Chiefs find encouraging signs on trip
The Spokane Chiefs are back from their five-game, six-day Western Hockey League road trip, a little worn out physically but with lifted spirits from some solid play.
A sleepy coach Bill Peters mustered a twinkle in his eye on Thursday morning as he reflected on the trip in which the Chiefs went 3-2. They were up 2-0 after two periods in the final game, but Calgary scored four third-period goals to win 4-2.
After a rough first game, Spokane looked solid in the remaining ones. The Chiefs defeated Medicine Hat, the Central Division co-leader with Calgary, and had ticked off three straight wins before falling to Calgary.
“You would take that, for sure, to be 3-1 and be up after 40 minutes (to Calgary),” Peters said. “The only game I didn’t like was in Lethbridge. We came out flat and never really got anything going. From that point on, we were real solid on the trip.”
Peters said the reasons for the team’s success were simple. They are the same values he’s been preaching since the opening of training camp: Want it more than your opponent, then outwork them for it.
“I liked our work ethic and how hard we competed every night,” Peters said. “The final four games of the road trip, we really had teams frustrated with our work ethic, how physical we were and our tight checking. We had teams frustrated, and that led to all the fights on the trip.”
The games did get quite physical. The usual suspects (Jason Lynch, Myles Stoesz, and Matt McCue) all saw their share of fisticuffs, as did normally more restrained players such as Chris Bruton, David Schulz, Sean Zimmerman, Drayson Bowman and Seth Compton.
Peters said the players who impressed him most on the trip were center Adam Hobson, defenseman Dan Mercer and rookie goalie Thomas Stehr (who was in net for the three straight wins). Jim Watt started the first and last games (both losses), and the No.1 job may be up in the air.
“There’s no plan,” Peters said. “We’ll take some time after practice (today) and give it some thought. Both guys are capable, and it could go either way.”
The team had a day off on Thursday and will have only a short practice today in preparation for a pair of weekend U.S. Division home games: Saturday against leader Everett and Sunday against the second-place Portland Winter Hawks.
Close call
Chiefs trainer Darcy Bishop will take off for the World Junior (U-20) hockey championships at the end of this week.
He will be the trainer for coach Brent Sutter’s Team Canada.
The tournament will be held at various venues in British Columbia, with the final in Vancouver. It runs from Dec. 26 through Jan. 5.
It’s a busy week for Bishop, whose wife gave birth to a son as the team returned to Spokane from its road trip early Thursday morning. The Chiefs’ bus dropped off Bishop at Holy Family Hospital on its way back to the Arena, just in time for Bishop to be there with his wife.
Ice chips
The status of Spokane captain Jeff Lynch is undetermined after he suffered a knee injury on the road trip. He will be evaluated before this weekend’s games. … The Chiefs will be without the services of Johannes Salmonsson through the World Juniors. He is a member of Team Sweden. … Portland will be without Michael Funk on Sunday, as he will be at the Team Canada team tryouts. … The Chiefs’ No. 1 draft pick from this year, Mitch Wahl, will join the team this weekend. … Chiefs listed prospect Chris Langkow saw limited ice time on Spokane’s road trip and impressed Peters.