Dave Trimmer

In the shadow of the Rocky Mountains, Emily Kuipers has grown. Not taller – that 6-foot-5 player on the Regis University women’s basketball team is junior Salina Kuiper, who happens to be Kuipers’ roommate at the Division II school in Denver.

Revenge for last year was more of a by-product of the statement that the Gonzaga women’s basketball team wanted to make about this year. The Bulldogs opened the West Coast Conference season before 3,208 fans at McCarthey Athletic Center Saturday afternoon with a 90-54 dismantling of Portland, the team that shocked them on their home court in the WCC opener last year.

Odds were the same ol’ story was going to play out at the Arena on Friday night. Chilliwack scored a power-play goal midway through the second period to take a 1-0 lead into the final 20 minutes against Spokane, and the Bruins were 15-1 when leading after two periods while the Chiefs were 0-11 when trailing.

Odds were the same ol’ story was going to play out at the Arena Friday night. Chilliwack scored a power play goal in the middle of the second period to take a 1-0 lead into the final 20 minutes against Spokane and the Bruins were 15-1 when leading after two periods while the Chiefs were 0-11 when trailing. It didn’t help that the Chiefs had dropped five straight home games, all by one goal, but at the same time the Bruins 0-7 at the Arena in their brief history. So, what happened? Simple, take the odds. At least it wasn’t a one goal loss. Chilliwack goalie Lucas Gore made 28 saves, 13 in the third period when a Spokane turnover and a giveaway led to goals by Kevin Sundher and Ryan Howse, to saddle the Chiefs their second shutout of the season.

It’s not a good sign when the top team in the Western Hockey League comes calling and gets a goal from its fourth line just 7:14 into the game. That should have been the first clue it was going to be a strange Tuesday for the 3,642 fans at the Arena as the two best defensive teams in the league got into an old-fashioned shootout. When the ice chips settled, Saskatoon, which had allowed 106 goals in 39 games, out-scored Spokane, which had given up 93 in the same number of games, 5-4 – with a scoreless third period.

An unusual schedule gives the Gonzaga women’s basketball team 10 days off before opening West Coast Conference play against Portland. Too bad.

It’s not often a goalie can give up more than double his league-leading average and still be the player of the game, but it happened at the Arena on Sunday night. James Reid thrilled a crowd of 7,476 fans with 36 mostly spectacular saves but it wasn’t enough as the Portland Winterhawks rallied for a 5-4 win with three unanswered goals in the third period, only the second time this season the Spokane Chiefs have lost after leading entering the third period.

The Gonzaga women’s basketball team got back on track Sunday afternoon, erasing the disappointment of a pair of losses to highly-ranked Big 12 Conference teams last weekend in Las Vegas with a 96-57 dismantling of UC Irvine. It was the stellar all-around play of Vivian Frieson and Bulldogs-at-their-best second half that pleased a nice crowd of 2,733 at McCarthey Athletic Center.

It’s not often a goalie can give up more than double his league-leading average and still be the player of the game, but it happened at the Arena on Sunday night. James Reid thrilled a crowd of 7,476 fans with 36 mostly spectacular saves but it wasn’t enough as the Portland Winterhawks rallied for a 5-4 win with three unanswered goals in the third period, only the second time this season the Spokane Chiefs have lost after leading entering the third period.

The Gonzaga women’s basketball team got back on track Sunday afternoon, erasing the disappointment of a pair of losses to highly-ranked Big 12 Conference teams last weekend in Las Vegas with a 96-57 dismantling of UC Irvine. Vivian Frieson filled up the stat sheet with a season-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting, 11 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks, plus the pregame comment that set the tone.