Warriors Hound Chiefs Streaking Moose Jaw Punishes Spokane Goaltenders In 8-3 Win

If Mike Babcock could put substance and form to it, what he unveiled Saturday night in the Arena might stand as an architectural marvel.

It’s a doghouse with revolving doors.

The doghouse is where Babcock’s goaltenders, David Haun and Mike Lencucha, reside after the Spokane Chiefs were blown out 8-3 by the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Haun started, gave way to Lencucha early in the first period, came back late in the second period and this time stuck around to the end.

You had to feel for all concerned. It was the hockey equivalent of the Mariners going nine innings against the Yankees with Bobby Ayala on one of his off nights starting, coming on in long relief and winding up as the closer.

If the goals were soft, and most were, the opposition wasn’t. The hottest team in the WHL, the Warriors (19-17-2) won for the 11th time in 12 games while the Chiefs (10-23-5) continued to languish in the West Division basement.

“We didn’t have it going in that (the goaltending) department tonight,” Babcock said, putting on his best we-lose-as-a-team face. “We got her going, we tried to overcome, we started real good in the third but `bang!”’

Bang, the puck hit the back of the net. Fourteen of Moose Jaw’s 18 skaters figured in the scoring. Seven Warriors had goals. By the time Haun returned, down 6-3, the Warriors had scored on six of their first 17 shots.

“You can’t play the game if the goalie doesn’t get hit by the puck,” Babcock said.

If the Chiefs are to vacate the cellar prior to the Feb. 1 trade deadline, they’ll probably have to do it on the road. They’re back in the Arena Wednesday and Saturday before a six-game stretch on the road over the next two weeks.

Goals by Jason Weitzel and Dustin Paul 39 seconds apart put Moose Jaw ahead in a hurry and brought a premature end to Haun’s work in the first period. Yanked 6:40 into the game, Haun was replaced by Lencucha, who stopped four of five shots as the Chiefs climbed back into it late in the first on the stick of Dan Vandermeer.

Vandermeer struck with a slap shot from the high slot with 3:55 left in the first period, then sent a shot from the left circle through the pads of Moose Jaw netminder Tim Barlow 25 seconds prior to intermission.

Neither goal will make the highlights film, but with them the Chiefs climbed to within 3-2.

When Curtis Suter, honored prior to the game as the Chiefs player of the month of December, was whistled for high sticking as the first period expired, it put Spokane a man down starting the second. That was an invitation to disaster, given how the Chiefs have been killing penalties these days and how the Warriors are dominant on the power play.

When defenseman Dayle Wilcox snapped a shot from the left circle over Lencucha’s glove 1:31 into the second - an unassisted power-play goal that lifted the Warriors to a 4-2 lead - the Chiefs might have folded.

Instead, they again cut the gap to one on Daniel Bohac’s team-high 16th goal of the year. And again the Warriors took away the momentum, this time for good.

Just 2:09 after Bohac’s score, Moose Jaw’s Paul registered his second goal of the night, this on the power play.

The Chiefs had another chance to answer on a power play of their own but Chad Hinz - headed for the WHL all-star game - scorched them with a short-handed goal with 5:20 left in the second.

By then, down three goals, the Chiefs were finished. They’re 0-20-2 when trailing at the second intermission.

“We’ve got a day off (today),” Babcock said. “We’ve got to get regrouped because we’re picking up speed in the wrong direction.”

Asked who’ll get the start in goal on Wednesday night against the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Babcock said, “How would I know? How can I explain this? I’m not here to beat up kids. They had an off-night, both those guys. They’d be the first to admit it.”

Moose Jaw coach Len Nielsen was asked about the state of the goaltending.

“I don’t like to talk about other team’s personnel,” he said. “We’ve got guys on our team who can put the puck in the net when they get their chances. In the first period, none of the goals (by either team) were that strong. I thought it was a soft, last-shot-wins kind of game but our guy (Barlow) responded the last half of the game. And as he started to play better we started to gain momentum.”

Warriors 8 Chiefs 3 Wednesday: Lethbridge at Spokane, 7 p.m. Radio: KXLY 920-AM. Saturday: Tri-City at Spokane.