In brief: Chiefs lose preseason opener to Everett

Hockey: Even though preseason games can be taken with a grain of salt, the Spokane Chiefs didn’t quite dazzle in their debut.

Five Everett players scored as tournament host Silvertips beat the Chiefs 5-1 on Saturday night.

Rookie Nakeh Lamothe, on assists from Adam Helewka and Riley Whittingham, scored the only goal for Spokane, which played without a handful of key veterans. Other returners, however, struggled in the game.

Overage defenseman Davis Vandane finished a team-high minus-4 and the only Spokane player to finish in the positive was rookie Adam Power (plus-1).

The Chiefs split time between rookie goalies. Trevor Martin went in late in the second period and allowed just one goal.

Spokane plays Seattle at 1 p.m. today.

Jess Brown

Clijsters delivers her swan song

Tennis: Kim Clijsters hit her last shot as a pro into the net. Doubtful anyone will remember that, though.

Smiling right until the end in front of 2,800 buzzing fans on Court 17 at Flushing Meadows, Clijsters officially made her way into retirement Saturday night.

She and mixed doubles partner Bob Bryan fell 6-2, 3-6, 12-10 to Ekaterina Makarova and Bruno Soares in a back-and-forth match filled with clutch shots, loud cheers, and – at the end – no tears.

“It’s surprising that I kept it dry, I haven’t been crying,” Clijsters said. “I think that’s just another sign that it’s the right choice.”

Clijsters, a four-time Grand Slam champion, announced months ago the U.S. Open would be her last tournament.

She lost to British teen Laura Robson in singles Wednesday, snapping a 22-match winning streak at Flushing Meadows, where Clijsters won titles in 2005, 2009 and 2010.

Associated Press