Top-rated Giants steamroll past Chiefs

The Spokane Chiefs faced a Giant task on Saturday night.

Entering the game with a six-game losing streak and without their top defenseman, Spokane hosted the defending Western Hockey League champion and current No. 1 team in Canada. Then, at every turn, the Chiefs made the task tougher.

The Vancouver Giants came to town and put on a clinic for the host team and a local cable audience. No word came on whether the rating was “for mature audiences only,” but it wasn’t recommended for young hockey players.

Vancouver (15-0-1, 31 points) handed overmatched Spokane (5-7-3, 13 points) its seventh straight loss, 4-1, on two goals each from Cody Franson and J.D. Watt.

The Chiefs played the game without defenseman Sean Zimmerman, who served a one-game suspension for his attempt-to-injure match penalty from Friday night’s game. The league will review the matter further on Monday to see if he will miss any more games.

Monday is also when the Chiefs will get early wake-up calls for a 6 a.m. skate at the request of coach Bill Peters.

The Chiefs continued their undisciplined play on a night when they were already short-handed on the back end – forcing the penalty kill to once again play extended minutes. In addition to Zimmerman, Spokane was without injured Corey Courchene (leg), meaning that forward J.P. Szaskiewicz reprised his recurring role as a pinch defenseman.

The Chiefs allowed one short-handed goal and two on the power play as 5-on-5 time was rare.

“What we’re going to do is have a little extra practice, a little early skate, address it, watch some video, and just try and figure it out,” Peters said.

The Giants broke open the game in the second period, when Franson’s two power-play goals sandwiched one by Spokane’s David Rutherford.

Rutherford, a former Giant, helped Spokane cut the lead to a goal just 2:38 into the second after Vancouver stunned the Chiefs with Franson’s first goal, 7 seconds into the period.

The Giants, however, extended their lead to 3-1 at the 7:18 mark on Franson’s second marker of the period. The Chiefs were unable to muster an offense the rest of the way and were outshot 28-9 through two periods.

Watt closed out the scoring with the game’s only even-strength goal at the 8-minute mark of the third. The shots on goal ended up 37-19, but it wasn’t indicative of the play.

Vancouver led just 1-0 after one period, although the Giants put together a relentless attack which had the Chiefs on their heels throughout the game.

The Chiefs put themselves in an early hole, failing to capitalize on a power play right off the bat and allowing a short-handed goal just 1:59 into the game.

The goal came after a turnover by rookie defenseman Mike Reddington at the blue line. Watt and two teammates raced up the ice with the puck and Spokane defenseman Justin Falk was left to defend a 3-on-1. Watt beat Spokane goalie Dustin Tokarski top shelf to give Vancouver the lead.

Tokarski’s superb goaltending and some desperate defense and penalty killing kept Vancouver in check, but the Giants controlled the play. Tokarski finished with 33 saves and was the third star.

The game was the latest in a tough early-season schedule in which nine of the Chiefs’ first 15 games have come against teams that are ranked among the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10. The Chiefs are 2-7 against those teams, with both wins coming over Everett. Spokane has not beaten Vancouver, Tri-City or Medicine Hat.

Giants 4, Chiefs 1

First Period—1, Van, Watt 11 1:59 (sh). Second Period—2, Van, Franson 5 (Kraus, Mikkelson) :07 (pp); 3, Spo, Rutherford 4 (Blackwater, Grabner) 2:38 (pp); 4, Van, Franson 6 (Reese, Blum) 7:18 (pp). Third Period—5, Van, Watt 12 (Toigo, Reese) 8:00. Power-play Opp.—Vancouver 0 of 0; Spokane 0 of 0. Saves—Vancouver, Sexsmith 18 saves. Spokane, Tokarski 33 saves. A—5,915.