Chiefs grab 2-1 lead
Finally, the Spokane Chiefs broke the mold.
You had to hope, if not figure, it would happen at some point.
And true to the series so far, the method wasn’t at all mad. There wasn’t a lot of flash or drama involved. It was actually pretty simple – two goals in regulation.
And after back-to-back double-overtime games to open the best-of-7 Western Conference championship series between the Chiefs and Tri-City Americans, the simplicity was more then welcomed, at least from the Chiefs’ standpoint.
Ondrej Roman and David Rutherford scored and Dustin Tokarski turned aside all 25 shots he faced as the Chiefs regained the lead in the Western Hockey League playoff series against their U.S. Division rivals with a 2-0 victory over the Americans in front of a Monday night Arena crowd of 5,921.
Roman, who scored the lone goal in the series opener on Friday night, skated behind the net and stuffed in the rebound of a Judd Blackwater shot as Spokane scored the first regulation goal of the series, 8 minutes, 21 seconds into the first period.
Rutherford added to the lead midway through the third period, firing in a smart Seth Compton pass from the right circle that passed to the glove side of Tri-City goalie Chet Pickard, who finished with 34 saves.
“I thought for the most past we just stuck with it and it was physical play – that was the key for us,” said Rutherford, who also assisted on Roman’s goal. “Our whole process, since day one, has been to wear teams down and I think we are starting to do that.”
“We are just trying to be physical and do the simple things. If you look at the first goal, I don’t know how many saves Pickard made before (Roman scored), but it was like the third or fourth whack that went in.”
And it’s taken that kind of effort in all three games because both goaltenders have been the stars of the series, with Roman being the possible exception because he is responsible for 50 percent of the goals that have been scored.
Tokarski picked up his second and third shutouts of the 2008 playoffs on Friday and Monday, respectively, and Pickard’s shutout Sunday night was his third of this year’s playoffs.
Tokarski dropped his playoff league-best goals-against average to 1.22 and increased his playoff league-high saves percentage to .951. Pickard’s numbers (1.62 GAA, .945 save percentage) are second in the league.
“They’re both stellar,” said Tri-City coach Don Nachbaur. “You can’t fault our goalie on those two goals (on Monday). I think there was real soft play in front of him on both goals.
“I don’t think we defended real well at the front, at least on those two goals, anyway. You can’t fault Chet. He’s been our best player in the series.”
A series that has been consistent in several areas, including the not-so-powerful power play – in which the Americans are scoreless on 14 advantages in three games and the Chiefs are 0 for 21. That included five chances for Tri-City on Monday, and six for Spokane.
“Man, oh man,” said Chiefs coach Bill Peters. “The goaltending has been very good and the penalty kill has been equally as good.
“With the power plays, you’ve got to move the puck quick and keep it simple and get pucks on net – it’s not going to be a pretty goal once somebody does get one on the power play, it’s just going to be a rebound-type goal. Hopefully we can get one (tonight). I’d love to see that.”
Peters and the Chiefs would also love to sweep their two-game home-stand and take a 3-1 lead in the series before the teams travel back to Kennewick for Game 5 Saturday night.
“It’s exactly what we want,” said Peters. “We want to take a stranglehold on the series and we want to look after home ice. We just need to look after the process.”