Stasiuk, Chiefs Rip Tri-City Wing Scores Four Goals As Spokane Evens Series At 1-1 With 9-1 Win

Bob Loucks was hurting when he came into the Coliseum Tuesday night.

He went home feeling even worse.

Jeremy Stasiuk saw to that.

Stasiuk’s four goals - one shy of a club record - were the key strikes in the Spokane Chiefs’ 9-1 win over the hobbled Loucks and his Tri-City Americans.

The Chiefs are in Kennewick tonight for Game 3 of this Western Hockey League West Division semifinal, trying to break service. The Highway 395 Series is tied at a game apiece.

The Chiefs have to win at least one on the road to overcome the Americans’ home-ice advantage.

As for advantages, the Chiefs picked up a huge and unfortunate one early in this one when the Americans lost goaltender Brian Boucher to a right knee injury of undetermined severity.

Boucher, hurt as he tried to cut off Stasiuk’s first goal 1:44 into the game, played another 1:26 before giving way to backup goalie David Trofimenkoff.

How many of the eight goals Trofimenkoff surrendered can be written off as garbage-time letdown doesn’t matter.

What’s fact is that the status of Boucher, who went in with a 6-2 record against the Chiefs, is questionable through the rest of a busy week.

The clubs take Thursday night off, but return to work on Friday and Saturday nights, when the series could end.

The 17-year-old rookie said somebody fell into him - who, he didn’t know.

A Spokane doctor said it didn’t look like anything too serious, Boucher said. “We’ll know for sure (Wednesday), but there’s no way I could play” for at least a couple of days, the goaltender added.

Trofimenkoff - who last month had a shutout against the Chiefs - had no chance with Stasiuk on fire.

It was the first four-goal night for a Chief this season, a season that just keeps getting better. The initial goal was a tipoff on what kind of night it would be.

Darren Sinclair won a faceoff, the puck slid between skates and Stays went to work.

“I knocked the D-man over and put it (the puck) back,” Stasiuk said. “Boucher came out to poke check and I went around him. I saw an opening and drove for it.”

The Chiefs got four assists from Jason Podollan - a sign they welcomed since their regular-season scoring leader had only two points in five previous playoff games.

Goaltender Jarrod Daniel registered 32 saves.

Still, the night clearly belonged to Stasiuk, the 20-year-old drafted by the NHL Dallas Stars.

Tri-City’s Boyd Olson tied it 1-1 at 5:25 of the first, and Stasiuk answered 1:13 later with a power-play goal, rebounding a drive by Trent Whitfield.

That stood as the game-winner, but the prettiest of his four was still to come.

That was Stasiuk’s third goal of the first period, and it started with Jared Hope, who was suited only because Jay Bertsch was suspended for two games for his part in a Monday night altercation in Kennewick.

Hope’s long crossing pass from the left corner dropped in on the tape of Stasiuk’s stick.

A quick flick was all it took to make it 3-1.

“The pass from ‘Hoper’ was nice,” Stasiuk said. “He doesn’t get a lot of ice time, but when he does, he usually makes opportunity happen. It was a great play.”

No matter who lines up between the pipes for Tri-City tonight, Chiefs coach Mike Babcock expects goals to come harder.

“Trofimenkoff is a great goal-tender,” Babcock said. “After No. 4, he didn’t get much support. It wasn’t a good hockey game, but we got off to a really good start. Our guys came out ready to forecheck hard.”

Bertsch and Tri-City’s Jeremy Thompson were suspended for two games by the league office stemming from Monday night’s incident in Tri-City Coliseum.

Loucks was hurt in the heat of the action when one of his players stepped on his foot, severing a tendon with a blade. Loucks did not wear a shoe Tuesday night. He was to see a doctor again today.

This was not the same Tri-City team that beat Spokane 5-2 in Game One on Monday night.

“Our goaltending was hotter,” Stasiuk said, “and we kept pressing. We took the first period off on Monday night. Tonight we played for 60 (minutes).”

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: WHL playoffs Best-of-seven series Tuesday: Spokane 9, Tri-City 1. Series tied 1-1. Tonight: Spokane at Tri-City, 7 Friday: Tri-City at Spokane, 7