Short-Handed Chiefs Settle For Tie Despite Suspension, Sickness, Chiefs Refuse To Make Excuses

Somebody in hockey might be doing more than the Spokane Chiefs, but nobody is doing more with less.

The Chiefs - short on bodies - twice rallied from two goals down Saturday night in the Coliseum to tie the No. 1- ranked Kamloops Blazers 3-3 in overtime on a night when they had every excuse to lose.

Captain Kevin Sawyer was serving the final game of his three-game suspension.

Assistant captain Sean Gillam played two shifts and retired early with what was described as food poisoning or a stomach flu.

Defenseman John Shockey was out with a hand injury, leaving the Chiefs with four defensemen.

How’d they manage?

Hard work, Kamloops coach Don Hay said.

Desperation, Spokane coach Mike Babcock countered.

Desperation and great goaltending went a long way for 5,332 fans in the Coliseum.

“They took it to us down the stretch,” Babcock said. “No question about it (Spokane was outshot 19-6 in the third period). But our guys hung in there and hung in there. (Kamloops) pucks were loose on the ice where they should be driving them into the nets and they don’t.

“Our guys were all over them, hanging all over them.”

Twenty-four hours after their monumental comeback win in Kamloops, when the Chiefs trailed 6-0 and won 8-7 in overtime, they served up some of the same late-game magic for their ninth Coliseum sellout of the season.

Darren Sinclair, Hugh Hamilton and Jeremy Stasiuk scored third- period goals for netminder Jarrod Daniel, who had 47 saves, including two point-saving rejections in overtime.

Daniel turned away Jerome Iginla and Ashley Buckberger on one-on- one situations in front of the net. Kamloops had another great lategame opportunity when Ryan Huska hit the crossbar.

It was one of six Blazers shots to bounce off the pipes.

The Chiefs (26-33-2) are 7-1-1 in their last nine games, with today’s 6 p.m. date in Seattle closing out a busy weekend.

Kamloops (43-14-5) failed to clinch the Western Hockey League West Division title for the second straight night.

Sinclair, who had a goal and two assists Friday night, ended goaltender Rod Branch’s bid for a shutout 6:59 into the third period to cut Kamloops’ lead to 2-1.

The Blazers answered 1:21 later when Bob Maudie scored to make it 3-1. Hnat Domenichelli and Iginla scored earlier for the Blazers.

Down 3-1, Hamilton and Stasiuk scored within 2:46 to salvage the tie.

Kamloops outshot the Chiefs 50- 30.

“Our four D men (Hamilton, Adam Magarrell, Scott Fletcher and Joel Boschman) went every second shift,” Babcock said, “against the top-ranked team in junior hockey. They were excellent.

“For the third straight game Jay Bertsch was a factor. And Sinclair was excellent playing head to head with (Kamloops scoring leader) Darcy Tucker.”

Spokane 3, Kamloops 3

Kamloops 2 0 1 0 - 3 Spokane 0 0 3 0 - 3

First period-1, Kamloops, Domenichelli 44 (Tucker, Keller), 8:56 (pp). 2, Kamloops, Iginla 29 (Maudie, Vologjaninov), 16:28. Key penalties-Strudwick, Kam, 3:23; Podollan, Spo, 5:01; Fletcher, Spo, 8:08; Doan, Kam, 9:44; Iginla, Kam, 14:10; Nash, Kam, 17:31; Stasiuk, Spo, 19:17.

Second period-None. Key penalties-Keller, Kam, 5:35.

Third Period-3, Spokane, Sinclair 14 (Daniel), 6:59. 4, Kamloops, Maudie 9 (Vologjaninov, Baumgartner), 8:20. 5, Spokane, Hamilton 4 (Whitfield), 14:03. 6, Spokane, Stasiuk 21 (Hamilton, Podollan), 16:49 (pp). Key penalties-Magarrell, Spo, :09; Fletcher, Spo, 9:09; McCambridge, Kam, 16:21.

Overtime-None. Key penalties-Huska, Kam, 8:52.

Power-play opp.-Kamloops 1 of 5; Spokane 1 of 7.Saves- Kamloops, Branch 11-9-3-4-27. Spokane, Daniel 7-12-18-10-47.A-5,332.