Chiefs Are Tough In Clutch Spokane’s 5-2 Win In Kelowna Ends First-Round Playoff Series In Six Games
In one overwhelming night they went from the clutch-and-grab Spokane Chiefs to just plain clutch.
Refusing to let the Kelowna Rockets have another shot at them in Spokane, the Chiefs advanced to the Western Hockey League West Division semifinals Monday night, eliminating the Rockets 5-2 in game six of the best-of-seven opening-round series.
After knocking out the Rockets four games to two, the Chiefs get ready for the best-of-five division semifinals with the Prince George Cougars. That series opens this week in the Spokane Arena, most likely Friday night.
A few minutes after the Chiefs won their third straight game in tiny Memorial Arena, Prince George became the first No. 6 seed to oust a No. 1 seed, knocking off Portland 3-2 to win that series four games to two.
So now it’s the Seattle Thunderbirds - the highest remaining seed at No. 2 - who advance to the division finals to await the Spokane-Prince George winner.
This playoff defied all notions, including the first-goal-is-pivotal theory. In 11 of the previous 13 games between these two, the team that scored first went on to win.
Not this time.
Down 1-0 early, the Chiefs rallied to win in a rush. And any talk of interference - the Rockets complained that Spokane’s clutching and grabbing on Friday night took them out of the game - was drowned out by Spokane dominance at both ends.
The question of which is the better team was answered emphatically in front of 2,462 by the club that’s still alive.
“There’s no question that this team hasn’t done a whole lot of things easy, but tonight we battled and persevered,” Chiefs coach Mike Babcock said. “They were on us big-time early, but we weathered the storm and got on with it. It was the first time in the series that both teams played (well) at the same time.”
The veterans of last year are used to success, but this is a new sensation for Chad Reich, who started the year going nowhere with the expansion Edmonton Ice and continues it now as the checking center of Spokane’s first line.
“It’s my fourth year in the league and my first playoff series victory,” said Reich. “It’s a great feeling, and a relief to get the first one, because we want to accomplish a lot more here.”
Babcock pointed to an advantage the Chiefs and their goaltender, Aren Miller, enjoyed in the three games on this narrower and shorter ice sheet.
“In our rink, there’s a large space behind the net,” Babcock said. “Milsy has been better in this building stopping rims (shots along the rim). That makes our specialty teams better because they (Kelowna) always rim it on the power play. Here, we can stop it and get it out quicker.”
Babcock was oversimplifying, but only partly when he said to win, his best players would have to outplay Kelowna’s best. They did that.
Trent Whitfield, who had a late empty-net goal and three assists, and Greg Leeb were prominent, but it was hard to find a Chief who didn’t make a difference.
After Brett McLean scored 2:36 into the game to put Kelowna on top, the Chiefs tied it by doing the little things on the power play.
Whitfield, on a faceoff in the Kelowna zone, was waved out of the circle for a false start. Leeb stepped in and won a huge faceoff, pulling the puck back to Brad Ference. Ference let his shot go from the point. Ty Jones, camped in front of the net, deflected Ference’s blast past Kelowna goalie Aaron MacDonald.
The Chiefs got the go-ahead goal when Whitfield ripped a shot off the right pipe and Smyth put the rebound in with a backhand with 2:56 left in the first period.
, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: NEXT UP Chiefs advance to West Division semifinals against Prince George this weekend.