Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Chiefs Wary Of History Spokane Guilty Of Setting Precedent That Gives Kelowna Hope

The Kelowna Rockets, down 2-0 in their best-of-7 Western Hockey League series with the Spokane Chiefs, can take some solace in one fact, and one supposition as they head into tonight’s Game 3 at the Arena.

First, there’s a precedent for digging out of a playoff hole. The Chiefs were down 3-0 in the first round to Portland last year before reeling off four straight.

In the moments after his 5-3 loss to Spokane at home Saturday night, Rockets coach Pete Anholt wasn’t interested in the big picture, or last year.

“We just want to win our next game,” Anholt said. “If we do that, we get the momentum on our side. They certainly feel they’ve got everything going in their direction, which they do. We have to be strong enough to stop the bleeding.”

If his players stop trying to intimidate with flying elbows and high sticks they may pull a surprise or two before this one is over.

The Arena ice sheet is 20 feet longer and 5 feet wider than the surface of Kelowna’s little building. That should favor the skaters. Greg Leeb of Spokane and Kelowna’s Scott King will be more comfortable and probably more effective here.

Kelowna’s leading scorer in regular-season games against Spokane, King has only one assist in the series.

Leeb had a team-high 12 points with four goals and eight helpers against Kelowna in the regular season but he’s scoreless so far in the playoffs. The 5-8 Leeb is an easier target in the tighter confines of the Kelowna rink.

Still, on the whole, the Chiefs were effective playing with the lead in Kelowna, sending only one forward in to forecheck and basically packing the net. The smaller ice seems to make bigger players out of Mike Haley and Derek Schutz - both of whom made big-time contributions for the Chiefs on the road.

Look for the Rocket line of King, Brett McLean and Jason Deleurme to pick it up some.

Yeah, but it all comes down to …

Goaltending?

The hot goaltender a week ago was Aaron MacDonald, the 19-year-old Rocket who in the last six weeks of the regular season turned Kelowna into a contender.

What a difference a week makes.

After Friday night’s 5-3 loss MacDonald was explicitly candid in what he thought about his play. Noticing a Kelowna reporter in the hall, MacDonald - to no one in particular - exclaimed, “The goaltending was horse (bleep).”

He wasn’t referring to the Chiefs’ Aren Miller.

If MacDonald was horse pucky Friday night he was better Saturday night, even though the Chiefs tattooed him a second time, 5-3.

“MacDonald was awesome,” Chiefs coach Mike Babcock said. “He made some big-time saves. We had 17 shots in the first (period) and tons of ‘em point-blank.”

And Miller?

“Milsy was great,” the Chiefs coach said after Miller stopped 50 shots over two nights. “He’s just getting better and better.”

Miller goes into tonight’s game with an .893 saves percentage to MacDonald’s .870.

Ten is probably plenty

Attendance for the first two games of the series was 2,129 and 2,207. Although the rumor is there are 1,800 seats in Kelowna Memorial Arena, the building holds something like 2,500 with standing room.

Chiefs GM Tim Speltz was asked if he was surprised that the Rockets didn’t sell the place out at home.

“How many deep to do they have to be standing to be sold out?” Speltz wondered.

Good point.

They won’t be standing tonight. Plenty of seats remain for tonight and for Friday night’s Game 4.

Chiefs notes

With Saturday night’s success in Kelowna, the club has its first four-game win streak of the year. … John Cirjak, who leads the team in playoff scoring after two games with five points, is the club’s all-time leader in playoff assists with 26, two up on Jason Podollan… . With 134 regular-season assists, Cirjak is ninth on the Chiefs’ all-time assist ladder. Playoff points don’t count in career stats… . Cirjak also wound up in the Chiefs’ all-time top 10 in games (seventh with 252) and scoring (10th with 212 points)… . Cirjak and Hugh Hamilton will play in their 35th playoff games tonight, fourth on the franchise’s all-time list for postseason games… . Hamilton finished the regular season with 123 career assists, third all-time for a Chiefs defenseman… . Joe Cardarelli moved into the club’s select all-time top 10 list in goals with 93 for his junior career.

Around the WHL

After dropping two games at home, the Brandon Wheat Kings got it together on the road, winning two in Moose Jaw to return to Keystone Centre with their best-of-7 opening-round series tied at 2. Game 5 is tonight… . The Swift Current Broncos took a break Sunday - and won some public relations points in the process. Instead of practicing, the Broncos joined the fight against rising Swift Current Creek by filling sandbags. They went out the next night fresh enough to eliminate the Medicine Hat Tigers 4-2… . The Lethbridge Hurricanes swept their first-round series with Prince Albert. Visiting Lethbridge ended Prince Albert’s season 5-4 Monday night… . The Regina Pats averted a sweep by beating the Red Deer Rebels 5-1 Monday night but the series resumes tonight in Red Deer with the Rebs up 3-1.… . The Tri-City Americans showed a degree of patience not usually associated with the club Tuesday by extending the contract of coach Bob Loucks, the winningest active coach in the WHL with 294 victories. No terms were announced.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo