Chiefs Can’t Be Accused Of Sitting Pretty Spokane Overcomes Shaky Start To Post 4-1 Win Over Saskatoon

There were, in the first 33 seconds Wednesday night, two off-side passes, three shots whiffed, two sticks dropped, one icing called and a pratfall, when Spokane’s Brad Ference went down in front of the Chiefs net.

The next 19 minutes weren’t a lot prettier.

Nope, the Arena hasn’t exactly been home sweet home for the Spokane Chiefs.

But the Chiefs went some distance to rectify that, righting their shaky start in plenty of time to win on home ice for only the fourth time all year and the first time in three weeks.

Greg Leeb scored a pair of goals, Marian Cisar came back from a two-game absence with three assists and goaltender Aren Miller swept aside 22 of 23 shots in Spokane’s 4-1 win over the Saskatoon Blades.

The Chiefs (9-4-1) remained in third place in the Western Hockey League West, two points behind front-runner Prince George and a point down on Portland. They’re back in the Arena on Friday night for a Halloween encounter with the Prince Albert Raiders.

The first period was as ragged as a a Wednesday night hockey game in October can be.

The Chiefs led 1-0 6:37 into the period on Trent Whitfield’s fifth goal in three games. Marc Brown fired from the right circle and Whitfield was there for the rebound that he put through the pads of goaltender Matt Cockell.

So much for the highlights. Spokane spent the rest of the period blowing a chance to run away and hide.

The Chiefs were on the power play four times in the first 11:50. Four times they failed to score with the extra skater.

They were outshooting the Blades 12-1 when Garrett Prosofsky scored on Saskatoon’s second shot of the night with 4:27 left in the period.

Cockell got even stingier in goal from there. Spokane’s Ty Jones was alone with the goaltender with 2:40 left and couldn’t cash in. Whitfield had a breakaway inside the final minute and was turned away.

Cockell swept away 14 of 15 Spokane shots to keep it tied at 1 after 20 minutes.

The Blades’ goaltender wasn’t quite as sharp in the second period, when the Chiefs built a 3-1 lead on goals by Jones (his 10th) and Leeb.

Back from a shoulder injury, Cisar assisted on both goals. His snapper bounced off Cockell’s pads and Jones scored on the rebound.

His helper on Leeb’s goal came with the teams at four per side. When both clubs are short a man, the extra space is often a boon to the darting Leeb.

When Cisar’s shot bounced back to Leeb, the 5-foot-7 forward patiently carried the puck through the slot, waiting for the right angle while Cockell was trying to untangle himself from a defenseman.

Leeb fired backhanded into an empty net for his fifth goal of the year.

Miller stopped all five Blades shots in the period, including one by Nathan Rempel on a breakaway. Rempel’s bid for a short-handed goal four minutes into the period with the game tied could have aborted Spokane’s momentum, but Miller - who otherwise didn’t have much to do - knocked down the shot and the Chiefs were on their way to their ninth win.

They’re 9-4-1 but only 4-3-1 at home, due in part to a dreary power play. After going 0-7 on the power play before 4,822, the Chiefs have scored on only three of their last 41 power-play opportunities.

Leeb’s second goal was another display of superb timing.

He held the puck behind the net, waiting while Cockell was in the process of going down. With the goalie down and out, Leeb scored on the wraparound with 5:04 remaining.

The Chiefs sat captain Joel Boschman in their rotation system of their four 20-year-olds. The club must be down to three 20s by Monday.

, DataTimes