It had been as hectic a month of January as I could ever recall with the Chiefs playing 15 games in just 31 days. Spokane fared pretty well too, going 11-2-2 in the month, getting 11 wins in a month for just the 5th time in franchise history. The month of February is looming as just as busy for Spokane, as the Chiefs will have 14 games and will play those in just 29 days. February began for the Chiefs in Kamloops against the Blazers, the top team in the entire league. Spokane had dropped two previous meetings with the Blazers, 6-4 in Kamloops in October, and then falling 2-1 at home in November.
Coming off a nice win at Seattle the night before, Spokane was hoping the momentum of the win would overcome an almost all night ride to Kamloops as the team arrived at the hotel about 4:30am. I just hoped the team felt better than I did, as I came down with the mother of all colds and found myself holed up in the hotel all day of the game. I was fine once the game came around and the Chiefs and Blazers battled through a pretty even first period. Kamloops scored late in the stanza though when Matt Needham banged a puck through goalie Mac Engel's pads while Engel looked for the puck at his skates.
Down by one heading into the second, the Chiefs came out undeterred. Dominick Uher, who had rang up 4 goals the night before in the win over Seattle, snapped a shot from the right circle past Blazer goalie Cole Cheveldave less than 5 minutes into the period to tie the game at one. Engel kept it that way as he made a couple of superbbb saves to send the game to the third tied at one.
The third period was back and forth and stayed 1-1 until a check to the head major penalty was called on the Chiefs Corey Baldwin at 13:17. Kamloops Needham took a 2 minute instigating for starting a fight with Baldwin after the hit, leaving the two teams skating 4 on 4 for two minutes. The game turned at this point, as first Brandon Herrod, and then Brendan Ranford, scored 53 seconds apart to suddenly blow the game open at 3-1. Spokane never recovered from there, and the Blazers would tack on a late 5-3 power play goal to put away a 4-1 win. The loss spoiled a great outing by Engel, who turned away 26 shots, many of them good scoring chances by Kamloops.
The hit by Baldwin not only turned the game, but led to the league handing down a 2 game suspension to Baldwin, who is an integral part of Spokane's blue line defense. The Chiefs were already down injured defensemen Tanner Mort and Reid Gow, so now the team was down to 5 defensemen as the team headed home to take on the offensive minded Victoria Royals. The Royals, the former Chilliwack Bruins, came into the game in the 8th and final playoff berth in the Western Conference playoff race, and were definitely looking for a big win on the road to secure their standing.
The Chiefs were just hoping their youngggg defense would step up. Spokane went with Eric Williams in goal, who had won his last start in Seattle on Tuesday. Victoria wasted no time jumping to an early lead, as Stephen Hodges leaping swipe at a loose puck on a rebound got past Williams 4 minutes in to make it 1-0 Victoria. The Royals had a chance to make it 2-0 on the power play, but Uher would strike for Spokane again, taking a Liam Stewart pass down the left wing and blasting one past Royals goalie Jared Rathjen midway through the first to tie the game at one. Victoria came right back just 35 seconds later while still on the power play to re-take the lead at 2-1. Once again the Chiefs would answer, as great forecheck work by Uher and Dylan Walchuk got the puck to Mitch Holmberg and his shot from the left circle tied it at 2 heading into the second period.
Spokane would come out roaring in the second. First, defenseman Cole Wedman notched his first WHL goal with a shot from the left point at 4:21 to give the Chiefs a 3-2 lead. Stewart then scored on a shot from the left wing 2:26 later to extend the lead to 4-2. Marek Kalus' rebound from the left circle made it 5-2 Spokane 9:01 into the second and the Chiefs were in total command of the game at this point. The goal also led to the departure of Rahhjen, as regular starter Keith Hamilton entered the game at that point. Another Victoria power play goal late in the second, Hodges second goal, cut the lead to 5-3 after two, but there were no signs that the Chiefs were in any trouble.
The third period stayed 5-3 until a breakdown by Spokane on a bad change by the forwards at the Victoria blue line led to an odd man rush for the Royals and Brandon Magee scored at 16:46 to bring Victoria within 5-4. Spokane then took a penalty after failing to get the puck out of their zone, and the Royals pulled Hamilton to lead to a 6 on 4 advantage in the final minute. The Chiefs broke down off the face off in their own zone, and Robin Soudek scored with just 35 seconds left to tie the game at 5 and force overtime. There have been a handful of times this year the Chiefs have had 3rd period meltdowns, and in every case, it's been mental mistakes that have been the team's undoing.
You had to wonder how the mindset of the team would be going into overtime. The Chiefs though bounced back, as they would generate a power play chance of their own in OT, just their second man advantage of the game. With the ice more open with a 4-3 power play, the Chiefs got off the only 5 shots of overtime but failed to score on Hamilton and the Royals as the game headed to a 3 round shootout. Spokane elected to go first and it looked good in round one as Blake Gal scored while Williams stopped Victoria's first round attempt. In the second round, Dylan Walchuk missed left for Spokane, while Ben Walker scored for Victoria to tie the shootout at one. Mitch Holmberg scored on a backhander for the Chiefs to make it 2-1, and when Williams flung out the leg pad to stop Victoria's Logan Nelson, the shootout, and the game were Spokane's.
It was a huge two points for the Chiefs, but the finish was less than stellar, so the team knew they had plenty to work on as they headed back on the road to take on the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook, B.C. on Saturday. The weekend before, the two teams had gone to overtime, with Spokane scoring a dramatic overtime goal from Brenden Kichton to take a 5-4 win.
With the team still shorthanded defensively, the Chiefs battled their way to a scoreless tie after one. Gal played this contest on the blue line and was solid for Spokane as the Chiefs outchanced the Ice 11-4 in the period, but could not find the net on Ice goalie Nate Lieuwen. In the second, Kootenay's Dylen McKinlay scored just over 2 minutes into the period to give the Ice a 1-0 lead. Spokane would respond at 7:10 when Holmberg scored off a rebound of a Liam Stewart shot from the slot. The Ice would regain the lead though when McKinlay scored in the slot late in the second to leave it 2-1 Ice after two.
Spokane got their only power play of the third period midway through, and took advantage when Kichton rifled one from the high slot to tie the game at 2 at 8:36. It looked like we were heading to another exciting finish with these two teams, but it all changed less than 3 minutes later. Kootenay's Joe Antilla came down the left wing and flung a knuckleball shot inside the Chiefs blue line. It was the definition of routine shot, but somehow the puck went right by Engel's glove and into the net, and the Ice took the lead, for good as it turned out, 3-2. It was the most stunning goal I've seen since Barry Brust let one in beyond the red line severalll years back. You talk about a swing and a miss with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th of a one run game. It had that effect on the Chiefs too. Spokane never really recovered, and when McKinlay scored late in the third to cap a hat trick night, the Chefs were on the short end of a 4-2 game. Like the Kamloops game, the contest was up for grabs past the midway point of the third, and an unfortunate play by Spokane led to a chain...or an avalanche of events, to bring about a Chiefs loss.
Now the Chiefs headed home for a rareee Monday night game, as they took on a Seattle team they had beaten at the Thunderbirds home rink the Tuesday before. That wasn't necessarily a good sign for the Chiefs though, as the last time Spokane had that scenario, they blew a 2-1 third period lead in a Monday afternoon game on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in mid January. As this game started, it started to look like Deja Vu all over again, as Yogi Berra once said. Seattle's Brendan Rouse scored after the Thunderbirds kept the puck in the Spokane end of the ice for over a minute and it was 1-0 Seattle.
Before the T-Birds could enjoy their lead, Blake Gal flicked the puck away from the Seattle defense and scored on a breakaway on Thunderbird goalie Calvin Pickard just 12 seconds later to tie the game at one. It was a big answer for Spokane, as the game went back and forth from there. Chiefs defenseman Davis Vandane took the puck in almost unimpeded through the Seattle defense and scored on a backhander at 14:19 to give the Chiefs a 2-1 lead. Seattle answered less than 2 minutes later when Connor Honey scored on a 3-1 rush from the right circle to tie the game at 2. Back would come Spokane, as Kichton scored from the right side during a 9 second Chiefs power play in the final 30 seconds of the period to give Spokane a 3-2 lead after one. Talk about a huge goal. Not only did it give the Chiefs a majorrr boost heading into the second after a rather loose period of play, it was Kitchton's 41st goal of his career, tops all time amongst Spokane Chiefs defensemen.
The second period was a lottt tighter defensively from both teams as the squads combined for only 12 shots and neither team scored to keep it a 3-2 game for Spokane headed into the third. The Chiefs would get a big break at the end of the second as Seattle took a delay of game penalty for sending the puck into the stands from their defensive zone with just 3 seconds left. Spokane would take advantage of the break when Marek Kalus pounced on a rebound and scored on the power play 1:44 into the third to make it 4-2 Chiefs. When Seattle scored at 8:17 of the period, the importance of Kalus's goal was even more magnified. Instead of a tie game heading down the stretch, the Chiefs still enjoyed a one goal cushion.
Darren Kramer's rebound goal at 10:01 would bring the lead back to 5-3 Spokane. Seattle then had a chance to get within one on the power play, but Connor Chartier would poke the puck free from the Chiefs zone and go on a 2 on 1 with Mike Aviani. Aviani would hit Chartier with a perfect backhand pass and Chartier parked it in the net at 13:02 to seal the win. Seattle's body language sagged and when Aviani rifled one home at 16:37, it capped off a 4 goal third period and a 7-3 Chiefs win.
It was a greattt way to cap a busyyy week for Spokane, and now the team can catch its breath, as the Chiefs now get 3 days off in a row. It will feel like a week off, believe me! Spokane has just two games to get ready for this weekend, as the Thunderbirds come back to the Spokane Arena Friday night. Division leading Tri City comes to town on Saturday, so another couple big division games for the Chiefs as they try to keep the 4th spot and the final home ice advantage spot in the Western Conference playoffs. Friday and Saturday's games will be at 7:05pm with the pre-game shows at 6:30pm. I'll have the call on 1510 KGA on Friday, while Saturday's game is on 790 KJRB due to the Gonzaga game.
The regular season has just 19 games left and just a little over a month remaining in it, so get on out and support the boys as they head down the stretch. The home crowds have been greatttt for the team this year, so get out there now when it counts! We hope to see you at the rink!
