Spokane aims to move up

The Spokane Chiefs want one thing for Christmas: fourth place.

The Chiefs, who sit one point behind Tri-City in the Western Hockey League standings, could achieve that goal tonight. … if.

If they beat Portland tonight at the Arena. If Tri-City loses at Everett. Then, they’ll have it; fourth place in the five-team U.S. Division of the Western Conference. The spot means a berth in the playoffs.

Spokane (10-15-6-1, 27 points) is coming off of two straight ties, both games in which they held leads before settling for a point. Over their last 10 games, the Chiefs have tied four times.

Those results are not bad, but they are not the kind that allows a team to move up in the standings.

Meanwhile, the Tri-City Americans haven’t exactly been lighting things up. The Americans (11-14-4-2, 28 points) have gone 3-6-1 in their last 10. Yet they have managed to stay ahead of the Chiefs, if just barely.

Tonight’s game is the first of Spokane’s final three before the team’s Christmas break. The Chiefs play host to Kootenay on Friday, and visit the Ice on Saturday, before getting time off until Dec. 28 at Everett.

Spokane will catch a little bit of a break this week, as both teams it faces will be missing key players who are competing for spots on Canada’s national junior team.

Portland will be missing captain Braydon Coburn. Kootenay will not have either captain Nigel Dawes or No. 1 goaltender Jeff Glass available.

Spokane will be without winger Michael Grabner, who is competing for the Austrian national U-20 team. He’ll be back for the game on Dec. 28. No Chiefs player is trying out for the Canadian national junior team.

Chiefs acquire defenseman

The Chiefs acquired former Saskatoon defenseman Robert Woods, 20.

Woods, who has been playing with Alberni Valley of the British Columbia Hockey League, will be ready tonight against Portland. He practiced with the team on Tuesday.

Woods, at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, if a left-hander who should give some relief to the Chiefs’ current five-man defensive rotation. Spokane is also missing Matt McCue as he recovers from surgery for a broken ankle.

“This is a good opportunity for the Chiefs and Robert,” Chiefs general manger Tim Speltz said. “With the injuries to Scott Lynch and Matt McCue, our team is in need of a defenseman that can log minutes and is capable of playing in all situations.”

Woods appeared in 200 career games with Saskatoon from 2000-2004. He will likely be paired with second-year player Jason Lynch.

Scott Lynch was formally dropped from the Chiefs roster, as WHL teams are allowed to carry only three “over-age” players (20-year-olds). Lynch’s torn rotator cuff surgery and rehab typically take 6 to 9 months.