Koper, Wahl set pace

The rich got richer Wednesday night.

Already the Spokane Chiefs’ top two scorers, Levko Koper and Mitch Wahl each found the net to improve their individual numbers.

In the process, home just keeps getting sweeter for the Chiefs.

Koper and Wahl’s first-period goals and goalie James Reid’s 27 saves led Spokane to a 2-0 Western Hockey League victory over the Red Deer Rebels in front of 3,728 fans at the Arena.

The Chiefs are 8-1 at home with 37 goals scored and 10 allowed. The win pulled Spokane (11-3-0-3) even with the Tri-City Americans – who the Chiefs will host Saturday night – in the U.S. Division standings.

“Our record is obviously really good for right now,” Chiefs coach Hardy Sauter said. “I think we’ve found ways to just do what needs to be done to win at times, but ultimately we feel confident and we feel real comfortable playing at home. As a coach, I’m real happy with that and hope it continues.”

After Red Deer’s Josh Cowen received a kneeing major and game misconduct 40 seconds into the game, the Chiefs spent the next 5 minutes of the period with a one-man advantage.

Koper – who has already scored as many goals (12) in 17 games this season as he did in 69 games during the regular season last year – capitalized.

Rebels goalie Darcy Kuemper turned away eight shots before Koper potted a power-play goal at 5:06 to put Spokane on the board. Koper’s shot, taken from just inside the right point, took a generous bounce off the back boards and ricocheted off Kuemper’s skate into the net.

“Real generous,” Sauter allowed of the bounce. “Up until that point we had kind of done some of the things we wanted, but not really, and that’s just one of those things that when you have a hot hand like (Koper) does now you get a lucky bounce every once in a while.”

Nearing the end of the opening period, Wahl took a shot from around the same place Koper did. With the help of a successful screen near the crease from teammate Drayson Bowman, Wahl’s shot found the back of the net and Spokane had the 2-0 lead it carried through the rest of the game.

“I thought we started (the game) real well,” Sauter said. “Our first period was pretty good and after that we were very average.”

That included seven Spokane penalties in the final two periods (three of which were major penalties for fighting). The Chiefs killed five penalties – including four in the final period.

Reid, who improved to 2-0-0-1 and picked up his first career shutout in Spokane, made a handful of key saves during the final two periods, though, helping Spokane keep the Rebels scoreless.

“We quit doing the things that we do well (after the first),” Sauter said. “We quit forechecking. We didn’t have any speed. A lot of things that we typically do well, we stopped doing.

“But having said that, I think the one thing we did do well was our penalty killing – they did a good job getting in front of pucks. And James (Reid) played a pretty good game to help the cause.”

Spokane continues its five-game homestand this weekend, hosting the Portland Winter Hawks on Friday and the Americans on Saturday.

Ice chips

Scratches for Spokane were forward Justin McCrae (knee), defenseman Jared Spurgeon (ankle) and forward David Conrad (healthy). … The Chiefs are ranked ninth in the latest Canadian Hockey League Top 10 poll, selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts. The Windsor Spitfires (Ontario Hockey League) are the top-ranked CHL club. Also ranked from the WHL are Vancouver (third), Calgary (fifth) and Swift Current (eighth).