Race In West Just A Prelim Winning Gives An Advantage, But It’s Not The End In Whl

Playing at a torrid pace, the Spokane Chiefs are the only club that doesn’t need help to win the Western Hockey League West Division.

The Chiefs (45-18-4, 94 points) are two points up - one full game - on the Kamloops Blazers with five games left.

With four of the five at home, the Chiefs have the scheduling edge as they shoot for their first West Division championship.

It means everything and nothing.

The regular-season champ inherits homeice advantage through the division playoffs, a crucial distinction as the Chiefs learned last year when a tough series with Tri-City went seven games, Tri-City winning the final game and the series in overtime, on its home ice.

There’s no place like home in the playoffs.

Still, the regular season is only the prelim. Success is what happens after 72 games of the regular season.

So while coach Mike Babcock would love to nail a division championship - a Spokane junior hockey first - he says there’s trouble in getting too worked up over it.

“The most exciting thing is, it’s a great race,” he said. “Nobody has its playoff position solidified except Kelowna (the Rockets are assured of the No. 4 seed). It’s interesting, this race for first, but if you happen to clinch and that’s all you do, who cares? Your year is over.”

Babcock gave the Chiefs Monday off. They pick up preparations today for Wednesday night’s game with Prince George in the Arena. The Chiefs are looking for their eighth straight win that would tie the club record set last year.

Club records are dropping everywhere you look. Darren Sinclair has shattered the franchise mark for game-winning goals formerly held by Valeri Bure and Ryan Duthie. They had eight game-winners in one season. Sinclair has 10.

“Only 10,” Babcock said. “Your checking center.”

Spokane’s record-shattering year includes franchise highs for road wins, 22 (old record 20, 1990-91); fewest shots allowed in a game, 13 (old record 19, Dec. 30, 1987); fewest goals against for a season, 212 with five games left (old record 259 last year); most 20-goal scorers, 8 (including Jan Hrdina, who scored 19 with Seattle); and attendance, 227,553 with four games to go (old record, 154,007 set last year).

The Chiefs can do no worse than tie the team record for fewest losses. The ‘90-91 Memorial Cup-championship team suffered 23 regular-season losses.

This club is even threatening some of its own marks.

The longest unbeaten streak in Chiefs’ history is 11 games, established from Nov. 26-Dec. 27 of this season. The Chiefs are currently at nine.

Still, the Kamloops Blazers refuse to concede.

“They won’t fold,” Babcock said. “Kamloops knows how to win. We’re still learning. This is the first year our veterans have finished over .500.”

The Chiefs have exceeded all pre-season goals, Babcock confirmed. “They (goals) have been re-done, but there’s no sense dwelling on what we said at the start of the year. Reality is now. Credit the kids with a lot of hard work, but we’ve got more work work to do.”

Leonov honored; it’s a 3-peat

Dmitri Leonov is this week’s WHL player of the week, making it three straight weeks the honor has gone to a Spokane Chief.

Goalie David Lemanowicz won it the previous two.

In four games last week, Leonov had four goals and eight assists.

Comeau lands on his feet

Dumped as coach of the Kelowna Rockets prior to Saturday night’s game with the Chiefs, Marcel Comeau told the Regina Leader-Post he has a job lined up in Seattle, not coaching, but in hockey.

“I’m good enough to coach the Canadian National Team, but I’m not good enough to coach here,” Comeau told the Regina paper. He coached the Canadians to the World Junior Tournament championship during the Christmas holiday break.

Although he was planning to leave the Rockets at the end of the season, Comeau said he was looking forward to coaching through the end of the season. He admitted to some bitterness.

“Am I angry?” Comeau is quoted as saying in a Canadian Press story. “Yeah. I would have liked the opportunity to work through the rough spots.”

Sources say he will run the Sno-King Amateur Hockey Association in Kirkland.

Comeau was among the league’s most popular coaches with media and coaches, but the firing was supported by players, including star Robb Gordon.

“I guess something needed to be done,” Gordon told the Kelowna Daily Courier’s Chuck Poulsen, “and it’s so late in the season you can’t fire all the players.”

Gordon said players share the blame since “we didn’t work hard enough for him.”

But on balance, Gordon added, Comeau “probably wasn’t the right coach at this time for this team.

“While he was respected, there were a lot of guys who needed something more than the same old patterns,” Gordon said. “He wasn’t very emotional with us. I guess you could say … there was lack of communication that way.”

Hurt by injury, weak defense and goaltending that has been inconsistent at best, the Rockets turned to Al Kerr, Comeau’s assistant, and Monday hired former Red Deer and Seattle coach Peter Anholt as an assistant.

Chiefs notes

Linemates Dmitri Leonov and Sinclair are scoring big on the road. At home they team with Jay Bertsch on a checking line that is matched with the opposition’s most explosive forward line. On the road, when the opposition dicates matchups, their defensive responsibilities aren’t always so severe. … Leonov has 16 points in his last seven games, Sinclair 14. … Saturday night’s game with Tri-City is a sellout, the sixth with Tri-City this year. Seats remain for Wednesday’s date with Prince George. … Playoff tickets go on sale Monday at 8 a.m. at the Chiefs Arena office.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo