Babcock Wears Smile With Pre-Christmas Tie
A college football coach once said playing to a tie was like kissing your sister.
Mike Babcock finally met a deadlock with considerably more charm - Sunday night’s 4-4 tie in Portland.
“That’s as happy as I’ve ever been getting a point in December,” said Babcock, coach of the Spokane Chiefs. “We responded well to the awful game we played the night before (a 5-2 home loss to Seattle). I’ve said it before, but I hope this means we’re back.”
A struggling power play is one reason for an 0-5-1 record the last six games. In that stretch, Spokane has scored on only two of 25 power-play opportunities, a grim 8 percent.
But by salvaging a point in the standings with a tie on the road against the Western Hockey League’s hottest club, the Chiefs clung to third place in the WHL West. The effort was taken as a sign the Chiefs will get something going in their last three games before the holiday break, starting Wednesday night in the Arena against the Seattle Thunderbirds.
On the down side, Trent Whitfield missed the Portland game after reinjuring his ankle early in Saturday night’s game and is doubtful for Wednesday night.
Jared Smyth, knocked out of the game when he was checked into the goal post from behind by Portland’s Doug Strobl, will be ready for Seattle, Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz said Monday.
In Whitfield’s absence, the future of the franchise - 17-year-olds Ty Jones and Derek Schutz - continue to impress. Jones is projected this week by one scouting service as a low-end first-round NHL draft choice. His stock continues to rise.
Schutz rode Portland center Todd Robinson hard all night in a game the Chiefs probably should have won, say close observers on both sides, who don’t want their names used. A goal by Marian Cisar probably should have counted. The puck appeared on replay to bounce from post to the net just under the crossbar and then out.
Portland fans were calling it the unluckiest shot in hockey.
Spokane’s Greg Leeb was also effective in Portland - good news for a team waiting for its 19-year-olds to reassert themselves as go-to guys.
Chiefs notes
The club will make its new goaltender coach official today, plus name the assistant or assistants who will work with Brett Cox while Babcock is attending to World Junior Tournament duties during the holidays. Cox, Babcock’s full-time assistant, will be behind the bench for four games while Babcock runs Team Canada at the WJT in Switzerland. … Babcock, Whitfield and Hugh Hamilton are scheduled to leave Thursday for Team Canada’s final selection camp in Kitchener, Ontario… Cisar was not invited to try out for the Slovakian team, which apparently has given the cold shoulder to juniors who leave the country. The Chiefs initially were asked if Cisar would be available for the WJT. Speltz said yes. That’s the last the club heard from the Slovak ice federation… . Not one of the other standout Slovakians in the WHL West Martin Cerven (Seattle), Andrej Podkonicky (Portland) or Zdeno Chara and Ronald Petrovicky (both Prince George) was asked to play for a country that, based on last year’s miserable effort, could use them… . Upon further review, goaltender Aren Miller was credited with a rare assist in Saturday night’s loss to Seattle. Miller and Brad Ference picked up helpers on Ty Jones’ goal scored on a breakaway.
Around the WHL
Seattle’s Russ Farwell and Ken Hodge of Portland will join Speltz as the general managers who will select the Western Conference team for the Jan. 22 WHL All-Star Game in the Arena. … Incredibly, the Portland Winter Hawks have three goaltenders among the league’s top 10. Jason Labarbera (2.35 goals-against) at 16 is not only the league-leader (he’s only appeared in eight games), but he’s resigned to his role as backup to Chris Wickenheiser (2.83 with a .910 saves percentage) and Brent Belecki (3.11). They have the important edge in experience.
, DataTimes