Success times two
Same strategy, same result.
Dustin Tokarski shut out Seattle last weekend to earn the start in the Chiefs’ second meeting of the regular season with the Thunderbirds Friday night.
The Chiefs’ netminder didn’t disappoint the 5,225 Arena fans.
Tokarski (5-1-0-1), the Western Hockey League’s top goalie with a 1.72 goals-allowed average, stopped 21 shots as the streaking Chiefs won their ninth straight game with a 3-0 victory over visiting Seattle.
“He had to make some big saves there at key times, no doubt,” Chiefs coach Bill Peters said.
“You can’t say enough about the guy,” Chiefs captain Chris Bruton added. “He’s determined this year to really prove something, and (Kevin Armstrong) and him have been battling in goal all season and it’s really just been a positive thing for us.
“They’ve competed off each other, and it’s only brought out the best in both of them.”
The Chiefs’ winning streak, which began with a 5-2 victory over Portland on Oct. 12, is the second longest in franchise history. Tokarski’s second straight shutout matches the franchise record set by Jim Watt during the 2003-04 season.
“The win is the main thing,” said Tokarski. “The guys played extremely well tonight … the D-men did a great job of letting me see all the shots. Our (defensive) core has been solid all year – they’re all contributing.”
Veteran defenseman Jared Spurgeon put the Chiefs on the board in a slow first period for Spokane, popping a perfect feed from Drayson Bowman past Seattle goalie Riku Helenius at 8 minutes, 42 seconds. Mitch Wahl also assisted on the goal.
“When it was 1-0, they had some real good looks and when we broke down, we seemed to break down in a big way and had some guys wide open in the slot,” said Peters.
The Chiefs shook off the sluggish period, dominating in the remaining 40 minutes.
“As we came on and got a goal I think our confidence rose,” Bruton said. “Things just came together.”
After a scoreless second, Chiefs forward Levko Koper added an insurance goal when he slotted a close-range shot in the lower left corner of the net off Helenius’ stick at 7:13 for his third goal in two games. Bruton backhanded a Judd Blackwater pass by Helenius at 14:36 for Spokane’s final goal.
Helenius, a 2006 Tampa Bay Lightning first-round pick, finished with 37 saves for Seattle.
With the victory, the Chiefs (12-2-1-1, 26 points) remain tied for first place in the U.S. Division with the Tri-City Americans, who crushed the Vancouver Giants 8-2 on Friday at Kennewick’s Toyota Center. The Americans have played one more game than the Chiefs.
Keeping consistent with his strategy, Peters will start Armstrong in goal tonight when the Chiefs host the Giants for their second and final meeting of the regular season.
Armstrong (7-1-1-0) earned a 2-0 victory over the Giants in Vancouver on Oct. 21.
“We’re going to go with that,” Peters said. “It seems to be working and Army will be fresh tomorrow. He’s been good against (Vancouver) the past couple years.”
The Thunderbirds are 6-4-2-1.