Finally, Chiefs prepare for first home game

The Spokane Chiefs finally get to play a home game after the drudgery of two weeks of road trips and practices.

Spokane, which travels to Everett tonight, hosts Tri-City on Saturday night in the team’s Western Hockey League home opener.

The Chiefs went through an opening-night festivities rehearsal after practice Thursday before boarding a bus for Everett. They will return early Saturday morning.

Later that night, coach Bill Peters will be closely watching the emotional level of his players as they skate onto the Arena ice.

“It’s tough, because everyone’s excited about opening the season at home. There’s some distractions there,” said Peters. “But the emotion of the night goes a long way in carrying your guys. There’s a lot of energy generated by it. There’s definitely more positives than negatives.”

Peters confirmed his players were still upset by last weekend’s overtime loss at Tri-City but are eager for the rematch.

“It was disappointing not to get two points out of that game, then it’s tough when you have to wait five, six days for the next game,” said Peters. “This time of year, when there aren’t many games and you have five or six practices in a row, it’s tough to keep the intensity up.”

The team has worked a lot in practice this week on the penalty kill and power-play units, the latter of which has hurt them through three games.

Everett will provide a good test for Spokane. The favorite to win the U.S. Division is unbeaten through four games. The Silvertips just got back Peter Mueller from the NHL this week and he’s expected to play tonight.

Two Chiefs adapt

Two of the newest Chiefs, Corey Courchene and David Rutherford, are adjusting to new surroundings after being acquired in early-season trades.

Both veteran players said they’ve been welcomed by coaches and players alike, but it is still a big change.

Courchene, who will be used as a defenseman, is re-learning an old position after being traded by Brandon last week. He most recently played left wing.

“It’s going to be an adjustment, but I’ve played ‘D’ before and it’s like riding a bike – you just get used to it again,” said Courchene.

Courchene, 20, is being looked at by the coaching staff to help bolster the power play. It’s a role in which Rutherford has already found himself since coming over from Vancouver in September.

His former team, the Giants, went to the Memorial Cup last season and is favored to win it this year when they host it.

“I’m coming from a team where we definitely knew how to win. They worked hard every night there,” said Rutherford, 19. “Coming into the team, I just try to bring some of the little things that make a team successful as we’re rebuilding. But I think we’re in a year where we could make a good run for it.”

Both Canadian-born players have had to adapt to the change of living in the United States. Courchene initially considered not reporting to Spokane, but wanted to finish his career in the WHL.

Chiefs on TV

The Chiefs will air six home games on Comcast Cable 12.

The games will be: Oct. 28 vs. Vancouver; Nov. 11 vs. Tri-City; Dec. 9 vs. Portland; Jan. 6 vs. Kootenay; Feb. 3 vs. Tri-City; Feb. 24 vs. Portland.