Kelowna At Spokane Chiefs

Time: Tonight at 7 at the Arena.

Records: Spokane (20-9-1), Kelowna Rockets (19-9-2).

Tickets: $6, $8, $10, $12.

Radio: KGA-AM (1510) 6 p.m. Hockey Tonight with Craig West. Chiefs coach Mike Babcock 6:20.

Key players: Spokane: D Sean Gillam (5 goals, 23 assists), C/RW Jason Podollan (20, 9), C Darren Sinclair (14, 19), C Trent Whitfield (14, 29), RW John Cirjak (14, 13), D Hugh Hamilton (4, 25), LW Dmitri Leonov (14, 23), RW Randy Favaro (9, 18), LW Greg Leeb (19, 10), GK David Lemanowicz (3.04 goals-against), RW Jay Bertsch (7, 8).

Kelowna: C Robb Gordon (23 goals, 39 assists), RW Marty Flichel (13, 18), RW Vaclav Varada (25, 13), D Bert Henderson (7, 30), LW Tyler Prosofsky (16, 19), GK Kim Dillabaugh (4.11 goals-against) or Rob Friesen (3.71), C Brett Mclean (13, 18), RW Ryan Wade (14, 13).

At a glance: Chiefs may get Gillam (shoulder) back for a busy weekend. They shoot for their sixth straight win tonight, then bus it to Seattle for a Sunday nighter with the T-Birds. Gillam, who sat out Wednesday night’s game with Seattle, returned to practice Friday. The captain and key defenseman will make the trip to Seattle, an indication that he’ll probably see action tonight. No doubt he’d like to show Kelowna coach Marcel Comeau that he belongs on the Canadian national junior team that plays in the World Junior Tournament at month’s end. Comeau is national junior team head coach. Chiefs consider Gillam, who was not invited to try out for the team, a candidate for WHL West Division MVP. On the good-news front, Joe Cardarelli (broken ankle) was skating Friday, spawning hope that he’ll be ready after the Christmas break. This one is more than a typical December excerise. Four clubs - these two plus Kamloops and Tri-City - are playing at a championship pace. Very little separates first place from fourth in the WHL West. “When you stumble you fall,” Chiefs assistant Parry Shockey says. “To keep pace you have to be competitive every night.” Kelowna handed Spokane its first loss in the Arena. The Rockets’ power play is among the best in the league, although Kelowna failed to score on 9 of 10 power-play chances in a 4-3 loss to Tri-City Wednesday night. Flichel is on a 16-game scoring streak. Chiefs GK Lemanowicz has been virtually impenetrable. Lemanowicz is 5-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and a phenomenal .958 saves percentage in his last five games.

, DataTimes