Jess Brown

It's one of the most overused clichés in sports: Defense wins championships. The Spokane Chiefs are hoping that rings true, though, as defense happens to be their focus. That's not to say they are punching their ticket yet, but as the playoff-bound Chiefs (49-14-1-5) head into the final weekend of the Western Hockey League regular season, the blue liners are as focused as ever.

Adam Shackleford and his coaching staff have some serious depth to contend with. That's not at all a bad thing, but it's making the second-year Spokane Shock coach's job real interesting right from the get-go. "We had a staff meeting and talked," said Shackleford after the Shock took the field for the first workout of training camp on Sunday night at the Shock practice facility.

It's not that the Spokane Chiefs are winning – though that alone is significant with the way the standings are currently deadlocked. More important, though, is how the Chiefs are doing it.

Timing is everything, and the Spokane Chiefs knew it. When captain Chris Bruton and the Chiefs watched the Tri-City Americans fall to Everett on Tuesday night, and then Spokane took a victory over Portland on Wednesday, they were well aware of their opportunity – and didn't miss out on it.

A week of rest, and upon return, little relaxation. Jared Spurgeon scored a goal and added three assists, Mitch Wahl scored a pair of goals and added two helpers and Chiefs captain Chris Bruton finished with three points – a goal and two assists – as Spokane skated to a 5-1 Western Hockey League victory over the Portland Winter Hawks in front of a larger-than-usual Wednesday night crowd of 4,660 at the Arena.

The Spokane Chiefs were entertaining the Calgary Hitmen on Feb. 2 last year at the Arena when Seth Compton took a hard check on the blue line midway through the third period. The veteran forward knew, right away, that something was wrong. So he skated off the ice – by himself – and the following day X-rays confirmed it: Compton had severely broken his leg.

Only 10 regular-season games remain for the Spokane Chiefs. That number is larger than it seems, though, because if the Chiefs don't right the ship and finish well, there is a possibility Friday night's opponent – the Everett Silvertips – will also be the team they meet in the first round of the Western Hockey League playoffs.

Go figure. The same year the Spokane Chiefs are one of the Western Hockey League's top clubs, their U.S. Division rivals are also a league powerhouse.

There are multiple reasons why defenseman Jared Spurgeon quarterbacks the Spokane Chiefs' power-play unit, and he always seems to pick the best time to showcase his talent. Thankfully, he picked Tuesday night to do just that.

The Spokane Chiefs have spent a greater part of the Western Hockey League season as the best team in the Western Conference. That's the business end of things. This is pleasure.

TACOMA – The gravity of it all overwhelmed Drew Acorn. Acorn and the Deer Park wrestling team didn't repeat history, they wrote it. For the first time – in any sport – the Stags can call themselves state champions.

TACOMA – Jordan Hancock knows all about sacrifice. The Republic senior broke his femur during football in October of his junior year, only to turn around and win his second straight state wrestling title in mid-February of last year.

TACOMA – Jim Gubler told his wrestling team that if it was going to win it all this year, it would have to do it Friday. If Gubler is right, the Republic Tigers should one-up their second-place finish of last year and bring home the Class B team title at Mat Classic XX at the Tacoma Dome.

TACOMA – Midway through Loreah Winlow's floor exercise it became clear that gymnasts are a unique bunch. The loud cheering coming from the side of the floor for Winlow, Lakeside High's lone competitor, wasn't from her teammates. It was Winlow's competition that eagerly acknowledged her smooth 9.775 floor exercise performance in Friday afternoon's 3A/2A individual rotations at the WIAA/Dairy Farmers of Washington State Gymnastics Championships at the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall.

According to Spokane Chiefs coach Bill Peters, there were two options after last Monday's 9-7 loss to the Seattle Thunderbirds. Dwell, or throw the game tape away and move on.

While snow in the area slowly melts, you're invited to a beach party in February. That's right – sand, shirtless men in board shorts and women in bikinis. Oh, and intense athletic competition.

The Spokane Chiefs have entered the twilight zone and seemingly put their opposition on one perpetual power play. Their armor in the last three games has not only been chinked, their poise has seemingly been dented. Bud Holloway finished with a hat trick and Jeremy Boyer added two second-period goals as the Seattle Thunderbirds slapped a 9-7 loss on the Chiefs, their third straight, in Western Hockey League action on Monday night in front of an announced crowd of 5,581 at the Arena.

If the Spokane Chiefs were a football team, they might consider declining penalties – at least against the Tri-City Americans. They also might want to forgo home games against their U.S. Division rivals. One thing is certain. This is a problem the Chiefs need to solve, and fast.