Chiefs lose; most stars rest

The Western Hockey League regular season came to an end Sunday at the Arena with a playoff preview that wasn’t really indicative of anything.

The Everett Silvertips, less than 24 hours after winning their first U.S. Division title since 2007, edged the Spokane Chiefs 5-4 in a game that wasn’t that close and lacked star power on both sides.

Both teams rested top players in preparation for the first round of the playoffs, a best-of-seven series that begins Friday at Everett’s Xfinity Arena. The Silvertips will also host Game 2 on Saturday before Spokane hosts Game 3 at 7:05 p.m. on April 1 at the Arena.

Everett finished the regular season 43-20-3-6 and won the season series with the Chiefs 5-3-0-0. Four of the eight games were decided by one goal.

Spokane lost its final five regular-season games to finish 34-34-3-1. The Chiefs were 17-17-2-0 at home, 18-17-2-1 against the division.

The Silvertips stormed to a 2-0 lead after less than 6 minutes with just three shots, and broke from a 2-all tie with three consecutive goals in the third period. The Chiefs scored twice in the final 3:37 to make the score respectable.

“We were 2-2 in the third period and we gave up what I would consider two or three really bad goals,” Chiefs head coach Don Nachbaur said. “You have to be better.”

Although Chiefs stalwarts Jason Fram, Tyson Helgesen, Liam Stewart and Calder Brooks took the night off, Nachbaur didn’t want the rest of his team in a devil-may-care mode.

“(We wanted) to see who’s playoff-ready,” Nachbaur said. “I think some guys stepped up and showed that and other guys have proven that they’ll be sitting in the stands. It’s just as simple as that.”

Nachbaur had the chance to try out different lines as the Chiefs needed some fresh legs after playing four games in five nights.

“It’s a very competitive time of year and it’s tough circumstances with four games in five nights,” Nachbaur said. “You had to be mentally tough tonight to play the game. At the end of the day, we sat some guys out, but the players who played tonight got a lot of ice time, so it really made me aware with the coaching staff what we have to work on going into the playoffs, and who we’re going to utilize in Game 1 and Game 2.”

Adam Helewka highlighted the Chiefs’ night with his club-leading 43rd and 44th goals and one assist. Helewka finished fifth in league goals and tied for eighth in points with 87.

Kailer Yamamoto added his 23rd goal, giving him more than any Chiefs 16-year-old except for Jason Podollan’s 36 during the 1992-93 season. Riley Whittingham had his 19th goal and one assist, and Hudson Elynuik, just back from injury, added two assists.

Chiefs awards

The Chiefs announced their team award winners before the game, naming captain Jason Fram as defenseman of the year and most sportsmanlike player. Other winners: Adam Helewka, player of the year; Kailer Yamamoto, rookie of the year; Jackson Playfair, humanitarian of the year; Liam Stewart, players’ player; Calder Brooks, coaches’ award; and Evan Fiala, scholarship player of the year.