Dan Weaver

Their style is described as rope-a-dope on ice. Stan Butler calls it the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Heading into tonight's third game of the Western Hockey League West Division semifinals, the coach of the Prince George Cougars talked of his team's sudden success against the Spokane Chiefs.

The defining moment of the Prince George Cougars' 4-2 win over the Spokane Chiefs on Saturday night came down to a goaltender and a goalscorer on opposite sides who played midget hockey together in Red Deer, Alberta. For the defense, Prince George goalie Chris Mason. From the other side of the firing line, left wing Greg Leeb of Spokane.

Joe Cardarelli, who later scored a key goal and lost the puck on the game's deciding play in overtime, is turned away by a pack of Prince George Cougars in the first period. Photo by Liz Kishimoto/The Spokesman-Review

Give 'em a brake Spokane's Greg Leeb uses quick-stop technique to steer clear of Kelowna's check-minded Scott Parker during recent playoff game in the Arena. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

The Prince George Cougars are in the Western Hockey League West Division semifinals. Let's see if we can put that in perspective.

In one overwhelming night they went from the clutch-and-grab Spokane Chiefs to just plain clutch. Refusing to let the Kelowna Rockets have another shot at them in Spokane, the Chiefs advanced to the Western Hockey League West Division semifinals Monday night, eliminating the Rockets 5-2 in game six of the best-of-seven opening-round series. After knocking out the Rockets four games to two, the Chiefs get ready for the best-of-five division semifinals with the Prince George Cougars. That series opens this week in the Spokane Arena, most likely Friday night. A few minutes after the Chiefs won their third straight game in tiny Memorial Arena, Prince George became the first No. 6 seed to oust a No. 1 seed, knocking off Portland 3-2 to win that series four games to two.

The Spokane Chiefs are back in the tight confines of Memorial Arena tonight, hoping to close out their first-round playoff with the Kelowna Rockets. The Chiefs lead the series three games to two heading into tonight's 7 p.m. faceoff.

The Kelowna Rockets went home Saturday night with the prizes they came after. Another date in the playoffs, a second chance at home. With a quick start and a flourishing finish before 6,328 in the Arena, the Rockets held off the Spokane Chiefs 6-3 to force a sixth game in this Western Hockey League series.

Spokane's Hugh Hamilton skates away from Kelowna's Jason Deleurme following a first-period theft. Photo by Dan McComb/The Spokesman-Review

Kirk Dewaele

Spokane goaltender Aren Miller robs Kelowna of a first-period goal with a lunging glove save. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review

Aren Miller works the net for Spokane against Portland. He may be hard-pressed tonight on a surface that favors Kelowna's skaters. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Although the Spokane Chiefs are in command of their Western Hockey League series with the Kelowna Rockets, two games to none, the playoff that resumes here Wednesday night ain't over yet. Kelowna coach Pete Anholt said as much Saturday night, standing in the glare of TV lights after his club had taken its second straight 5-3 loss at home.

Twenty-four hours didn't change their focus. They came in with the same heart. They played with the same intelligence. The Kelowna Rockets reprised their role, too, taking the same kinds of dumb penalties that doomed their effort the night before. Only Mike Haley was different. Haley, whose usual speciality is sacrificing the body, popped in the game-winning and insurance goals Saturday night in the Spokane Chiefs' 5-3 victory over the Kelowna Rockets. The Chiefs are home today, up two games to none, only two wins away from sweeping this best-of-7 Western Hockey League series. The rivalry continues Wednesday night in Spokane. Again, Kelowna's taste for the undisciplined infraction worked against the Rockets, but that and the 5-3 score were the only similarities to Friday night's opener. The Chiefs led this one 2-0. Kelowna led 3-2. The Chiefs tied it at 3 on the power play, Joe Cardarelli scoring his second goal of the night. Enter Haley. His first goal came on the power play at 7:27 of the second period, with Kelowna's Tyler Prosofsky in the penalty box for cross-checking. The puck came to Haley. "I just felt like no one was around me," he said. "I hesitated, went one way, trying to go down. I played against him (Kelowna goaltender Aaron MacDonald) when we were younger. Everyone was saying to shoot low the whole time. I went around him, shot low in the right corner." Eight minutes later he had his second of the night, and his fourth this year against the Rockets. Four of his seven have come against Kelowna. Three were game-winners. On the other extreme is Prosofsky, the Rockets captain who was whistled for four minors. He was one prime reason why the Rockets gave the Chiefs 11 power-play opportunities. Spokane essentially won the game by scoring on three and skating away from trouble. "It's the most disciplined Spokane team I've ever seen," Rockets coach Pete Anholt said. "The way we're playing - taking the penalties we've taken - is embarrassing." Chiefs coach Mike Babcock named Haley as his player of the game. "He went to the net hard and made some nice plays with the puck," Babcock said. Haley's line was on fire all night. He was teamed with Cardarelli and John Cirjak. With the score tied at 2 in a wild first period, the Rockets' Brett McLean was called for a rough and Scott Hannan was sent off for cross-checking. It gave the Chiefs a 5-3 power play that Cardarelli jumped on. Cardarelli scored on the rebound at 19:10 of the first to tie it at 3. Goals by Marian Cisar and Cardarelli put the Chiefs up by two in the first 3:04 of the game, but the Rockets' Luke Curtin re-directed Prosofsky's shot with the Rockets on the power play for a score midway through the opening 20 minutes. Six minutes later, Curtin scored on a penalty shot to tie it after Chiefs defenseman Hugh Hamilton hooked him going to the net. A minute later, the Rockets stripped the puck from Cisar off the wall and were off on the break that McLean turned into his first goal of the series. Kelowna's first lead of the playoffs lasted 1:53, with McLean and then Hannan going off with minors that led to Cardarelli's second power-play goal of the night. Chiefs 5, Rockets 3 Spokane 3 2 0 - 5 Kelowna 3 0 0 - 3 First period-1, Spokane, Cisar 2 (Schutz, Dewaele), :44. 2, Spokane, Cardarelli 1 (Cirjak, Dewaele), 3:04 (pp). 3, Kelowna, Curtin 1 (Prosofsky, King), 10:04 (pp). 4, Kelowna, Curtin 2 (penalty shot), 16:09. 5, Kelowna, McLean 1 (Deleurme, Betik), 17:23. 6, Spokane, Cardarelli 2 (Hamilton, Cirjak), 19:10 (pp). Key penalties-Prosofsky, Kel, 1:25; Reich, Spo, 3:27; Haley, Spo, 9:40; Schultz, Kel, 14:05; McLean, Kel, 18:03; Hannan, Kel, 18:42. Second period-7, Spokane, Haley 1 (Jones), 7:27 (pp). 8, Spokane, Haley 2 (Cirjak, Cardarelli), 15:09. Key penalties- Ference, Spo, 1:19; Prosofsky, Kel, 5:42; Diener, Kel, 7:42; Rossiter, Spo, 17:55; Hamilton, Spo, 19:55; Diener, Kel, 20:00. Third period-None. Key penalties-Prosofsky, Kel, 6:35; King, Kel, 11:42; Dewaele, Kel, 13:47; Magarrell, Spo, 16:50; Prosofsky, Kel, 19:28; Parker, Kel, 19:35. Power-play opp.-Spokane 3 of 11; Kelowna 1 of 7. Saves- Spokane, Miller 9-10-6-25. Kelowna, MacDonald 14-9-12-35. A-2,200.

Something about the postseason. Over the years it's brought out the best in the Spokane Chiefs at home and on the road - and the worst in the Rockets in Tacoma and Kelowna. Disciplined, dominant on the forecheck, quick in pursuit of the puck, the Chiefs took the air and the fans out of cozy old Memorial Arena on Friday night, blitzing the Kelowna Rockets with three first-period goals on the way to a 5-3 win in Game One of their Western Hockey League playoff series.

They've won 11 of their last 12 at home and 17 of 23 Western Hockey League games down the stretch. Nearly every coach in the West saw it coming. As far back as Feb. 1 virtually no one wanted to face them in the first round of the WHL playoffs.

1. Chiefs equipment manager Ted Schott sets out water bottles for the Western Hockey League team before its game last Wednesday night. Photo by Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review 2. Schott strikes a pose fit for an attorney at the law firm at which he works. Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review

Last year it was critical. Whether home-ice advantage is as good to the Spokane Chiefs this year remains to be seen, but at least they're in position to find out. By finishing two points ahead of the Kelowna Rockets in the Western Hockey League West Division, the Chiefs will host Game 7, should Spokane's first-round series with the Rockets go full-term.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Twenty-four hours after his team played its most disappointing game in his three years as coach - and faced with the bleak but real possibility of a losing season - Mike Babcock went after his leadership Saturday night. The Spokane Chiefs coach benched captain Hugh Hamilton, not for what Hamilton did in a six-goal loss to the Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday night, but for what he represented.

The Spokane Chiefs will not have a losing season. They can still finish third in the Western Hockey League West, and with it take an important edge into the first round of the league playoffs. The Chiefs are in Seattle tonight after spanking the Prince George Cougars 4-0 Saturday night in their last home game of the season before 10,455, who pushed attendance in the Arena to a franchise-record 285,743. If they can beat the T-Birds tonight, the Chiefs will head into the first round of the WHL playoffs with home-ice advantage, meaning that if their best-of-7 series with the Kelowna Rockets goes the full seven games, four will be played here. The Rockets finished their season at 35-35-2. The Chiefs are 34-33-4. Both have 72 points in the West Division standings but the Rockets, with an extra victory, have the edge. A win tonight gives the Chiefs third place. A loss leaves them in fourth, forcing them to win at least one game in Kelowna to avoid elimination. The Chiefs beat the Cougars for the sixth time in eight tries. Nine players scored points including Greg Leeb, who took over the club scoring lead with a goal and an assist. Leeb has 83 points. John Cirjak, who had an assist, has 82. Trent Whitfield notched the important first goal - the Chiefs are 24-10-3 when they score first - with one of two Spokane power-play goals 10:40 in the first period. Joe Cardarelli registered his teamhigh 34th goal.

The Spokane Chiefs are usually rough, tough and ready. They're usually not disinterested, undisciplined and stupid. But there they were Friday night, playing an important game with all the hockey veracity of Boomer, their buffoonish mascot. Watching the Chiefs take dumb penalties made for an awfully long night in the Arena. The Seattle Thunderbirds pumped four goals - two on the power-play - past two Spokane goaltenders in a mind-numbing 58-minute first period on the way to a 7-1 drubbing of the Chiefs.

The Spokane Chiefs are almost always rough and tough. They're usually not undisciplined and stupid. But there they were Friday night, playing an important game with the hockey IQ of magazine buffoon Alfred E. Neuman. It made for an awful, long night in the Arena. The Seattle Thunderbirds pumped four goals - two on the power-play - past two Spokane goaltenders in a mind-numbing 58-minute first period on the way to a 7-1 drubbing of the Chiefs. T-Birds Torrey DiRoberto and Patrick Marleau peppered the Chiefs, who tried to intimidate and learned a lamentable lesson: You can't hit what you can't catch. DiRoberto had three goals and an assist, Melarea a goal and three assists. Now Spokane (33-33-4) has to defeat Prince George in front of a sellout here tonight, or somehow find a way to win Sunday's regular-season finale in Seattle in the jockeying for third place in the WHL West. Should the Kelowna Rockets do the expected and defeat Kamloops at home tonight, the Chiefs would have to win twice to finish third. And even if they do get third, and the home-ice advantage in the first-round of next week's playoff with Kelowna that goes with it, they're going nowhere playing like this. Spokane averted the shutout when Brad Ference scored on the power play, assisted by Greg Leeb and Marian Cisar.

Shades of Dmitri Leonov. Who let Darren Sinclair in the building? When did Sean Gillam get back in town?

Ference