Chiefs Crown Prince George 5-2 Podollan’s First-Period Hat Trick Kos Cougars; Spokane Locks Up 2nd

Jason Podollan scored three first-period goals Wednesday night to take the Prince Goerge Cougars out early and assure the Spokane Chiefs no worse than a second-place finish in the Western Hockey League West Division.

With a hat trick Podollan keyed Spokane’s 5-2 win, the Chiefs’ 46th of the year.

With four games left heading into a Saturday night date with the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, the Chiefs lead the second-place Kamloops Blazers by four points - two games - and the Americans by eight points.

A crowd of 7,157, the largest Wednesday night gathering in the franchise’s 11 seasons, watched Podollan move past Ray Whitney on the club’s all-time list with his 144th goal, only two shy of club record-holder Pat Falloon, now with the NHL Philadelphia Flyers.

Falloon had 146 goals in Spokane, Whitney 141. Asked what Whitney, now with the San Jose Sharks, might say about being relegated to No. 3, Podollan said, “He’d probably razz me about being here four years when he was only here for three.”

Podollan wasted no time sending Prince George to its 29th loss on the road (the Cougs are 3-29-1 away from home), scoring three power-play goals inside the first 17 minutes.

“That’s huge because Prince George works hard until they feel they can’t win,” Podollan said.

“They came out and worked hard, but we got up on them quick. They never quit, but it’s one of those stigma things, like here we go again.

“We wanted to get on them and keep on them.”

Twenty-four hours after absorbing a 7-3 thumping in Tri-City - and losing No. 2 scorer Shawn Gendron to a shoulder separation in the process - Prince George lost coach Dale Marquette to a first-period ejection in the Arena. Marquette was tossed after pitching water bottles on the ice in protest over a checking-from-behind penalty on Clayton Catellier and Brad Mehalko’s high-sticking - fouls that led to Podollan power-play goals.

Dmitri Leonov had a goal and three assists and Sean Gillam added three assists for the Chiefs, who are unbeaten in their last 10 games. Spokane’s last loss came Feb. 14, at home to Lethbridge.

Podollan’s opener was a slap shot that bounced off goaltender Chris Mason’s glove and into the net, a gift that put the Chiefs ahead 1-0.

The second goal was almost unfair. Podollan was alone in the high slot with the Cougars at a two-man disadvantage. He cranked another slapper that Mason couldn’t handle.

“There was no one around me for a mile, and once again Sinks (Darren Sinclair) was in front of the net, causing all kinds of trouble, and I just shot it through the screen. The goalie didn’t have a chance.”

The third goal was Podollan at his best, stopping, starting and fighting off poke checks.

“They got it down to me at the bottom,” Podollan explained. “Sinks did a great job in front, by picking the ‘D’. As I took it to the net, the ‘D’ tried to poke check it and I pulled it away from him. As I pulled it away from him the goalie tried to poke check me. I kind of pulled it away from him and got it between his legs.”

The Chiefs out-shot Prince George 54-15. Fifteen shots are the fewest a Chiefs team has ever allowed at home, and only two shy of the club record set in the Chiefs’ last visit to Seattle.

“We’re happy with things,” Chiefs coach Mike Babcock said, his team movuing within one point of the club record the 1991 Memorial Cup championship Chiefs posted in the regular season.

“We haven’t got our lines set like we want, but people are filling in and working hard.”

Ian Walterson’s second-period goal for Prince George spoiled David Lemanowicz’s bid for his fifth shutout of the season. The Cougars also got a third-period goal from former Chief Trevor Shoaf.

Shoaf, whose breakaway goal was his sixth goal of the year, called the Chiefs the best in the West.

“Most people feel Spokane is the strongest team in our division,” he said. “Everyone always looks at Kamloops, but I can’t see any team beating Spokane.

“They’re strong defensively with Gillam and (Hugh) Hamilton, and up front with Podollan and Leonov. I think they’ve got everything, including Lemanowicz in net. They’re going to be tough to beat.”

Shoaf savored with good humor his goal against his former teammates.

“They were pressing off the faceoff,” Shoaf said. “I just told Kiesman (Michael, who had an assist on the play) to fire it out on the faceoff. He didn’t really fire it out, but he got his own rebound in the scramble and shot it to me. I had a head of steam and it’s kind of funny. I do that same move every day in practice on my own goaltender and he stops me probably 99 times out of a hundred. I’m not much of a goal-scorer and all the way down I was thinking, ‘What the hell am I going to do?’

“I thought, ‘You know what?’ This will probably be your only breakaway in your WHL career. I’m doing that move.”

That move - fake a shot, go to the backhand and go forehand upstairs - worked. “I got lucky,” Shoaf said. “I practiced against Lemanowicz. I don’t think I ever scored on him in practice.”

Chiefs 5, Cougars 2

Prince George 0 1 1 - 2

Spokane 3 1 1 - 5

First period - 1, Spo, Podollan 34 (Leonov, Gillam) 7:42 (power play); 2, Spo, Podollan 35 (Leonov, Hrdina) 16:24 (pp); 3, Spo, Podollan 36 (Whitfield, Gillam) 16:47 (pp). Key penalties - Van Horlick, PG, 4:39; Catellier, PG, 5:55; Spo, too many men on (served by Favaro) 8:47; Walterson, PG, 15:04; Mehalko, PG, 15:58; PG bench minor, coach Dale Marquette game misconduct, 16:24.

Second period - 4, PG, Walterson 4 (Mehalko) 5:50; 5, Spo, Sinclair 33 (Leonov, Bertsch) 10:24. Key penalties - Magarrell, Spo, 6:26; Shockey, Spo, 15:36; Favaro, Spo, 18:18.

Third period - 6, Spo, Leonov 35 (Bertsch, Gillam) 3:42; 7, PG Shoaf 6 (Kiesman) 12:19. Key penalties - Roed, PG, :58; Podollan, 1:30; Bertsch, Spo, 10:02; Magarrell, Spo, 13:20; Mullen, PG, 17:31.

Power plays opp. - Prince George 0-6, Spokane 3-7.Saves - Mason, PG, 24-8-17-49. Lemanowicz, Spo, 4-3-6-13.A-7,157.

, DataTimes