Spokane Chiefs At Medicine Hat Tigers

Time: Tonight at 6 PST in Medicine Hat Arena.

Records: Spokane (15-28-1), Medicine Hat (26-20-2).

Radio: KGA-AM (1510), 5:50 pregame; 5:20 Mike Babcock show; 5 Chiefs Talk with former Chiefs captain Jon Klemm, now in the American Hockey League.

Key players

Spokane: C Jason Podollan (26 goals, 22 assists), GK Jarrod Daniel (3.91 goals-against), D Bryan McCabe (12, 35), LW Greg Leeb (14, 22), D Sean Gillam (8, 30), C Trent Whitfield (4, 7), RW Jeremy Stasiuk (15, 18), C Joe Cardarelli (16, 18), LW Kevin Sawyer (4, 3).

Medicine Hat: C Stacy Roest (24 goals, 50 assists), RW Henry Kuster (22, 19), D Serg Klimentiev (10, 31), C Mark Polak (15, 16), GK Paxton Schafer (2.9) goals-against), LW/C Aaron Zarowny (10, 17).

At a glance

Chiefs make their first stop on a four-game swing through the Canadian prairies with everybody on the same page. Winner of four of five since McCabe returned from the World Junior Tournament, Spokane won its fourth straight Saturday night when Stasiuk, Gillam and Darren Sinclair were exceptional. Still, it was Sawyer who provided the wakeup call - a pivotal second-period goal with the Chiefs down 2-0. John Cirjak, playing well after a bout with bruised ribs, and Dmitri Leonov have put some pop in a third line. Two weeks ago they were a last-place club. Not now. Medicine Hat is on fire as well. Tigers have won six straight since losing in Spokane 3-2 on Dec. 17. Roest (25 points in his last 11 games) is on a tear. The Hat may be without Josh Green (shoulder), injured in a fight the other night with the Red Deer Rebels. Center Rob Niedermayer is back with the NHL Florida Panthers. He had five points last week in a 5-1 win over Saskatoon.