The Spokane Chiefs' winless streak has reached seven games, so the buzzwords afterward were predictable: frustrated, tired. That was all that was left to say after the Kootenay Ice defeated the Chiefs 4-2 in a Western Hockey League game on Saturday night at the Arena.
When the Spokane Chiefs take the ice on Saturday night against Kootenay at the Arena, casual fans may need a program in front of them to identify their team. Of course, so might some of the players. That's because the Chiefs' roster has undergone a major overhaul since the beginning of the Western Hockey League season in September.
The Spokane Chiefs pulled out all the stops for motivation: buck night, cheer stix, near-sellout crowd, archrival Tri-City in town on a Saturday night – oh, and yes, a couple of fights. But none of them were a match for Americans 20-year-old captain Ian McDonald, whose natural hat trick led the Tri-City Americans to a 4-1 win over the Spokane Chiefs in Western Hockey League play at the Arena.
Missing three of their former position players and two of their new players, it's easy to understand why the Spokane Chiefs looked a little, well, lost on Wednesday night at the Arena. In their first game after a six-player deal on Tuesday, the Chiefs fell to the Prince George Cougars by a 4-3 score in Western Hockey League play.
As rookie Thomas Stehr waited patiently behind him with an armful of goalie sticks, Jim Watt took a moment to compose himself as he removed his gear from the Spokane Arena. Watt, the team's former starting goaltender, had just learned that he was part of six-player trade on Tuesday – one of the biggest in Spokane Chiefs history – and the reality was still hitting him.
The Seattle Thunderbirds played like a desperate team and, on this night, that was the difference. The Thunderbirds came into Sunday night's Western Hockey League game at the Arena with the Spokane Chiefs in last place in the U.S. Division, two points behind Spokane and Tri-City and 2-8 over their past 10 games. They left feeling a lot better about themselves.
The Moose Jaw Warriors win 85 percent of the games in which they are leading after the first period. That trait made for a daunting task for the Spokane Chiefs, who trailed the visiting Warriors 2-0 after one period in a Western Hockey League game on Saturday night at the Arena.
His eyes said it all in the postgame interview – well, everything he didn't say on the ice: Chad Klassen wants to remain a Spokane Chief. Klassen, the Chiefs' 20-year-old assistant captain, capped a 5-4 overtime shootout win for his team over the Moose Jaw Warriors at the Spokane Arena in Western Hockey League play on Saturday night.
Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz hates this time of year: trade rumors, questions about trade speculation, and trying to find the right-fit deal. The Western Hockey League's trading deadline is Tuesday, and newspapers in nearly every WHL city are reporting that top players from lower-division teams are available – at the right price, of course.
They are easily the Spokane Chiefs' most consistent line as of late: Adam Hobson, Drayson Bowman, and Michael Grabner. Yet they started the season in the shadow of a first line with returning veterans Chad Klassen, Jeff Lynch, and Derek Ryan. That's changed.
The Spokane Chiefs know only they can control their destiny, but on this night the "hockey gods" paid them back in the most painful of ways. The Chiefs blew a two-goal lead in the final six minutes of regulation, then gave up the game-winner with just 10.3 seconds left in overtime as they fell 5-4 to the Kootenay Ice on Friday night in Western Hockey League play at the Arena.
The Spokane Chiefs still haven't figured out the Everett Silvertips. That was painfully clear to the Arena crowd on Friday night as Everett skated to a 4-1 win over Spokane in a Western Hockey League play. It's also obvious the Chiefs still don't have a clear-cut No. 1 goalie.
If you listen to the Spokane Chiefs and their coaching staff, they need to be more like a cheap steak at a diner: greasy and tough. Those are terms often heard in postgame interviews with coach Bill Peters and his players. Both Peters and Chad Klassen used them after Friday night's loss to Everett. The "tough" part is probably more obvious: being gritty in the corners; finishing checks; defending a teammate.
There is a new folk hero for Spokane Chiefs fans. Judd Blackwater, an 18-year-old rookie center, got his first Western Hockey League goal on Sunday night as the Spokane Chiefs thumped the Portland Winter Hawks 8-1 at the Arena.
On this night, it was the Spokane Chiefs who could have used a little charity. But Everett wouldn't oblige. The Chiefs, clearly still tired from their recent five-game road swing, fell 2-0 to the first-place Everett Silvertips in a Western Hockey League U.S. Division game on Saturday night at the Spokane Arena.
The Spokane Chiefs are back from their five-game, six-day Western Hockey League road trip, a little worn out physically but with lifted spirits from some solid play. A sleepy coach Bill Peters mustered a twinkle in his eye on Thursday morning as he reflected on the trip in which the Chiefs went 3-2. They were up 2-0 after two periods in the final game, but Calgary scored four third-period goals to win 4-2.
The Spokane Chiefs embark today on a six-day road trip that will be a homecoming tour of sorts. Almost every stop on the trip will allow Chiefs players – and some of their coaches – to meet up with family and longtime friends at Canadian rinks.
Who are those guys? The Spokane Chiefs were well on their way to extending their home-ice misery Friday night. Then, somehow, things changed in the final seven-plus minutes of regulation.
It's a good thing you stayed home to watch the GU game on TV. You didn't miss anything here. As Gonzaga was gamely battling UConn in the first half of the Maui Classic championship game, the Spokane Chiefs had already started their Thanksgiving break a day early. And that was just in the first period.
Now, can they make it two in a row? That is the question facing Spokane Chiefs coach Bill Peters as his team prepares for tonight's Western Hockey league game with Portland at the Arena.
They've been looking for a break, any kind, in their recent home futility. And the Spokane Chiefs got one when Everett star Peter Mueller skated off the ice for a slashing penalty midway through the third period. With the Chiefs energized and the crowd chanting, that magic moment came with just 19 seconds left on the resulting power play.
Hockey is a simple game: Shoot the puck and good things happen. For some reason, the Spokane Chiefs are reluctant to give that truism a try when they need it most. Sunk by another dreadful night on the power play at home (0 of 7), Spokane lost again.
There may have been no place like home for Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," but it hasn't been true for the Spokane Chiefs this season. Spokane (9-10-1, 19 points) has lost six out of its last eight games at home and plays two more this weekend.
Jeff Lynch knows this is the end of the line, but he doesn't want to look back yet – not with more than half a Western Hockey League season to go. "It's definitely different. I've never been in this position before," said Lynch. "I'm trying not to think about what needs to be done (after the season), just concentrate more on now and winning."
Tonight, the Spokane Chiefs will reach the one-quarter mark of their Western Hockey League season. They entertain the Seattle Thunderbirds – now with coach Rob Sumner behind the bench – in a game at the Arena which will be another key test. Spokane has failed most of its exams during the five-game homestand which ends tonight.
