Chiefs have plenty of fight, but not the win

It was old-time hockey for the Spokane Chiefs Saturday at the Arena.

Remember the days when the home team used to lose the game but take pride in winning the fights?

Well, the fisticuffs were the only area where the Chiefs came out on top, losing to Kamloops 6-1 before 6,031 in a penalty-filled Western Hockey League contest.

It certainly wasn’t the game plan of coach Al Conroy. But these things have a way of happening, especially when the boys are on the long end of a blowout with a rookie goalie struggling in his WHL debut.

In sum: When a line brawl is the highlight of the night, that says it all.

The teams squared off with 4:44 remaining in the second period and the Chiefs losing 5-1 in the first career start for backup goalie Kirk Irving.

The brawl occurred after some rough play along the boards, which led to some of Spokane’s toughest players laying a whipping on three Kamloops players.

Then, with a Blazer getting pummeled on the ice, Kamloops goalie Devan Dubnyk left the crease to try and pry a Chief off a downed Blazer and that caused remaining two spectating players from each team to get involved – all 10 players simultaneously going at it.

It took several minutes for the officials to sort out the 84 minutes of ensuing penalties. The Spokane crowd was pleased, especially when the Chiefs ended up with a power play due to Dubnyk leaving the crease.

But Spokane would not take advantage. Instead, with 33 seconds left in the power play Irving allowed his sixth goal on 18 shots when Cam Cunning got his second goal of the game on an unassisted breakaway goal coming via a wrist shot from just inside the blue line.

That would be the end of the night for Irving, as No. 1 goalie Jim Watt entered to cheers from the crowd and went on to make 11 saves the rest of the way.

The Chiefs had tried their best to calm the nerves of their rookie goaltender to start the game.

Spokane controlled play early in the game and 17-year-old rookie Chris Bruton got Spokane on the board at 4:09 of the first period as he put a dribbler between the legs of Dubnyk for his fifth goal of the season.

Meanwhile on defense, Spokane didn’t allow a shot on Irving until the 11:15 mark, when he came up big to deny three consecutive close-in shots as Kamloops started to get some activity in front of the net.

Just 1 minute, 15 seconds later, the Blazers broke through on Irving, who slowed, but didn’t stop a shot by Derek Werenka that went through the five-hole. That tied the game at 1-1 and Kamloops smelled blood.

The Blazers would end up scoring three goals in the first period (on goals by Nathan Grochmal and captain Jarret Lukin) and three more in the second as Spokane couldn’t get anything past Dubnyk.

Kamloops put the game out of reach in the second period by scoring goals withing 36 seconds of each other, from Cunning (14:06) and Aaron Richards (14:42). Then, at the 15:16 mark, the chaos ensued.

“It was a tough one,” said Conroy. “We get the early goal and I thought we kind of let off a little bit and gave them some opportunities to get in the game – and they took them. I never really thought we never got our feet back underneath us.”