Now, It’s Now Or Never For Chiefs Cougars Follow Simple Strategy To Brink Of Whl Series Triumph

Their style is described as rope-a-dope on ice. Stan Butler calls it the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid).

Heading into tonight’s third game of the Western Hockey League West Division semifinals, the coach of the Prince George Cougars talked of his team’s sudden success against the Spokane Chiefs.

The Chiefs, down 2-0 in this best-of-five series, are one loss away from elimination.

“If a team is going to score on us,” Butler said, “we try to make them score off the rush, not off the fore-check.”

Spokane took six of eight regular-season games from Prince George, in part by forcing turnovers with aggressive checking in the Cougars’ zone.

But with the Chiefs having trouble scoring on even-strength situations off the rush, and with the Cougars’ Chris Mason leading the league in goals-against and saves percentage through the playoffs, the Cougars can spot Spokane a big shot advantage and get away with it.

“In the first two games we were more opportunistic than they were,” Butler said. “The shots were 12-0 for them (to start Saturday night’s game), but our first shot (went in). When we get chances, we’re kind of jumping on them.”

Spokane goaltender Aren Miller was outplayed by Mason in the two games in the Arena, where the Chiefs have lost eight of their last nine postseason games.

Chiefs coach Mike Babcock said prior to Game 2 that this is the “first team I’ve coached that can dominate territorially and not win (consistently).”

Prince George center Peter Roed, who has three goals and a pair of assists in two games, said the Cougars were able to shift gears after going up 3-2 midway through the second period Saturday night.

“He (Butler) just said if we keep the 2 on the board we win the game,” Roed said. “Pressure their D and keep the third man high so we have no odd rushes. Just get the puck over center and dump it back in.”

Simple.

Roed said the Cougars have been energized by Mason’s inspired play in goal.

“When Mace is kickin’ like that, it boosts you up,” Roed said. “So much intensity comes from him into you. You’re tired but you can still skate, it seems like.”.

If there is a positive for the Chiefs it’s that in Babcock’s three years here they’ve been tougher on the road in the playoffs.

Chiefs right wing Marian Cisar is the WHL rookie of the month of March. The Slovakian 19-year-old is working on a 21-game scoring streak.

, DataTimes