Lots happening at the Arena these days. First of all, the Spokane Chiefs are looking like a team that could do some damage in the Western Conference this season. They're 2-1, with two wins over Tri-City and a one-goal loss to Vancouver, and they've got a pair of games this weekend, beginning tonight at 7 p.m. when they host Victoria.
See below for news and notes.
Last night rumors started circling that veteran goalie Mac Engel had been traded, effectively resolving the Chiefs' goalie situation as the higher-ups prepare to cut their rosters to 25 players maximum by Oct. 10. General manager Tim Speltz put that rumor to bed, but Spokane did make a trade this afternoon when they sent overage defenseman Davis Vandane to the Prince Albert Raiders for a conditional 2013 Bantam draft pick. Here is the short press release.
In case you missed it, here's the feature we ran on Spokane forward Mitch Holmberg, who has seven points in three games - picking up right where he left off during the playoffs last season.
Lastly (for now), Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, the former bench boss in Spokane, will be at Saturday's game against the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Babcock will be a part of the pregame ceremonies and drop the ceremonial first puck.
Babcock is Spokane's all-time leader in coaching victories with 224 over a six-year period from 1994-2000. With the Red Wings, he has coached in the Stanley Cup Finals three times, winning the Cup in '08 (the same year Spokane won the Memorial Cup). Babcock also won an Olympic Gold Medal as Canada's coach at the 2010 Olympics.
Here are some of Babcock's achievements in Spokane:
Jim Allen Sports reporter Jim Allen's primary coverage areas are Eastern Washington University football and men's basketball, Whitworth University men's basketball, and college and high school soccer. He also contributes to the SportsLink Blog.
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Christian Caple Sports reporter Christian Caple covers Washington State University athletics. He also contributes to the SportsLink Blog.
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Greg Lee Greg Lee covers high school sports in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. He also contributes to the SportsLink Blog.
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Jim Meehan Jim Meehan's coverage areas include Gonzaga University men's basketball, Whitworth University football, the Spokane Shock, golf and volleyball. He also contributes to the SportsLink Blog.
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Chris Derrick Chris Derrick is a sports reporter for the sports section. His primary coverage areas are the Spokane Chiefs, women's basketball and high school sports in the fall and spring.
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Josh Wright Josh Wright is a freelance correspondent who covers the University of Idaho football team and men's basketball team.
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Vince Grippi is the online producer for SportsLink, a product of The Spokesman-Review.
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