Chiefs Stop Stubborn Calgary 4-0 Goalie David Lemanowicz Registers Fourth Shutout Of Career

So what happened to 16-2? One night after losing by that margin to the Tri-City Americans, the Calgary Hitmen dragged what was left of their self-esteem into the Spokane Arena for the fourth and last stop on a disastrous road swing.

Calgary hit the skids again Wednesday night, losing its ninth straight, this to the Spokane Chiefs 4-0, but at least the Hitmen could climb back on the bus with their heads a little higher after hanging tough for two periods.

It was a story of two goaltenders, David Lemanowicz of Spokane, who registered the fourth shutout of his career, and Calgary’s Rod Branch, who won the warm admiration of 4,773, who applauded his selection as the second star of the game.

“I’d like to thank them for that,” Branch said. “I wish I played here a little more often.”

Rejecting 47 shots, Branch kept the injury-depleted Western Hockey League expansion team in it until Jason Podollan (twice), Randy Favaro and Derek Schutz finally burned him for goals.

At 20, Branch finds himself in a new role after growing up with the Kamloops Blazers, who make an annual run for the Memorial Cup. He’s suddenly the show in Calgary, and he says he likes it.

“I enjoy playing a bigger role on the team,” said Branch, who had an incredible 24 saves in the second period of a game that went scoreless until Podollan registered his first goal in four games, this one at 6:13 of the second.

Podollan fired 12 shots on net and said it felt more like 20. “Branch looked great to me,” Podollan said. “I was hitting him all night.”

The Hitmen (7-18-2) had five key players out with injuries. Outscored 27-6 in three games prior to this, and outshot 67-18 Tuesday night at Tri-City, Calgary mounted only 19 shots-on-goal to Spokane’s 51.

It was a goaltender’s show at both ends.

“The team played so well in front of me that all I had to make was one or two quality saves,” Lemanowicz said. “I got lucky once - a guy had a wide-open net and hit the post - so I guess luck was on my side. Of my four shutouts this was the easiest, by far.”

It wasn’t the same kind of night for Branch, who found out how fish feel when they’re dodging bullets in a barrel.

“It (the applause for Branch) was appropriate, I thought,” Chiefs coach Mike Babcock said. “The kid played really well after being pulled last night in Tri-City.”

The Chiefs improved to 3-3-1 in their last seven at home by dominating all phases.

“We wanted 45 shots on net, we wanted to hold them to 21 shots and wanted 108 finished checks,” Babcock pointed out. “We got 52 shots (the pressbox count was 51) and gave them 19. We met those goals. We only got 94 finished checks but Favaro had 17. He was our first star as far as we were concerned.”

Babcock wasn’t as satisfied with the Chiefs power-play units that have scored on only five of their last 44 power-play opportunities.

“The puck is lying there, the goalie is down and out - shoot it in the back of the net,” Babcock said of one of many missed opportunities when the Chiefs had the extra skater. “We go on the power play, we get tight.”

Podollan’s goals were his 15th and 16th of the season and 123rd and 124th of his career, fifth on the club’s all-time list.

“It was a weird one tonight,” Podollan said. “It was nice to get a cheesy goal and get out of my slump.”

, DataTimes