breakfast and the pre-game meal at the hotel. The Chiefs were still without Tanner Mort, who remained in Spokane. The game would also mark the last game before Brenden Kichton headed off to the world junior evaluation camp for Team Canada. Coming off a disappointing 1-0 loss at Lethbridge, the Chiefs were hoping to generate more offense and end the road trip on a positive note going into the final 4 games of the first half of the season.

everett came in having lost 7 in a row and looking for their first win against the Chiefs in 4 tries. The Silvertips came out quick, as Josh Birkholz pounced on a rebound of a J.T. Barnett shot just 2:50 into the game to give Everett a 1-0 lead. The Chiefs came out a bit casual in their play, but kept the Silvertips in striking distance as the period progressed. Spokane would go on the power play late in the first and would take advantage just 7 seconds in as Anthony Bardaro scored from the right circle at 14:55 to tie the game at one. Off a face off win, Brenden Kichton and Reid Gow worked the puck to Bardaro, who snapped a shot past Everett goalie Kent Simpson to shift the game towards Spokane going into the second.

Midway through the second period, the Chiefs would take the lead. Everett defenseman Josh Caron turned the puck over at the Spokane blue line. Blake Gal took the puck up ice, leading a 2-1 break with Steve Kuhn. Gal faked a pass to Kuhn and drilled a shot in the upper right hand corner past the glove hand of Simpson to give Spokane a 2-1 lead. Just 1:20 later, Kichton hit Mitch Holmberg on a stretch pass to the Everett blue line. Holmberg then fed Bardaro a perfect pass behind the Everett defense, and Bardaro broke in and backhanded one past Simpson to put the Chiefs up 3-1. Everett would draw back within one when Barnett scored on a rebound with Everett on the power play late in the second to make it a 3-2 game.

Spokane would get a huge break in the third when Simpson would mishandle a puck in front of his net. Bardaro would shoot the puck and be stopped, but Collin Valcourt got to the rebound and put the Chiefs up 4-2 6:47 into the third period. Spokane would extend the lead just over 3 minutes later when Marek Kalus would work his way off the low wall and up the right wing. Kalus then snapped a pass to a streaking Liam Stewart, who buried the shot in the net just before charging through it, to give Spokane a 5-2 lead. The Chiefs killed off 2 Everett power plays to preserve the lead, and Spokane came away with their 3rd win in the 6 game road trip.

It was a great way to end the trip, and gave the Chiefs some momentum heading back home to the Spokane Arena for a teddy bear toss game with Prince George. With 3 of the last 4 games of the first half at home, Spokane hopes to finish the first half on an up note. We'll just have to wait and see if this road swing is the beginning of a push towards the top of the U.S. Division.

Sunday, December 4th

The final day of the Alberta swing began in Medicine Hat where the Chiefs stayed overnight before heading to Lethbridge to play their 5th game in 6 nights this week. It was bitterlyyyy cold and snowing lightly in the Hat when the day began, but by the time the team left the hotel after their pre-game meal, the sun was out and blue sky was everywhere. The drive went pretty quickly, as it's about 2 hours from the hotel to the rink in Lethbridge. I for one was glad the trip was winding up, as living out of hotels and a suitcase is no way to live regularly.

The Chiefs were coming off their most impressive game of the season with the victory the night before over Medicine Hat. Now the big question was, could the team build on that and take their second straight and third win in 5 games? I know wins always make the long ride home a lottt better. Spokane was going to need a similiar effort to the one they saw the night before against a Lethbridge team that won their third straight game the night before and had won 6 of 8 entering the contest.

The Hurricanes threw the body around the first couple minutes of the game, but Spokane shrugged it off and dominated puck possession in the first period, getting off 17 shots on Lethbridge goalie Liam Liston. The Chiefs also generated 2 power play chances, but nothing came of them, as the two teams went to the first intermission with no score. I just had the feeling that if Spokane kept that same kind of work ethic the rest of the game, they would come out with their third win of the trip. Lethbridge though came out in the second and got some offense going, outshooting the Chiefs 11-10. The Canes got the best chance to score in the period when Jamal Watson was awarded a penalty shot while driving to the net. Watson's shot was sticked away by Chiefs goalie Mac Engel and the game remained scoreless after two periods.

In the third, the Chiefs re-established control offensively and had severalll opportunities to get on the board. Mike Aviani was awarded a penalty shot early in the third on a breakaway, but his attempt didn't even hit the net as the score was still 0-0. Mitch Holmberg would get a breakaway, but shoot the puck in the pads of Liston as yet another chance went by the wayside. Lethbridge got two power play chances in the third and would take advantage on the second one. Nick Buonassisi's pass was re-directed by Cam Braes past Engel at 12:02 of the period to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead. Spokane would get a final chance when Englel was pulled in the final minute and a half of the game. The Canes were caught knocking the net purposefully off the posts with 55 seconds left and the Chiefs were awarded another penalty shot. Holmberg took it for Spokane and this time tried to go with the backhand, but Liston made the save, and Spokane was shutout for the second time this season.

It was a painful game to watch and call from a Spokane perspective. The Chiefs outshot Lethbridge 38-18, but the failed opportunites in the game, particularly in the third, cost Spokane the two points. Defensively, the Chiefs played well enough to win. Offensively, the team's lack of finish was never more apparent than in this game. The team's energy wasn't nearly what it was the night before, and the results spoke for themselves. Now the long bus ride home begins as we get to experience home for the next 3 days before heading out to Everett Thursday for Friday night's game with the Silvertips. Let's hope the team gets the passion back in their game they showed in Medicine Hat by then.

Saturday, December 3rd

Coming off perhaps one of their worst games effort wise the night before in Calgary, the Chiefs had to feel good that they came away with a point, and that there was nowhere to go but up in the work ethic department. The Chiefs knew they would need a solid 60 minute effort as they headed into Medicine Hat to take on a Tiger team that had lost 2 straight at home this week.

The Medicine Hat Arena is one of the grand old barns in the Western Hockey League. It was built for the Tigers when they started play in the WHL in 1970. Talk about history in that building. Probably my all time favorite player, Lanny McDonald's number 8 hangs from the rafters. The Arena holds 4,000 fans, and they pack the Arena every home game. There is a good deal of talk about a new building being built, so I would imagine the Chiefs next trip in 2 years will be their last, so if you haven't been to Medicine Hat yet, make plans to see this building. Another institution is Tiger radio announcer Bob Ridley. He has called every game for Medicine Hat since they came in the league. That's 43 years folks...and he drives the team bus! Not to mention he's a damn nice guy. I always enjoy seeing Rids when we play the Tigers.

As you can tell, Medicine Hat is one of my favorite stops in the league. The Chiefs have had mixed success since I started a mere 10 years ago, going 2-2 in their previous 4 trips to the Hat. One thing that's been a constant...it's a toughhh place to win a game. The Tigers always play hard and they don't lose a lot on home ice, so the Chiefs had to summon some intestinal fortitude to come into tonight's game with a hope of getting 1 or 2 points.

The day was veryyy cold, overcast, and some snow fell during the day, but it didn't accumulate a great amount, so the short trip from the hotel to the rink was just that. The Chiefs went again with Luke Lee-Knight in goal after his stellar performance the night before in Calgary. The Chiefs were hoping for a better start than they showed in Calgary, and it was obvious from the dropping the puck that the Chiefs came out with a lottt more passion in their game. The team finished checks and skated hard, but would fall behind 1-0 when Medicine Hat would score just 33 seconds into their only power play of the first period on a Matt Konen blast from the point. 

The lead would grow to 2-0 in the waning seconds of the period when Lee-Knight stopped a shot, but the rebound found its' way to the stick of Emerson Etem, the leading goal scorer in the WHL, and he buried it into the open net past Lee-Knight with just 16 seconds left in the period to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead. It was a huge goal for Medicine Hat and I was pretty worried how the Chiefs would respond coming out for the second period.

Mac Engel would replace Lee-Knight to start the second period, and the Chiefs came out with the same energy they showed in the first. It would pay off as the Tigers took their only penalty late in the period. Spokane would convert just 37 seconds into the man advantage as Steve Kuhn found an open Brenden Kichton on the right wing. Kichton would rifle a shot past Tiger goalie Tyler Bunz at 16:03 to bring the Chiefs within 2-1 after two periods. Spokane totallyy dominated the period, outshooting Medicine Hat 14-4 and controlling the game.

Spokane would take the momentum built up during the previous 40 minutes and establish control of the game from the very first minute of the third. Kuhn would set up Mitch Holmberg just 55 seconds into the second, as Holmberg roofed one under the cross bar to tie the game at two. The Chiefs would get a power play just under 5 minutes later and would convert as Collin Valcourt pounced on a rebound net front at 7:14 to put the Chiefs up 3-2. Valcourt was set up by Bardaro and Kuhn, who picked up his third straight assist.

The Chiefs then pulled away after the midway point of the period. Dominick Uher dug the puck off the low wall in the Tiger zone and hit an open Holmberg in the slot, who snapped it past Bunz at 13:40 to make it 4-2 Spokane. Just 1:20 later, Valcourt skated down the left wing and snapped a laser inside the post for his second of the period to give the Chiefs a 5-2 lead with just 5 minutes left. Medicine Hat would score 2:35 later to draw within 5-3, but after the Tigers pulled Bunz in the final minute and a half, Holmberg poked the puck free in the neutral zone and skated in to score on the empty netter to secure his second career hat trick and a 6-3 Chiefs win.

The game was pretty chippy throughout as the two teams were jawing at each other in the pre-game skate and no less than 4 fights took place, including 2 between the team captains, Spokane's Darren Kramer and Medicine Hat's Cole Grbavac. Even Bardaro dropped the gloves after Holmberg's empty net goal and represented himself quite well, scoring a decision over the Tigers Curtis Valk.

It was the most passionate effort over 60 minutes I've seen the team play this year. While the team missed on the execution end in the first half of the game, the second half was as good as I've seen the team this season. The Chiefs outshoot the Tigers 35-18, while going 2-4 on the power play. The team came out with purpose and showed a lot of compete and want in this game. It made me wonder how good this team can be if they show up with that type of passion in their game on a nightly basis.

Now we'll get to see how they build upon that on Sunday when they finish their Alberta swing in Lethbridge against the Hurricanes. Lethbridge handled Saskatoon, who led the East, with a 6-3 on Saturday, and have won 3 straight. The Hurricanes started slow, but much like Calgary, are playing their best hockey now. It's a sureee bet the Chiefs will have to play their best to win, but the end of the road trip in sight, and the last chance to play in front of family and friends, I'm hopeful the team will come out ready to play Sunday. It will sure make the bus ride home a lottt better, I assure you that!

Friday, December 2nd

The Chiefs brought in December by spending a day off in Calgary, the largest city in Alberta. The team hotel was right downtown, so we were within walking distance of just about anything we needed. The day off was pretty laid back as the team got a chance to visit with family after a practice late in the morning. I gIot a chance to catch up on some work, as well as check in on the Calgary Hitmen's game in Edmonton that night. Since the Hitmen were the opponent the following night, I'd figure to get a headstart on seeing how they performed. It wasn't a good showing as Edmonton dealt a 6-1 pasting on Calgary, so in mind, I knew the Hitmen would come out flying the next night.

Friday was another sunny, breezy day and the Chiefs got in a morning skate for that night's game. For the second time in 3 games on this trip, the game was played in an NHL rink, as the Hitmen play in the Saddledome, the home of the Flames. It's a great facility, with a lot of atmosphere. The Hitmen usually lead the league in attendance, and on this night over 8,000 fans showed up for the game, with probably about 1,000 of them Chiefs fans. The turnout by the families and friends have been great on the trip so far and tonight was no exception.

Unfortunately, the fans didn't have a lot to cheer about early in this one. Spokane was slow out of the gate, and as I thought they would, Calgary came out flying. The Hitmen put the Chiefs on their heels with an aggressive forecheck and were definitely the more aggressive outfit on this night. Spokane played like a scared team, generating little offensively, with just 5 shots in the first. Calgary was able to get 11 shots off, and scored midway through the period on a Victor Rask goal off his own rebound midway through the period. Chiefs goalie Luke Lee-Knight made a great save on Rask's first shot, but the rebound went right back to Rask and he put one over the sprawled Lee-Knight to give the Hitmen the one goal lead after one.

Lee-Knight was pretty sharp on this night, keeping Spokane in the contest in the second. Spokane would only get 4 shots off in the second, while Lee-Knight stopped 8 of 9 Calgary shots in the second. A shot from the right point by Hitmen defenseman Brock Sutherland hit off a Chief and went to a wide open Alex Gogolev in the left circle. Gogolev backhanded it in late in the second, and the Hitmen took a 2-0 lead into the second intermission.

After showing almost nothing offensively in the first two periods, the Chiefs got a break early in the third. Former Chief Brady Brassart took a penalty in the first minute of the period and Spokane would take advantage, scoring just 11 seconds into the power play to get with 2-1 1:06 into the third. Reid Gow would find Steve Kuhn in the left circle and Kuhn put a pass off Brenden Kichton's leg and into the net. The play was reviewed, but it showed Kichton didn't kick the puck in and the goal stood up. The goal really seemed to lift the Chiefs, as Spokane came right back and scored at 3:35 when Mitch Holmberg hit Mike Aviani up the right wing. Aviani fed an open Darren Kramer, who had got behind the Hitmen defense. Kramer put a backhand past Calgary goalie Chris Driedger and the Chiefs had somehow tied the game at two.

At this point, I felt like it was the Chiefs that had Calgary on their heels and the game was for the taking for Spokane. The Chiefs generated 12 shots in the third, but would not score again, while Lee-Knight turned away all 9 Calgary shots to send the game to overtime. In the OT, Spokane never got a shot away. Calgary only got one, but made it count. Lee-Knight had a miscommunication with a defenseman and Rask picked off the puck behind the Chiefs net. His wraparound shot was denied, but Rask got the rebound and backhanded a shot past Lee-Knight 2:36 into overtime to give Calgary the win.

It spoiled what had been a great effort by Lee-Knight, as he turned away 27 Calgary shots, but suffered his second loss of the season. Both have been in extra time, with the other defeat a shootout loss in Vancouver in October. Spokane fell short in this game in manyyy departments, and getting two points out of this game would have been an early Christmas present. As it is, getting one point is a bonus. The team will definitely have to play better tomorrow night in Medicine Hat if they hope to stay in the game, let alone win it. The Tigers also lost in overtime tonight to Saskatoon, so they'll be chomping at the bit.

Now it's a 2 hour plus bus ride to the Hat, there's some snow blowing across the road, but the roads are staying pretty clear.  Let's hope for a good night's sleep and much improved performance by the boys tomorrow night.

Wednesday, November 30th

If you don't see any snow in Alberta in November, then it becomes a weather anomaly. Sure enough, the Chiefs didn't see any for  almost 3 days, but that all changed on the drive from Edmonton to Red Deer. The snow started about 17km outside Red Deer and didn't let up all night as just over half a foot fell. Fortunately, the snow stopped this morning as the team looked for their first win on the road this season against the Rebels.

Breakfast was the usual eggs, bacon, toast and fruit, but it really seemed to hit the spot today. It must have been a good sign that things would go well tonight. The day was overcast and cold all day long, but the day really seemed to fly by. The team had a light morning skate and the usual pre-game meal before heading to the rink. The good news for Spokane was they were taking on a Rebel team that was short handed with several players out due to suspension and injury. It left Red Deer a bit light offensively, so the hope was the team would take advantage of the opportunity.

Early in the game, the Chiefs came out playing well, showing much of the work ethic and structured play they had shown in the first period the night before in Edmonton. Unfortunately, the good play didn't pan out on the scoreboard, as a shot from the left side snuck through the pads of goalie Mac Engel and Colten Mayor banged home the puck over the line to give the Rebels a 1-0 lead 14:57 into the first. The Chiefs would bounce right back though as Captain Darren Kramer pushed the puck past Red Deer goalie Patrik Bartosek just 35 seconds after Mayor's goal to tie the game at one. It was a huge goal for the Chiefs as they went into the intermission even, rather than down one like they had the night before.

The Chiefs would go on the power play for the only time in the game just 28 seconds into the second period. Spokane, who has struggled on the power play of late, had their sharpest man advantage in a while, as Anthony Bardaro snapped a pass across the crease to a wideee open Brenden Kichton in front of the net and the Chiefs took a 2-1 lead. It was a lead they would never lose. Dominick Uher got his 10th of the year at 4:04 after a Blake Gal shot to put Spokane up 3-1 after two, and Spokane was off and running. The defense limited Red Deer to 11 shots in the first two periods, and killed off 3 power play chances from the Rebels in the second.

Mitch Holmberg took over the game in the third, as the Chiefs forward, in his second game since being hurt in Portland the middle of November, would score two goals to put the game away. The first, at 5:44 of the third, was set up by some yeoman work by Collin Valcourt, who battled for the puck in front of the net, and got it to a wide open Holmberg for an open net backhander. It had to be great for Valcourt to pick up a point in his hometown. On his next shift, Holmberg would take the puck from behind the back of the net to his forehand side, would circle around the ice to the right circle and snap a shot under the crossbar for his 7th of the season to make it a 5-1 game. Red Deer would score midway through the third, but the Chiefs defense clamped down from there to secure their first road win in 9 attempts this season.

Goalie Mac Engel, another Red Deer native, picked up the win with 13 saves, as the team played a solid defensive game. I should note that there is a greattt contingent of Chiefs fans making this Alberta swing with the team. I would say that almost half the crowd seemed to be in Chiefs jerseys, and every time Spokane did something well, the team would hear it. It has to be fun for the boys, as no less than 12 of the 24 players on the trip are from Alberta. It was also great to finallyyy get the road winless monkey off the back and now focus on getting better on this trip. I know last year's East Division swing was an important stepping stone to the team's success, so let's hope that same result happens this time around.

Now it's off to Calgary, where the team will be off Thursday before taking on the Hitmen Friday night in the Saddledome, the home of the NHL's Flames. It should be a fun one, and hopefully the boys can make it 2 straight on the trip!

Tuesday, November 29th

At the beginning of the season, I always look over the schedule to see when the big trip East for the Chiefs will be. This year the team is going through the Central Division of the WHL, which I prefer 100 times over the East Division trip. Not only is the amount of miles a wholeee lot less than going into Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the cities are much more interesting to travel around...at least for me personally they are. The team left for Alberta the day after a veryyy disappointing home loss to Prince George. The drive up was pretty uneventful, despite the gale force winds blowing through Alberta that day. We ran into some rain/snow mix through the Crowsnest Pass on the British Columbia/Alberta border, but it was pretty light rain after that until North of Calgary. We hit some snow between Calgary and Red Deer, but not a lot stuck to the road, which worked out real well for us on the way to our first stop in Edmonton.

it was a pretty relaxing ride, as we got to watch of a couple of good comedies to start. You can't start a long hockey road trip any better than with 'Slap Shot'. The Paul Newman classic from 1977 is the ultimate hockey movie, much like Caddyshack is for golfers. I think most of the team could recite every line from the movie. All I know is I laugh just as hard now at the film as I did watching it in the theater. 'Grown Ups' with Adam Sandler and all his comedy buddies followed, and it's pretty darn funny as well. It's a long drive to Edmonton, and after a dinner in Fernie, we ended up getting to the hotel around 1am. The nice thing was we didn't have a game the next day.

Monday was pretty relaxing with a team breakfast, but then we got the afternoon to ourselves. Dinner that night was at Earl's, which is always a good place to enjoy a steak. I know I did. And have I ever talked about the Canadian iced tea? Absolutely hands down better than anything served outside of the southern U.S. After dinner, the team headed to Rexall Place to watch the rink's primary tenant, the Edmonton Oilers, play the Nashville Predators. It's the first time I've seen the Oilers play in the House Gretzky Built, and it was the first NHL game for several of the players, so it was a great experience all the way around. The game was not exactly dynamic, with Nashville outworking the Oilers 2-1, but the Predators relentless work ethic was something I hoped would rub off on the boys going into the next night's game with the Oil Kings.

Tuesday was a very pleasant day in Edmonton, and mild weather wise, with sunshine. Breakfast and lunch were the usual fare, as the old eggs and bacon in the morning and spaghetti and meatballs in the afternoon hit the spot. The good news for Spokane was they would welcome back Mitch Holmberg in the lineup, his first action since getting hurt at Portland two weeks previous. I know the Edmonton native was happy to be back as well. As for the game itself, it's always a little electric to walk into an NHL rink for a game. I actually had a pretty good feeling that the setting, not to mention the tons of family that would attend, would spur the boys to play well against an Oil Kings team that had won 3 straight coming in. The Chiefs did exactly that, scoring just 3:30 into the game as Corey Baldwin's shot from the left point hit the back of the net. Anthony Bardaro set a great screen out front to block the view of Oil King goalie Laurent Broissant.

The Chiefs dominated play in the first period, continually outworking Edmonton, and limiting the Oil Kings to almost nothing offensively. The Chiefs had opportunites to extend the lead, including a Dominick Uher breakaway while shorthanded, as well as two power play opportunities, but Spokane failed to take advantage on any of them and it would cost them. A costly turnover by Mike Aviani trying to bring the puck in front of his own net led to a Dylan Wruck goal with less than 3 1/2 minutes left in the period to even the game at one. The goal seemed to take the wind out of the Chiefs sails and gave Edmonton a big push. With less than a minute left in the first, Mike St. Croix would take a puck off the wall and find Wruck again, and he would score his second of the period with just 34 seconds left to give Edmonton a 2-1 lead after one.

It was a very tough way to end the period, trailing by one after controlling 3/4 of the first. In the second, the Chiefs seemed to get back on their game, outshooting Edmonton 10-5, but neither team was able to score as the game remained 2-1 after two. In the third, the Oil Kings would score on their only power play of the period midway through to take a 3-1 lead as St. Croix scored on a shot from the left circle. The Chiefs seemed to fade after that offensively, and Edmonton scored another goal late to cap off a 4-1 win. It's the Chiefs 3rd straight loss and leaves the team 0-5-1-2 on the road. The good news is that the team took some steps towards regaining it's work ethic and team game structure. I do know if they play as hard as they did tonight, and eliminate the mistakes they made against Edmonton, they'll find success on this road trip sooner than later. Now it's off to Red Deer, which is an hour and a half south, to take on the Rebels tomorrow night. Let's hope the result is better than tonight as well!

Friday, November 25th

For the second time in 2 weeks, the Chiefs headed West to face their U.S. Division rivals, the Portland Winterhawks. The Chiefs didn't fare so well the first trip, dropping 2 straight to the Hawks; the first in a shootout, and the second in overtime. Instead of playing in the Rose Garden this time around, the two teams squared off in Portland's annual daylight classic in the Memorial Coliseum. The team decided to leave on Thanksgiving Day, while I stayed behind to watch my son and enjoy a late Thanksgiving dinner.

The drive over on game day was ideal. The weather could not have been better as the sun was out in force and little traffic was on the road due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The Coliseum was brighter than I could have imagined as the curtains were pulled back to let the daylight in the old glass palace. When I arrived, the sun was glaring off the ice, but by game time, the sun was down enough to give an almost outdoor feel to the game. I know the building was cold enough as it felt like the heating bill had been missed for the month. It was warmer at the Chiefs outdoor game last season!

The two teams had a good pace going in the first period. Spokane had most of the offensive chances early in the game, but Portland would break through midway through the stanza when Chase De Leo tipped a Ty Rattie pass over the glove of Chiefs goalie Mac Engel at 9:55 to give Portland a 1-0 lead after one. Engel played well in the period, turning away 16 shots in the first, and Spokane denied Portland on 3 power play chances in the period.

In the second, Spokane got back in the game after turning away the Hawks on the remainder of their power play from the first. After killing off the man advantage for the first 1:25 of the second, Anthony Bardaro took a Collin Valcourt pass in the left circle and snapped home his 12th goal of the season over Portland goalie Mac Carruth's glove hand to bring the Chiefs even at 1. Unfortunately for Spokane, defensive breakdowns would contribute to two Portland goals just 1:18 apart at 5:30 and 6:48 of the second to give the Winterhawks a 3-1 lead. The Chiefs then went on the power play less than 30 seconds after the third Portland goal, and would take advantage 1:07 in, as Bardaro scored from about the same spot with an almost exact shot on Carruth to bring the Chiefs within 3-2. Spokane put up 19 shots in the period and really started to control the puck in the Portland zone.

The momentum would carry over into the third as Connor Chartier would score on his own rebound just 1:34 in to tie the game at 3. Chartier reallyyy likes playing Portland, having scored 3 of his career 4 goals in the Rose City.  Unfortunately, the tie didn't last very long, as Liam Stewart was whistled for a questionable goalie interference to put Portland on the power play. There was no question Stewart came in hard towards Carruth as he made the save, but after stopping right in front of Carruth, defenseman Josh Hansen bumped Stewart into Carruth and the referee whistled the penalty. The Winterhawks took full advantage of their 4th power play of the game as Joe Morrow snapped a shot over Engel's glove just 11 seconds into the power play for the eventual game winner.

Portland would close the scoring with just 2:15 left on a Brendan Leipsic goal that Engel made a tremendous attempt to save, but after a review, it showed the puck had trickled past the line under Engel's glove as Portland secured a 5-3 win. The Chiefs once again put up 19 shots in the third period, but could only get Chartier's goal, as Portland pulled 9 points ahead of Spokane for second place in the division. The Chiefs are now 0-4-1-2 on the road with their big 5 game trip through the Central Division looming next week, so Spokane better find a formula for a road win, and quick, or it's going to be a longggg week in Alberta.

Saturday, November 12th

After the previous night's disappointing loss in a shootout to the Winterhawks, the Chiefs had no time to dwell on it as they turned around and faced Portland the next night at the Rose Garden. Spokane would still be without Mitch Holmberg, who was knocked out of the game on a hit by Portland's Joe Morrow on a check from behind double minor penalty. The league ended up reviewing the hit and giving Morrow alll of a one game suspension. Meantime, Blake Gal, who was handed a three game suspension for a similiar hit against Tri City, was returning to the lineup for the Chiefs.

It was another rainy day in Portland as the team headed on the bus to the rink. The team hotel is very close to the Rose Garden, so there's no downtown traffic to deal with, which is just fine by me. The game didn't start off nearly as well as the previous night, as Portland had a bit more in their step and in their game in the first period. The Chiefs seemed to be behind the play all period long, and Spokane took several careless penalties to set up the Hawks on the power play three times in the first. Portland broke through late in the first on a the back end of a 4 minute high stick minor penalty on the Chiefs Collin Valcourt, as Brad Ross netted his third goal in two nights to make it 1-0 Portland. The bad thing about this goal was the Chiefs were looking to change on an offensive zone faceoff while on the penalty kill. Blake Gal and Steve Kuhn went to the bench, but were told they couldn't change...afterrr they were already on the bench. They skated back out on the ice, but the linesman decided to drop the puck...while they weren't even in the face off circle! It was ridiculous, and the Winterhawks took advantage as Spokane never touched the puck, Ross went up the right wing and snapped a shot through goalie Mac Engel's pads to put the Hawks up 1.

Portland then scored just 23 seconds later as Ty Rattie scored his 3rd goal in 2 nights to make it 2-0 Portland after one. The Hawks controlled the period, outshooting the Chiefs 17-7 and totally dominating puck possession in the period. Spokane would fight back early in the second period, as Darren Kramer put a loose puck net front through the pads of Portland goalie Mac Carruth to make it a 2-1 game. Rattie would come right back just over 2 minutes later though, converting a great Sven Bartschi pass on the power play to give Portland a 3-1 lead after two.

It was going to take a great effort in the third to get Spokane back in the game, and the Chiefs got it early in the period. Brenden Kichton's shot from the right wall was saved by Carruth, but the Portland goalie knocked the puck into his own net with his stick trying to clear it, and the Chiefs were within 3-2 just 5:20 into the third. Collin Valcourt then banged home a rebound net front just 1:37 later to bring the Chiefs even at 3-3. Spokane, which had struggled for the most part with their game up to that point, seemed to find it at this stage of the game, and battled Portland on an even footing for the rest of the period.

Goalie Mac Engel also kept the Chiefs in the contest, as he turned away 16 Portland shots in the third period on his way to a 47 save night, a season high. Spokane was able to hold off the Winterhawks in the third to force overtime for a second straight night, enabling the team to earn at least one point in the game. In overtime though, Rattie and Bartschi hooked up for a game winner just 30 seconds into the OT to give Portland a 4-3 win. Rattie ended up figuring in all 4 Hawks goals, scoring 2 and assisting on 2.

It was another disappointing finish on the road for the Chiefs, but Spokane did pick up 2 road points in as many games, so all was certainly not lost on the trip. Spokane will now head home to the snow and a 3 game homestand that begins Friday night with the B.C division leading Kamloops Blazers. Hopefully Anthony Bardaro, Mitch Holmberg, and Dominick Uher, all of whom who missed the series in Portland, will return to the lineup and bolster Spokane up front. I do know that the young guys who gained a lot of minutes against a top Portland team, will improve immensely due to the experience, and that will help the Chiefs biggg time down the road. Now's it's time to kick back on the bus, and look forward to a little snow driving in Spokaloo!

Friday, November 11th

For the first time since last year's loss in the Western Conference Finals, the Chiefs faced off with their U.S. Divison rivals, the Portland Winterhawks. From my perspective, and I'm just speaking for myself, I think the Winterhawks are the Chiefs most intense rival on the ice. The fans make a bigger deal of the Tri City rivalry, but the chippiness and the edge is much greater between the Chiefs and the Hawks. Spokane finished just a point back of Portland for the top spot in the West last year before coming up 2 wins short of winning the conference crown last May.

The team made the trek down the Columbia Gorge on Thursday after practicing at the rink at Eastern Washington. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the facility at Eastern is spectacularrr for a club hockey program. I know Division 1 programs that would kill for a facility like that. I hope the Eagle players and fans appreciate it. The bus ride over was great, as the weather was perfect and any time you watch 'Dumb and Dumber', you know you're going to be entertained.

Game day was cloudy and cold, followed by non-stop rain in the afternoon. All I could think about was how gladdd I was I didn't have to cover Friday night high school football! A good crowd was on hand for the contest between the Chiefs and Hawks,as over 8,000 attended at the Rose Garden, the home of the NBA's Trailblazers. They don't have a lot of need for the building right now, so it was nice to be in the Garden rather than the run down and eye sore Memorial Coliseum.

The game itself started great for Spokane as Mike Aviani rebounded a Corey Baldwin shot just 3:11 into the contest to put the Chiefs up 1-0. It was the 4th goal in the last three games for Aviani, who has really found a combination with Marek Kalus and Jarid Hauptman up front. Spokane had a chance to extend the lead on the power play midway through the period, but a turnover at the Portland blue line led to a breakaway by the Hawks Taylor Peters. Chiefs goalie Mac Engel made a nice save to deny Peters, but the rebound went off defenseman Brenden Kichton's skate and past Engel to tie the game at one. The Chiefs got the power play on a check from behind 4 minute double minor penalty on Portland defenseman Joe Morrow on a hit on Chiefs forward Mitch Holmberg. Holmberg had to leave the game and will miss the rest of the weekend series. I thought it was a major penalty and worthy of a game misconduct, but for some unexplained reason the officials thought otherwise. Hopefully, the league will find the hit serious enough to dole out a worthy suspension to Morrow.

Anyway, what the hit did do is leave the Chiefs veryyy shorthanded up front. With Dominick Uher still out after the cheap shot he took for Everett defenseman Lukas Grayson the previous Sunday, and with Anthony Bardaro nursing an injury and Blake Gal still out on a suspension, the Chiefs were using defensemen Cole Wedman and Reid Gow up front. Meantime...back to the game. After giving up the shorthanded goal, Spokane took advantage on the back half of the power play, as Hauptman needled a pass through the crease to a wide open Kalus on the back side, and Kalus put it into the open net to give Spokane a 2-1 lead after one. The Chiefs dominateddd the period offensively, outshooting Portland 16-4 and generating 4 power play chances, while Portland had zero power plays.

You just had the feeling things would even out in the second as far as the power plays were concerned and that is exactly what happened. Portland got a power play just over a minute and a half in, and converted when the puck popped loose in the crease, and Chiefs defenseman Davis Vandane banked the puck off Engel's skate into the net, as Portland's Brad Ross was given credit on the goal. So Spokane had put 4 pucks into the net, yet the game was tied at 2. The Chiefs bounced right back though,as Kichton would find a wide open Steve Kuhn in the left circle on the power play to put Spokane up 3-2 8:30 minutes into the second. Portland's Ty Rattie would then tally his first of the game on a shot from the left side that I'm sure Engel would like to have back, as the power play goal tied the game at three. Once again, the Chiefs would respond, as 54 seconds later, Darren Kramer would score on the rush up the right wing to give Spokane a 4-3 lead after two.

It was turning into a shootout, which is certainly Portland's game, not Spokane's. But the Chiefs had the lead going into the third, a situation Spokane was 4-0 on the season. Portland would score their 3rd power play goal of the game midway through the third when Rattie redirected a shot past Engel to tie the game at 4. Again, the Chiefs came right back, as Liam Stewart went on a rush up the left wing and found Connor Chartier in the slot. Chartier snapped home his second of the season, and Spokane was back on top 5-4. The lead would hold until the final minute of the game. Portland would pull goalie Mac Carruth and bring on an extra attacker. A Spokane clearing pass was intercepted by Portland's Sven Bartschi, and he found an open Ross in the right circle and he went upstairs over Engel to tie the game at 5 with just 40 seconds left.

It was a disappointing end for the Chiefs as the game went to overtime. Portland outchanced Spokane in OT, but neither team mounted a serious threat in the five minute period. That sent the game to a shootout, the second one for Spokane this year. Earlier in the season, Spokane fell in a shootout in Vancouver, so the Chiefs were hoping for a different result this time around.

The shootout started well for Spokane as Engel stopped Portland's Derrick Pouliot, while Kalus scored for the Chiefs. Rattie would score in the second round, while Spokane's Brenden Kichton missed his shot to even the shootout at one. In the third round, Bartschi would put Portland up 2-1, putting the pressure on Hauptman to score to send the shootout to sudden death rounds. Hauptman delivered to even the shootout at 2. Brendan Leipsic deked out Engel to make it 3-2 Portland, but Aviani kept the Chiefs alive again in round 4 to even it 3-3. Engel stopped Nick Petan in round 5, but Darren Kramer was denied by Portland goalie Mac Carruth to deny Spokane the win. In round 6, Taylor Leier scored for Portland, while the Chiefs Reid Gow was stopped, handing Portland the 4-3 win in the shootout and the 6-5 victory.

It sure would have been nice to come away with the two points, and it marked the Chiefs first loss when leading after two periods. Too many mistakes by Spokane doomed them in the end, and negated the many positives the team had in the game. Many of the young players were excellent, and the team's ability to bounce back time and again against a veteran Portland team was greattt to see. Spokane will get Gal back for Saturday's game in Portland, but will still be without Uher, Holmberg, and Bardaro, three of their top 5 forwards. It will be a challenge, but I hope to see the boys step up once again, as another good effort will go a longgg ways towards making this team much better down the road.

Saturday, October 29th

It feels like forever since the Chiefs have been on the road, but for the record it's been just over 3 weeks. The 7 game homestand was veryyy good to the Chiefs as Spokane went a perfect 7-0 as they headed down Highway 395 to face their arch rivals, first place Tri city. The Americans were coming off a 5-4 home loss to Victoria on Tuesday, so the boys knew they would come out gunning in this one.

The Ams did just that as Brendan Shinnimin scored just under 8 minutes into the game to give Tri an early 1-0 lead. Spokane's penalty kill kept the Chiefs in the game though, as they killed off 4 Tri City man advantage opportunites to keep within one. The Chiefs then took advantage of their second power play attempt as Steve Kuhn hit Blake Gal on a perfect cross ice pass through the slot and Gal buried his second goal of the season with just over 3 minutes left in the first to tie the game at 1. Dominick Uher also picked up as assist to extend his points scoring streak to 7 straight games.

At the end of the period, Gal would pick up a 5 minute major for boarding and a game misconduct to put Tri City on a 5 minute at will power play. The Chiefs killed it off though and were able to keep Tri off the board in the second period despite being on the penalty kill for nearly half the period. The calls were certainly nottt going Spokane's way through this contest and yet the Chiefs were tied at one after two periods, in large part to the play of goalie Mac Engel, who turned away two net front opportunites by the Ams.

In the third, the two teams went back and forth as the Americans were turned away twice on the power play and the Chiefs once. After Tri's failed second man advantage, a shot by Justin Feser hit a Chief in the slot and went right to the stick of Shinnimin, who buried his second goal of the game with just over 7 minutes left to give Tri a 2-1 lead. Spokane had a chance with Engel on the bench and an extra skater on, but a bad pass at the Tri blue line led to a turnover and a Feser empty net goal to cap a 3-1 Tri City win.

In the end, the Chiefs spent almost half the contest on the penalty kill, and there is veryyy little chance of ever winning at game in Tri City doing that. Engel was terrific in net, coming away with 39 saves to earn second star honors, and kept Spokane in the game. Spokane didn't generate nearly enough offensive opportunities in the contest, in large part to being short handed so much in the game. The Chiefs will now get a chance to return the favor to the Americans, as Tri will now visit the Spokane Arena a week from tonight. Let's just hope the Chiefs aren't in the penalty box all night like they were tonight.

Friday, October 7th

Despite not playing their best game...in fact, far from it, the Chiefs still managed to come away with a point in Vancouver. The hope was the team would build off their 3rd period performance as they headed East to take on the Kamloops Blazers.

The boys practiced in Vancouver Thursday before taking the 3.5 hour bus ride over the mountains. The team spent the first part of the trip watching the previous night's game against the Giants, something that didn't leave a good taste in the mouth. Fortunately, there were Subway sandwiches on the way to help with that. Leaving the rain of Vancouver was a welcome relief, as the sun came out about an hour into the drive and stayed out the rest of the journey.

It was nice to get into Kamloops in time for the dropping of the puck on the NHL season, as I got to watch a doubleheader on CBC, with Montreal-Toronto and Pittsburgh-Vancouver. It was nice to enjoy a good Italian meal for dinner too. Life was good on Thursday night..trust me.

The next day was game day, and the day started with rain. It would give way to sun early in the afternoon, making the walk to rink a pretty pleasant one. The hotel is just about a 10 minute walk to the rink. I always like staying in Kamloops, weather permitting, as it has everything you need by the hotel.

The Chiefs and Blazers played two games into a shootout in Kamloops last year, but it certainly didn't look like the game would be that close early on in this contest. Kamloops put in two goals in the first 5:58 against rookie goalie Zach Rakochy, making his first WHL start. Spokane would cut the lead in half on a Darren Kramer power play goal on a rebound net front midway through the period. Unfortunately, the one goal margin didn't last long, as Kamloops tallied just 33 seconds after the goal to take a 3-1 lead after one.

Rakochy would be replaced by Mac Engel in the second period, but a Blazer power play goal midway through the second would lift Kamloops to a 4-1 lead after two. Spokane managed just 13 shots through 2 periods and didn't show a great deal of rally to their game in the first 40 minutes.

It looked to be more of the same in the third, when the Blazers scored a short handed goal on a soft knuckle ball shot to take a 5-1 lead midway through the period. When the Chiefs Steve Kuhn made a great individual effort and hit Reid Gow on a back door pass to bring Spokane within 5-2 with just over 8 minutes left, it was like, OK, nice to get something going late.

That thought would change just 58 seconds later when Mitch Holmberg found Jason Fram for his first WHL goal on another back door play and suddenly, the Chiefs had life as they trailed 5-3 with plenty of time left. Spokane would pull Engel from net with 2:44 to go and when the Blazers drew a penalty on a check from behind on Marek Kalus, the Chiefs had a 6-4 advantage. Kramer would bang home a goal on a great pass by Holmberg just 9 seconds into the power play and just like that, it was 5-4.

You just had the feeling if the Chiefs could get another net front scramble, they would complete the comeback from a 4 goal third period deficit. Unfortunately, despite getting Engel off the ice again for another man advantage situtation, the Chiefs never got that net front scramble, and a turnover would lead to a Blazer empty net goal in the final seconds to cap a 6-4 Kamloops win.

It was a classic too little, too late scenario, as the passion and want showed by the team didn't come until they were down 5-1. The team doesn't get a lot of time to dwell on it either, as a 7 hour bus ride back to Spokane awaits, as do the Kelowna Rockets, who only have to go 2 hours from Tri Cities for Saturday's game at the Spokane Arena. I certainly hope the team shows more get and go than they did tonight in Kamloops, or tomorrow's game with the Rockets could prove to be a longggg night.

Wednesday, October 5th

With an impressive win over Tri Cities in their home opener under their belts, the Chiefs set out on the road for a two game road swing through British Columbia as they faced Vancouver and Kamloops in their first games outside of the U.S. Division. Spokane set out on the road a bit shorthanded though, as Dominick Uher is in the middle of his 3 game suspension, and Liam Stewart and Tanner Mort stayed home nursing injuries. The Chiefs called up forward Jarid Hauptman to help with the shortage up front.

The boys took off the day before after a morning practice at the Arena. The ride over to Vancouver takes a little over 7 hours and the nice thing was escaping the rain in the Spokane area. The drive in Central Washington was great as the weather was sunny and clear. The movie of choice for this trip was 'Saving Private Ryan', a true classic. A great cast with Tom Hanks, Tom Sizemore, and Matt Damon. It's about as harsh a portrayal of war as I've seen on film, but it definitely gives you a feel of what war is like.

Maybe that's the way the Chiefs were approaching their game against the Giants. Over the last 5 years, the two teams have had some battles in the PNE Coliseum, including two epic playoff series in 2008 and 2009. One thing I knew about this game...it was going to be tightly contested. It turns out I wasn't off base in that assessment.

The Chiefs sent out Luke Lee-Knight in his first start in goal, as Mac Engel got the night off. Spokane didn't exactly start great in the first, but hung tough with Vancouver in the first as the game was scoreless until the last two minutes of the period. A scramble in front of the Chiefs net saw the Giants Levi Bews score his first WHL goal to give Van a 1-0 lead after one.

In the second, the Chiefs picked up their game, but couldn't seem to find a way to finish. Despite outshooting the Giants by a 2 to 1 margin, Spokane fell behind 2-0 as Brendan Gallagher put home a rebound off the end wall. Spokane then got a break when Vancouver goalie Adam Morrison sent a puck into the stands to draw a delay of game penalty. The Chiefs took full advantage of their only power play of the period as Anthony Bardaro scored just 9 seconds into the power play to cut the lead to 2-1 after two. Bardaro's 5th goal in 3 games was assisted by Blake Gal and Collin Valcourt, and was Bardaro's 4th power play goal, second only to Portland's Ty Rattie in the league.

Spokane played their best period in the third, but despite outshooting the Giants, were failing to find the net. But with hard work, usually comes results, and that proved to be the case late in the period. Mike Aviani stole the puck in the right circle, wound his way towards the net and put the puck netward. Morrison turned the puck aside, but Darren Kramer was there to poke the puck through the pads of Morrison with just 2:22 remaining to tie the game at two.

The game would head to overtime, but it seemed like the Chiefs ran out of gas. Spokane didn't get off one shot in the five minute OT, and Lee-Knight saved the game for the time being with a great save off a breakaway by the Giants Jordan Martinook midway through extra time to keep the game tied at 2. After a scoreless OT, the two teams headed for a shootout.

Spokane had won last year in a shootout when Blake Gal scored the only goal in the three rounds to give the Chiefs a win. This time around, the two teams failed to score in the first round as Gallagher and the Chiefs Mitch Holmberg were both turned away. Marek Tvrdon failed in round two for Vancouver, giving Gal a chance to repeat history in round two. Unfortunately, Gal's shot went wide of the net. Van's James Henry sniped one through the pads of Lee-Knight to give the Giants a 1-0 lead in round 3. Bardaro then had to score to force another round. Bardaro's shot went off Morrison's glove and the Chiefs were denied their second straight shootout win in Vancouver.

Despite falling short, it was good to see the team battle back and come away with a point. It's realll early in the season, and the offensive execution is a long ways away for this team, but if they continue to work hard and more importantly, play smarter, this team will be alright. Next up is the Blazers in Kamloops, so let's hope the team gets off to a better start and play three periods like they played the third tonight here in Vancouver.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

It seems the off seasons get shorter every year that I do this job. It's hard for me to believe that tonight I begin my 10th season behind the mic calling Chiefs games. One of these days, I'll have to count how many games I've called in the Western Hockey League. It will add up to be quite a few I'm sure. One thing that is constant and never changes....the ride to Tri Cities for a game with the Americans. I've lost count how many times I've taken 395 between Spokane and Tri, but I'm sure I could come pretty close to driving it with my eyes closed. And some nights I practically have.

The Chiefs and Americans were playing their first meaningful game against each other since Levko Koper's overtime game winner in game 6 of their Western Conference semi-final last April. The two teams had just played 3 exhibition games against each other of the previous two weeks, with Tri winning all three. Playing in Tri is alwaysss interesting, as you never know quite what is going to happen. This year's season opener proved to be no different.

As if the building wasn't loud enough...this year the Americans decided to add an obnoxious diesel horn similiar to Everett's, to sound off for every Tri City goal. If you just sound it, it's bad enough. In Tri, they decide to push the button down for 15-20 seconds. It's a good thing I wear headsets. I have no doubt Tri fans will be hard of hearing by the end of the season.

The Chiefs were hoping to stymie the Americans quick starts in their own building, and managed to do just that in the first period. Spokane limited Tri City chances and forced the Ams to take a couple penalties to get the Chiefs power play going. On Spokane's third attempt, Brenden Kichton found Anthony Bardaro at the Chiefs blue line on a breakout. Bardaro stick handled the puck through neutral ice and then deeked his way past an Ams defenseman to slide a shot through the pads of Tri City goalie Ty Rimmer at 14:44 of the first to give Spokane a 1-0 lead.  That lead would stand after 20 minutes, so the Chiefs put themselves in good shape to pick up their 3rd win in their last 4 games in Tri.

In the second period, penalties killed Spokane. It was the number, as the Chiefs took just 3 in the period, but every single one of them hurt Spokane. On the first, a trip to Bardaro 11 minutes in, Tri scored just 16 seconds into the man advantage on a Justin Feser rocket from the blue line to tie the game at one.  The second was a turning point in the game. Dominick Uher took a 5 minute major and a game misconduct when he shoved Tri's Mason Wilgosh head first into the boards. The Chiefs were in the middle of their 5 minute penalty kill when Corey Baldwin got the Chiefs third penalty, a 2 minute slasing minor for poking at a rebound in the pads of Rimmer. On the subsequent 5 on 3, the Ams scored just 11 seconds in to take a 2-1 lead after two.

I guess being down by just one goal after all that was not that bad. All Spokane had to do was pop in a quick one in the third and it was a whole new game. The Chiefs came out and created chances in the third, outshooting Tri 6-1 at one point, but weren't able to break through against Rimmer. Another penalty midway through the period by Spokane led to another power play goal, this one on a rebound net front by Connor Rankin, and the Americans were in control at 3-1. The Chiefs nearly got within one after pulling goalie Mac Engel in the final two and a half minutes, but Mitch Holmberg's backhand hit off the post and Adam Hughesman took the puck the other way into an empty net to cement a 4-1 Tri City win.

The Chiefs outshot Tri 29-26, but the Ams 3-6 performance on the power play was more than enough to help Tri to a 1-0 start. Spokane starts 0-1 for the second straight season with a loss to Tri, but the Chiefs have a chance to bounce back with a win in the home opener with the Americans a week away. Spokane played well in the home opener last year, and hopefully that will be the case again.