Consistent inconsistency

Nineteen games into the season, the Spokane Chiefs have yet to capture the steady level of play that earned them a pair of championships a year ago.

For the third straight weekend, the Chiefs dropped their Friday contest, only to rebound with a victory on the following Saturday night. However, their week began on Wednesday with the first of a three-games-in-four-nights run when they hosted the Red Deer Rebels.

Two first-period tallies, one apiece for Levko Koper and Mitch Wahl, were more than enough as the Chiefs skated to a 2-0 victory.

Starting goaltender James Reid, the game’s first star, recorded the first shutout of his Western Hockey League career, stopping all 27 shots he faced, including 13 in the third, to get the victory.

Former Spokane netminder Darcy Kuemper returned for the first time as a visitor and kept his team in it throughout by making several big glove saves in being named the second star, but could only stop 25 of the 27 shots he faced to take the loss.

Two nights later, the Portland Winter Hawks came to the Spokane Arena, with little hope of victory.

In their last 19 meetings versus Portland, Spokane had won 18, with their only defeat coming in a shootout loss while resting several key players in last year’s meaningless season finale. Portland hadn’t won in Spokane since Nov. 23, 2005, and were a meager 3-13-0-0 in 2008 entering the contest.

However, behind two second-period goals coming 13 seconds apart, the latter with the aid of a missed call by officials, the Winter Hawks escaped with a 2-1 victory.

After scoring midway through the period, Portland took possession of the puck and shot it in zone, but a deflection redirected the puck into the netting above the glass, where it rolled around and returned to the ice. No whistle was blown and the Winter Hawks found the puck in the slot, where a wrist shot got by Chiefs starter Dustin Tokarski, staking Portland to a 2-0 lead.

Spokane got one back in the third when rookie Steve Kuhn scored on the man advantage, but despite a rally which saw the Chiefs put 18 shots on net in the final stanza, Portland got the win.

Kurtis Mucha, Portland’s number one goaltender, was outstanding, making 39 saves on 40 shots, including several point-blank stops, to receive first-star honors, while Tokarski’s 24 saves earned him the second star.

To wrap up the weekend, Spokane welcomed their bitter rivals, the Tri-City Americans, to town.

With just over five minutes left in the first, the Ams tallied to take the early lead, while Spokane was held to only one first-period shot on net.

The Chiefs responded a few minutes into the second when Drayson Bowman beat Pickard top shelf to knot the game at one. But Tri-City lit the lamp later in the second to take a 2-1 advantage into the third.

Again, Spokane didn’t take long to tie it up, as Mitch Wahl converted on the power play just 41 seconds into the third to tie it at two.

The teams played even the rest of the period until Seth Compton squeezed a shot by Pickard with just 2:17 remaining to give Spokane a late lead.

But for a second consecutive night, a questionable officiating ruling sent the crowd into a chorus of boos, as Chiefs defenseman Trevor Glass sent a puck into the seats, with no initial ruling.

However, after Tri-City Head Coach Don Nachbaur and the rest of the bench barked at the officials, the stripes called a delay of game penalty on Glass, followed by an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Chiefs Head Coach Hardy Sauter for his reaction to the call, leaving Spokane shorthanded two players for the final two minutes of regulation.

With just 27 seconds left in the third, Tri-City took advantage by slipping the tying goal past Tokarski, sending the game into overtime.

After a scoreless OT, the game entered a shootout, where Spokane had been 0-3 during the season.

But Spokane’s first shooter, Wahl, blasted a slap shot past Pickard to give the Chiefs an early 1-0 edge.
However, the Americans responded when Mitch Fadden snuck one by Tokarski to tie it once again.

After that, though, the goaltenders stepped up, stopping eight consecutive attempts before Spokane’s sixth shooter, defenseman Stefan Ulmer, won the game by beating Pickard five-hole for the game-winner.

This weekend, the Chiefs embark on their longest road trip of the season, as they play Friday, Nov. 14 versus the Prince Albert Raiders at 5:30 p.m., before heading to Saskatoon to face the Blades the following night at 5:05 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 18, Spokane will travel to face the Brandon Wheat Kings in the first of back-to-back games.

On Wednesday, Nov. 19, the Chiefs will take on the Regina Pats, wrapping up the first four contests of a seven-game road trip.

Both games will begin at 5:00 p.m.

Story by Dylan Kitzan, professional sports editor. Dylan can be reached by e-mail at dylan@htsports.org.