Spokane home vs. Kelowna

In one way, the upcoming Western Hockey League schedule favors the Spokane Chiefs.

Starting tonight at 7:05, the Chiefs (28-15-1-0, 57 points) will play five home games during a span of nine days. The Chiefs have won 15 of 20 games at the Arena this season.

The difficult part for Spokane will be playing against most of the Western Conference’s elite teams, starting tonight with Kelowna (32-10-2-1), which has won 24 of its last 29 games.

Saturday’s focus turns to Tri-City (26-16-1-2, 55 points), which is trying to catch Spokane for the conference’s fourth-best mark.

The task then shifts to three consecutive games against the league’s best team, Portland (37-5-1-0), which has won 14 consecutive games. Spokane travels to Portland on Monday and hosts the Winterhawks on Wednesday and Friday.

The Chiefs also host Medicine Hat on Jan. 26.

Chris Derrick