Chiefs reach one-third mark on a roll
The Spokane Chiefs hit the one-third point of their Western Hockey League season with a 14-7-3-0 record after five straight wins. Read story
Many "experts" thought the Chiefs would stumble along this season because of a lack of offensive firepower.
Instead, Spokane has the fifth-best winning percentage (.646) in the 24-team league.
"At the beginning of the year we were ranked last in all predictions in our division and we’re proving them wrong," said Chiefs defenseman Jordan Henderson, who scored his first career WHL goal on Saturday. "I think we just have to keep on rolling and keep on playing as a team."
"At the start of the year, I wouldn’t have thought we’d be here, but I’m glad we are," said Tyson Verhelst, Saturday's winning goalie. "It’s been a great run so far and hopefully we’ll keep it up."
Chiefs coach Don Nachbaur took the good with the bad after a 2-1 win over Lethbridge, a team tied for the worst winning percentage (.296) in the WHL.
"I’m happy about (the team's record), but we still strive to get better every day," Nachbaur said. … "To be satisfied with a 2-1 victory against a team that’s struggled, has won one game in 10, I don’t think our effort was good enough."
Despite the good record, Spokane's offense hasn't caught up with its defense. The Chiefs have allowed only 65 goals (2.7 per game) this season while scoring only 69 (2.9 per game). During its five-game winning streak, Spokane has outscored rivals 12-6.
"We weren’t very good," Nachbaur said of Saturday's win. "We were lucky. For me, we got two points, but it wasn’t based on our team play. Our goalie was good, our 'D' was good, but I did not like our forwards for what they produced tonight, and I’m not just talking about goals and assists. The way we competed wasn’t good enough up front. We played the game standing still and our compete level wasn’t very high."
