Chiefs wield power in Game 1
In eight regular-season games against the Everett Silvertips, the Spokane Chiefs scored four power-play goals in 45 attempts.
After 60 minutes and eight power-play opportunities on Friday night, the Chiefs had equaled that number.
Drayson Bowman scored twice and goalie Dustin Tokarski turned aside 26 of 28 shots as Spokane powered past Everett for a 5-2 Western Hockey League playoff victory in the opening game of their first-round, best-of-7 Western Conference quarterfinal series at the Arena.
“Real good game,” said Chiefs coach Bill Peters. “We got ourselves established in this series, our power play was very good here tonight – wasn’t very good in the regular season versus these guys head to head. A lot of positives come out of this 60-minute effort.”
In front of a crowd of 4,732, the Chiefs set the tone early, capitalizing on three Everett penalties in the first period.
Everett defenseman Dane Crowley was called for unsportsmanlike conduct 10 minutes, 58 seconds into the first period.
A minute into the power play, Bowman took a pass from Chiefs defenseman Trevor Glass and netted his first goal from the top of the right face-off circle at 12:03.
Less than a minute later, Spokane took a 2-0 lead.
Silvertips defenseman Graham Potuer was sent to the penalty box for tripping at 12:44 and David Rutherford, who was screening down low in front of Everett goalie Leland Irving, made some quick maneuvers in the crease and stuffed the puck in glove-side on assists from Stefan Ulmer and Ondrej Roman for a goal at 12:52.
Judd Blackwater scored Spokane’s third power-play goal of the period – at 17:21 – from the high slot after Everett’s Dan Gendur took a slashing penalty at 16:39.
“We were super undisciplined, and that was really the difference in the game,” said Everett coach John Becanic. “Five-on-five, I thought it was a fairly even-played game and we took stupid penalties and their power play, that’s been really hot right now, capitalized.
“We’ll try and fix our problems and be a better team tomorrow.”
Everett’s Matt Ius scored 12 seconds into the middle stanza, but any momentum gained from the goal was taken away when Chiefs captain Chris Bruton scored from the high slot at 3:37.
After allowing four goals, Irving – who played well against Spokane all season – was replaced by Shayne Barrie, who allowed one goal and turned aside 24 shots.
“It wasn’t his best game,” Becanic said of Irving, a 2006 Calgary Flames first-round draft pick. “He’s a pro, so he’ll rebound and he’ll be better tomorrow I’m sure.”
Rutherford echoed the sentiment.
“You know he’s going to be at his best tomorrow night,” he said. “When a good goalie struggles one night, they normally come out strong.”
Everett’s Jonathan Harty, who finished with a goal and an assist, scored a power-play goal 5:59 into the third and Bowman buried his second of the night at 11:42 on another assist from Glass, whose playoff experience was a bright spot for Spokane.
Glass, a trade-deadline acquisition for Spokane, skated in his 43rd postseason game. He helped the Medicine Hat Tigers to the WHL championship last season and played in four Memorial Cup games.
“You see a guy like Trevor Glass tonight who has been through the wars, been in the Memorial Cup, and he just elevated his game right through the roof,” Peters said. “We knew he was going to, but it was nice to see and that’s why you make the trade for playoff experience in veteran guys.”
The second game of the series is tonight at 7 at the Arena.
Because of the NCAA women’s basketball regional next weekend, the format was adjusted to 2-3-2 – meaning Games 3, 4 and, if necessary, 5, will be played in Everett on Wednesday, Friday and next Saturday.
Quartet scratched
Rookie defensemen Jace Coyle and Brett Bartman, and forwards Ryan Letts and Blake Gal were all healthy scratches for Spokane. Gal, the Chiefs’ second-round pick (34th overall) in the 2007 Bantam Draft, was added to the Chiefs’ roster for the postseason. Gal played for Lethbridge in the AMHL this season.