Injuries Leave Chiefs Wondering Who’s Available
A year ago, the Spokane Chiefs were winning with superior numbers. Their depth was the envy of the Western Hockey League.
For the time being, their numbers are no longer so imposing.
Wednesday night, when the struggling Chiefs take on the recovering Prince George Cougars in the Arena, they’ll be scrambling to fill some pretty big holes.
Jay Bertsch remained in a Lethbridge, Alberta, hospital Monday, suffering from what Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz said is a flu-like virus.
The extent of Trent Whitfield’s knee injury from Saturday night’s loss in Medicine Hat was being determined, but it’s doubtful he’ll be available.
Joel Boschman aggravated a groin injury and may not play.
Derek Schutz has a knee problem that may keep him off the ice.
That means Kris Graf will be back after a week-long suspension. The Chiefs’ tough left winger, sent home to Edmonton for curfew violations and lax school attendance, returned for last week’s road trip.
Asked if the problem has been resolved, Speltz said, “It’s been addressed. Whether it’s been resolved is up to Kris.”
Bertsch’s problem was initially linked to food poisoning, but Speltz said, “We’re not sure that’s what it is. He was dehydrated. They had to get that taken care of.”
The frustration of a losing streak - the Chiefs have dropped three in a row - showed up in Lethbridge on Friday night when coach Mike Babcock fired a water bottle at referee Kevin Acheson. He was rewarded with a game misconduct and ejection from the game.
Speltz said the Chiefs aren’t playing as well as they were earlier, but competition has something to do with the fall. Swift Current, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat are flying, or were when the Chiefs came in.
And Spokane’s goaltending “hasn’t been as good as we’ve come to expect,” Speltz added.
Jamie Reeve, Swift Current assistant, who worked with Chiefs goaltenders last year, said Spokane “probably outplayed us for the most part, but we managed to pull one out.”
The Broncos weren’t so lucky on the weekend. After beating Spokane, they lost a pair to Brandon. Not only that, a couple of Swift Current defensemen went down.
“We’re down to four D-men now,” Reeve said. “That’s the way it is for a lot of us when we get into the bigger games with the top teams in the league.”
Around the WHL
They don’t have a team. Their building is still under construction and won’t be ready until late summer or fall. Still, the people behind the drive to bring hockey to Boise have sold 1,100 season tickets. The certainty is Boise will have a hockey club next fall. Because the WHL probably wants a presence in the choice Treasure Valley market as much as the Boise area wants into the WHL, the usual rumors are floating. The Brandon Wheat Kings will wind up there. The Kelowna Rockets won’t get their building started and will flee the shores of Lake Okanogan. Moose Jaw, well Moose Jaw is always a suspect. Add to that the hard fact that WHL success in NHL markets is still not a given and Edmonton and/or Calgary may be ripe for change… . The Tri-City Americans were stuck in Tonasket for 4 hours Monday morning after their bus broke down on the way home from Sunday night’s tie game in Kamloops. Wintry weather and the breakdown made for a 14-hour trip home… . The Americans take on Prince George tonight to start a stretch of six straight home games they hope will lead them out of the West Division cellar.
, DataTimes