Chiefs hit a bump
It’s not time to panic yet, but the Spokane Chiefs are certainly looking to remedy a few things.
For the first time since the beginning of October, the Chiefs are on a losing streak. Sure, it’s only two games, but it’s not something the Western Hockey League’s hottest club is used to.
“We were on such a steady pace, and it wasn’t going to last for the whole year,” Chiefs captain Chris Bruton said. “Every team has its bumps, and I think we’ve just hit one right now.
“We’re just trying to get out of that rut, and there’s not a better way to do it than to play against rival teams like Tri-City and get back to it at home (today).”
The Chiefs (27-8-1-2, 57 points) are now tied for first in the U.S. Division with the Tri-City Americans.
They will take on the Moose Jaw Warriors tonight at the Arena and travel to Kennewick on Saturday to play Tri-City for the second time in six days.
The Warriors, third in the East Division with a 20-11-4-3 record, have won seven of their last 10 games. They are seventh in the league on the penalty kill and their power-play unit is 11th.
Forwards Jordan Knackstedt and Jason Bast are among the top 15 scorers in the league. Knackstedt in ninth with 20 goals and 29 assists and Bast is 14th with 45 points (15 goals and 30 helpers).
“They’ve got some physical forwards up front that do a good job in the offensive zone of protecting the puck,” Chiefs coach Bill Peters said of the Warriors. “They’re a very structured team. I like their team a lot, they’re very good and it will be a stiff test for us.”
Cowen to play for bronze
The Chiefs miss their star rookie.
He’ll be back soon, but in the meantime, 16-year-old Jared Cowen is helping a different team make a splash on the ice.
Cowen and Team West are 3-2 and will compete today for a bronze medal against Team Pacific at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in London, Ontario.
Team West fell 4-3 in Thursday’s semifinal to Ontario, which will play Team USA for the gold. Cowen, who had two assists in West’s 4-1 victory over Russia on Wednesday, was named player of the game for West for a third time in the tournament against Ontario.
The top overall pick in the 2006 Bantam Draft, Cowen has 13 points – four goals and nine assists – through 35 games for Spokane. He is currently seventh in the league at plus-20.
Cowen should return to the lineup for Wednesday’s game against Kamloops at the Arena.
Ice chips
The Chiefs remained second in the most recent Canadian Hockey League poll, the highest of four WHL teams. Vancouver is ranked third, Tri-City is fourth and Brandon is ninth. … Import defenseman Stefan Ulmer, who recently returned from helping Team Austria to a silver medal at the IIHF Division IA Under-20 World Championships, will likely be back in the lineup tonight after recovering from the flu. … Veteran defenseman Jared Spurgeon will serve a one-game suspension tonight for a kneeing major he took on Monday against Tri-City.