Chiefs Give Defense Their Best Shot
Statistics fall below lies and damn lies in the credibility chain, but it’s hard to ignore two numbers the Spokane Chiefs put up on the road.
The Western Hockey League team held the Tri-City Americans to 21 shots Saturday in a 6-4 win, then limited the Kelowna Rockets to 25 shots in a 6-5 loss Wednesday night.
Although coach Mike Babcock was unhappy with the Chiefs’ effort at Kelowna - and he’s not too crazy about some of the offensive numbers - he’s not complaining about the way his aggressive club is denying the opposition scoring chances.
Last year, in Babcock’s first season, the inexperienced Chiefs were peppered for more than 50 shots a game in their first 10 outings.
So far this year, they’ve yielded only 23 a game.
“We’re doing some good things, no question,” Babcock said Thursday, “but I didn’t think the (Kelowna) game was very good. Neither team was exceptional, but they were better. They worked harder.”
Spokane’s power play is scoring at a dismal 9 percent rate after two games. Penalty-killing is only successful half the time.
“Neither one (of the special teams) is working at all,” Babcock said.
Reminded that his team did go .500 on the road, the coach replied, “That’s the goal, I guess, but you want to be satisfied in what you’re putting forth as a team. We can’t say we’re satisfied.
“We want to play a lot better Saturday night in our home opener.”
The Chiefs have sold more than 8,500 tickets for Saturday night’s debut in Veterans Memorial Arena with the Tri-City Americans.
Americans on hold
Although they hoped star forward Terry Ryan might be on his way to Kennewick this week, the Tri-City Americans were still waiting word Thursday on Ryan’s status with the NHL Montreal Canadiens.
Ryan, the eighth pick in the ‘95 entry draft, had a goal and got into a scrap with Steve Leach in Montreal’s 6-4 loss to the Boston Bruins the other night.
That’s not the kind of output that usually brings a demotion, but the Americans are hopeful that Ryan will somehow make it back in time for their Saturday night appointment here.
Ryan scored the series-winning goal in overtime last April in the Tri-City-Spokane West Division semifinal.
After getting off only 21 shots against Spokane on Saturday night, the Americans fired 56 shots in a 12-3 win Sunday night over the Prince George Cougars.
Nobody was crowing too much, however.
Prince George was road-weary. The Cougars were in Seattle on Friday night, in Portland before 9,000 fans on Saturday night and in Kennewick on Sunday for their third game in as many nights.
The Cougars did get some good news when they got home, learning that 19-year-old right wing Colin Cloutier is on his way back to Prince George after a stint with the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning.
Podollan makes his mark
Jason Podollan is not making Bryan Murray’s job any easier.
Podollan, the 19-year-old right wing who last year led the Spokane Chiefs in scoring, is one of 30 players remaining in camp with the NHL Florida Panthers.
Murray, who is engineering a youth movement in Florida as Panthers GM, watched Podollan score a pair of goals Sunday in an exhibition game with the Winnipeg Jets.
Podollan was expected to suit up for the Panthers’ next two exhibition games.
A half-dozen players will be shipped out before the Panthers open the season a week from Saturday against Stanley Cup champ New Jersey.
“Podollan has a shot at making it,” said Panthers spokesman Kevin Dessart. “I don’t think too many of us here thought he or Rhett Warrener would still be with the team (this far along in the preseason), but he’s a talented kid who’s pretty tough.”
Warrener spent last season with the WHL Saskatoon Blades.
Notes
Goaltender David Lemanowicz will be available for Saturday night’s game. The Chiefs ‘keeper was the third man in a fight that became a line brawl Wednesday night at Kelowna and was ejected… . Trent Whitfield leads the Chiefs with 5 points after two games. “He was probably our best forward over our two games on the road,” Chiefs GM Tim Speltz said.
The Seattle Thunderbirds have replaced general manager Bob Tory with former GM Russ Farwell, who left Seattle to run the NHL Philadelphia Flyers until the Flyers brought back Philly favorite Bobby Clarke. Tory was to be assume other duties in the organization… . The T-birds, in Spokane Wednesday night, traded defenseman Harlan Pratt to Red Deer for left wing Dan Tompkins and futures.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes suspended goaltender David Brumby after he was charged with causing a disturbance and being drunk in public, the Regina Leader-Post reported… . This week’s Canadian Hockey League’s rankings leave defending champ Kamloops out. The Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League is the top-ranked major junior club. WHL teams in the top 10 are Tri-City (3rd), Kelowna (5th), Moose Jaw (8th) and Prince Albert (9th).
, DataTimes