Chiefs open with easy win

CRANBROOK, British Columbia – The Spokane Chiefs ended last season with a loss to the Kootenay Ice.

Spokane Chiefs center Derek Ryan remembered that defeat and the bitter feeling of last season’s struggles.

On Saturday night, the Spokane product helped his teammates get off to a quick start to their Western Hockey League season with an 8-4 win over the Kootenay Ice at the Rec-Plex.

“All the vets remember our season finale here – they killed us,” said Ryan.

“It feels good to go out and get some revenge. More importantly, it feels good to get the two points. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

The game was one of fits and starts, mostly fits, as the WHL officiating crew called a seemingly endless number of obstruction-related penalties.

Spokane was the worst offender.

“It’s the start of a new year and I like the way we started,” said Chiefs coach Bill Peters. “We can be a lot better than that, but a win’s a win. We’ll take the two points, move on, and try and improve as we go.”

Chiefs goalie Kevin Armstrong was outstanding, making 36 saves and holding his team in the game despite the fact that Spokane was outshot in the game and put the Ice on the power play too many times, including several 5-on-3 opportunities. He was the game’s first star.

“I think I played good, but the guys helped me a lot,” said Armstrong. “The guys helped me a lot (seeing shots). Without them, it was pretty much impossible.”

Armstrong and Spokane rode a few early signs that it was their night – as Kootenay hit several posts – to build a 3-1 lead after one period on goals by Ryan, Andrej Roman and Drayson Bowman. Bowman and Adam Hobson each had a pair of goals.

Spokane blew open a 4-2 game in the final 2 minutes, 49 seconds of the second period when it scored three late goals off backup goalie Tyler Pugh. Pugh, 18, came into the game to start the period after starter Kris Lazaruk was injured late in the first on a collision in the crease.

Rookie Mitch Wahl started Spokane’s winning barrage at the 17:11 mark, burying a rebound of a J.P. Szaszkiewicz breakaway. Then, with 1:10 left, Bowman got his second goal of the game as Pugh started to crumble. Both those goals came at even strength after the teams had combined for five odd-man-strength goals out of the first six. In all, there were 28 power plays in the game.

Hobson finished the avalanche for Spokane, scoring on a power-play goal with 3 seconds left in the period for his first goal. That gave Spokane a 7-2 lead after two periods over a Kootenay team (1-1) that blew out Tri-City 7-3 on Friday night.

Ryan, in his final WHL season, had a brilliant night on offense. After his goal at 2:56 of the first, he set up Chris Bruton early in the second on a breakaway with a long pass up the center of the ice for a shorthanded goal just 2:55 into the period to give Spokane a 4-1 lead.

Kootenay rallied for two goals in the first 6:46 of the third period, but Hobson ended that run with his second goal of the game at the 9:57 mark to close out the scoring.

Chiefs 8, Ice 4

First Period—1, Spokane, Ryan 1, 2:56. 2, Spokane, Roman 1 (Blackwater, McCue), 9:38 (pp). 3, Kootenay, Billsten 1 (Russell, DaSilva), 13:07 (pp). 4, Spokane, Bowman 1 (Mercer, Blackwater), 16:40 (pp). Second Period—5, Spokane, Bruton 1 (Ryan, Armstrong), 2:55 (sh). 6, Kootenay, Russell 1 (Maxwell, Busto), 14:54 (pp). 7, Spokane, Wahl 1 (Szaszkiewicz), 17:11. 8, Spokane, Bowman 2 (Roman), 18:50. 9, Spokane, Hobson 1 (Falk, Bruton), 19:57 (pp). Third Period—10, Kootenay, Billsten 2 (Maxwell, Russell), 4:53. 11, Kootenay, Maxwell 2 (Bailey, Greenan), 6:46 (pp). 12, Spokane, Hobson 2 (Rutherford, Falk), 9:57.

Power-play Opp.—Spokane 3 of 12; Kootenay 3 of 16. Saves—Spokane, Armstrong 15-14-7—36. Kootenay, Lazaruk 9-x-x—9, Pugh x-9-7—16. A—2,968.