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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Chiefs Can’t Fill In The Blank Wickenheiser Sends Spokane To First Arena Shutout Loss

The pace accelerated from turtle-like in the first period to lightning in the third, but one player stood above all in the shifting tempo of an entertaining hockey game.

Chris Wickenheiser.

The Portland Winter Hawks goaltender shut out the Spokane Chiefs for the first time in their two seasons in the Arena on Friday night, sweeping away 31 shots in a 2-0 Western Hockey League West Division win that confirmed a point.

The Hawks - usually lightning-quick and up-tempo - can grind it out in low gear.

The Chiefs, who would prefer to knock the Winter Hawks down than chase them end to end, can play with the heat turned up.

The Winter Hawks took a two-goal lead out of a physical first period that should have favored the Chiefs, when the pace was slow and emotions high.

The two clubs labored through an opening 20 minutes that included 43 minutes in penalties and only 7:45 of even-strength, 5-on-5 hockey. The two combined for only 13 shots.

But Andrej Podkonicky and Brenden Morrow notched first-period goals and the Chiefs never recovered, their modest two-game win streak history heading into tonight’s game with the Tri-City Americans.

Morrow’s goal was a fluke.

“He was trying to cross pass and it goes right in,” Portland coach Brent Peterson said. “It’s one of those things - kind of lucky. We had other, better chances and so did they.”

The Winter Hawks were skating on a 5-3 power play when Morrow’s pass appeared to bounce off the skate of Chiefs goaltender Aren Miller.

The pace quickened through the second and third periods. Spokane pulled its goaltender with 1:17 left.

The shutout was the first of a Mike Babcock-coached Chiefs team since Portland’s Scott Langkow slammed the door on Spokane on Oct. 28, 1994, in Portland.

“This was the first time they’ve been shut out in this building?” the 20-year-old Wickenheiser wondered. “That makes it feel even better.”

The Chiefs had their chances late, particularly John Cirjak, who hit the inside of the left post with 10 seconds on the clock.

Wickenheiser gave Cirjak credit for doing as much as he did with a tough angle.

“It was at a really bad angle and he still hit the post with it,” the goalie said. “He sniped it pretty good. I wanted it really bad. I told the guys on the ice, ‘Battle for me and I’ll battle back for you.’ It was one of those games where I thought I could stop everything.”

He was never better than in the final 2 minutes of the second period when he got a skate on Mike Haley’s shot on a breakaway, then gloved Joe Cardarelli’s snapper on the rebound, sending Cardarelli’s offering spinning over the glass.

With 31 seconds to go in the second, Wickenheiser had his stick in the right place to stop Ty Jones’ blast through a screen.

The home-ice shutout is depressing, Babcock said, but “I can’t fault my team.

“We did a lot of good things,” he said. “We’ve scored five goals on nights when we did far less. The kids made some saves tonight, no question.”

The Chiefs lost defenseman Adam Magarrell to a high-sticking major and the accompanying game misconduct 6:27 into the game. It wasn’t the only stick that got up in the first period.

“They were slashing, spearing and doing stupid things,” Peterson said. “There’s too much at stake for us to retaliate. The only guy who lost his cool was (Todd) Robinson (caught for cross-checking Spokane’s Hugh Hamilton). They got him off his game but Robby (the WHL’s leading scorer who was shut out) will be more disciplined and smarter for it.”

Winter Hawks 2, Chiefs 0

Portland 2 0 0 - 2

Spokane 0 0 0 - 0

First period - 1, Portland, Podkonicky 18 (Vesely, Tetarenko) 3:49; 2, Portland, Morrow 29 (Haupt, A. Ference) 10:14 pp. Key penalties - B.Ference, Spo., 1:38; Jones, Spo., 5:39; Magarrell, Spo., high sticking major, game misconduct, 6:27; Robinson, Por., 7:50; Smyth, Spo., 9:11; Tetarenko, Por., 13:07; A.Ference, Por., 13:34; Jacobsen, Por., 18:00.

Second period - None. Key penalties - Dewaele, Spo., 5:24; Leeb, Spo., 10:57.

Third period - None. Key penalties - Jones, Spo., 10:35; A.Ference, Por., 14:57.

Power plays opportunities - Portland 1 of 7. Spokane 0 of 4.Saves - Portland, Wickenheiser 7-11-13-31. Spokane, Miller 4-12-7-23.A-6,752.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo