Jess Brown

The Spokane Chiefs were 5 minutes – and one goal – from playing for a conference title last season. And if you paid any attention to the series, you know it was heart-stoppingly close the entire way.

Here’s one more thing to appreciate about major junior hockey: Its teams will actually be playing hockey soon.

There’s no arguing that the Mead Panthers are perennially a well-oiled volleyball machine. But after coming home empty-handed from last year’s State 4A tournament the, Panthers have something more to prove this season.

Sometimes a lit fuse is slow to ignite an explosion.

The Spokane Chiefs play their first two preseason games this weekend at the annual Everett Silvertips tournament.

For the rookies, the initial training camp experience – which is more like an early initiation into major junior hockey – is over. And as camp typically goes, the veterans put on a show for the newcomers on Sunday afternoon. “I think we wanted to get a feel for the game and let the young guys know what the league is about,” veteran forward Mitch Holmberg said following Team Red’s 5-1 victory over Team White in the Spokane Chiefs’ annual Red-White scrimmage, marking the end of training camp. In front of 2,877 fans at the Arena, Holmberg scored a goal and recorded an assist for Team Red, and fellow veterans Mike Aviani and Collin Valcourt each added a goal and a pair of assists.

There’s really only one person hoping Brenden Kichton doesn’t spend his overage season in Spokane, and that’s Brenden Kichton. “Not because I don’t love Spokane – I love it here,” said the Western Hockey League’s reigning Western Conference defenseman of the year, who was among the nearly 70 players to take the ice on Thursday at the Arena as the Spokane Chiefs opened their annual training camp.

There’s really only one person hoping Brenden Kichton doesn’t spend his overage season in Spokane, and that’s Brenden Kichton.

In his fourth game with the Spokane Indians, Joey Gallo’s two home runs – one an eighth-inning grand slam – led Spokane to one of its best wins of the season as the Indians opened their final homestand of the year by running over the Tri-City Dust Devils (9-17) with a 16-4 Northwest League win. His first three games with Spokane (11-15) resulted in a pair of hits in 11 at-bats, with eight strikeouts. But that was on the road. Gallo looked right at home in his debut at Avista Stadium.

The Spokane Indians return home to Avista Stadium tonight for their final homestand of the season with a pair of streaks intact.

Felix Hernandez accomplished one of the rarest feats in all of sports on Wednesday and began to trend worldwide, and it occurred to Everett AquaSox broadcaster Pat Dillon that Seattle’s ace threw his first professional baseball pitch in Spokane nine years ago.

The bottom line for the Spokane Indians: Overall, they’re still sporting the worst record in the Northwest League. But some fine tuning in the second half has led to improvements across the board.