Chiefs suffer home shutout loss

The Spokane Chiefs had the numbers against Kootenay Saturday at the Spokane Arena. Boy, did they have numbers.

Spokane had almost twice as many shots on goal (36 shots to Kootenay’s 19) and more than three times as many power-play opportunities (seven to Kootenay’s two) as the visiting Ice. Of the 60 minutes played, the two teams spent well more than 40 in the visitors’ end. The Chiefs had a crowd of 7,523 for their first home game of the second half of the season and had momentum coming off Friday night’s 5-2 win over the Ice at Cranbrook.

But the only number that counts, goals scored, favored Kootenay 1-0.

The loss drops Spokane to 27-6, but the Chiefs maintained their lead on the Tri-City Americans, who dropped a 2-1 decision at Portland.

“There’s a difference between working hard and working smart,” Spokane coach Bill Peters said. “I’m not 100 percent disappointed with the effort we put into this game, but I don’t think we worked very smart.”

There were chances to score, sure, he said. But his players allowed themselves to get frustrated when the puck failed to find the back of the net.

“Frankly, I thought we’d put this problem behind us a long time ago,” he said. “Any time you allow yourself to get frustrated like that, you’re being a selfish hockey player. I’ve got too many good players that I can put out there to have that kind selfishness happen.”

Part of the problem was the fact that Spokane could not solve the Rubik’s Cube that was Kootenay’s cool-as-ice goaltender, Kris Lazaruk.

The 20-year-old from Edmonton, Alberta, made 36 saves, many while sprawled on the ice and a good many in rapid-fire order.

Lazaruk, playing his 21st game, entered the contest with a 2.78 goals against average.

Peters was especially disappointed with his team’s power play.

Spokane had two 5-on-3 opportunities in the game and spent more than 3 minutes of ice time with a two-man skating advantage – and no points to show for it.

What’s more, Kootenay’s goal, a transition goal by Andrew Bailey, came just as the Spokane power play expired.

“What bothers me is that twice in the last three times we’ve had a 5-on-3 situation in this building, we’ve committed a penalty and taken ourselves out of it,” Peters said. “We did that tonight and we ended up letting them go down and score at the end of it.

“Do you think the kid that did that feels good tonight? I don’t think he does.”

The Ice were 7 for 7 on penalty kills in the game. Spokane was 2 for 2.

The loss was the first time this season that Spokane has been shut out at home and only the second time the team has been held scoreless. That last time the Chiefs were blanked was Oct. 3 at Everett.

The first period was littered with opportunities for the Chiefs, yet the home team capitalized on none of them. Kootenay gave up three power-play opportunities in the first 20 minutes of play, including a 1:39 stretch with Spokane skating with a 5-on-3 advantage.

Spokane appeared to have a short-handed goal during the lone Ice power play of the first period. Tyler Johnson poached a Kootenay crossing pass at the blue line and broke up ice and attempted to deke Lazaruk from his backhand side but misfired.

His momentum carried him into the Kootenay goaltender and the pair knocked the goal off its standard. Meanwhile, Curtis Kelner managed to stuff the loose puck underneath Lazaruk’s pad, but the referee ruled that the puck had crossed the goal line after play had been stopped.

The Chiefs close out the 2007 portion of their schedule Monday when they play at Tri-Cities.