Streaks, Shutouts, and Hatties

Sooooooooo much happened in this game.

First off, the Chiefs pushed their winning streak to 10 games by beating up on Chilliwack 6-0. Spokane has not lost a game since Jan. 3 against Portland and are still undefeated with Ondrej Roman and Brady Calla in the lineup. Calla, Mitch Wahl, and Trevor glass all had goals in this one. With the win Spokane stays six points back of Tri with three games in hand.

Second, notice how I only mentioned three of the six goals so far? The other three goals all went to Drayson Bowman in his first hattie of the season. One of those goals was shorthanded (the Chiefs have been getting a lot of shorties lately). If it wasn't for the Brady Calla redirect Bowman would have had four. He also had two assists for a five point night. I am sure going to miss him next season when he's playing in the NHL.

Third, Dustin Tokarski stopped 33 shots for his fifth shutout of the season and the ninth shutout overall for the Chiefs. Tokarski also has a personal 10 game winning streak with the Chiefs dating back to December. He continued to be the Golden Goalie in net, making several good saves including one where he spun himself around so hard it made my back sore.

The game wasn't all roses, though. Jared Cowen went down badly and hurt his knee. It looked pretty bad. Right now he's listed as week to week. I really don't care is he misses the rest of the regular season as long as he's back for the playoffs. We're going to need him. In the meantime it looks like Brenden Kichton will get some more ice time. Having Mike Reddington back will also help. Also, Levko Koper got a five minute major elbowing penalty that will get him suspended for sure.

Kootenay tonight, then a big one against Vancouver next Friday. Go Chiefs!

They Call Him Mr. Sweetwater

I have been wanting to (and forgetting to) write about the former Spokane Chiefs from last season's team that have gone on to other things. After following the journey that one of them has taken over the past five and a half weeks I felt the need to bring to light the journey of my favorite Spokane Chief from the previous few seasons: Judd Blackwater.

Judd Blackwater (aka Mr. Sweetwater) played three seasons with the Spokane Chiefs. The Lethbridge, Alberta native was an important piece to the Chiefs Memorial Cup run. He played last season on Spokane's second line with David Rutherford and Ondrej Roman which showed results often and consistently, especially in the playoffs. His no nonsense attitude and ability to end fights quickly inspired me to give him the nickname 'One Punch Judd' (he hits you, you fall down). As happy as I was to see the Chiefs hoist the Memorial Cup I was saddened that I just witnessed the final game Judd would ever play in a Chiefs sweater.

During the Summer Judd was invited to the Chicago Blackwawks training camp. His solid performance ended him with a contract with the Fresno Falcons on the ECHL (think of the ECHL as the AA minor league equivalent of the NHL). Judd was on his way to an impressive rookie season in Fresno when the financially struggling franchise shut down operations on December 22nd. I hoped that was not the end of his hockey career. Thankfully, he did not have to wait long to continue it. He was signed just eight days later by the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL. Once there it did not take him long to get people's attention, scoring two goals and adding five assists in twelve games with the Thunder. This week Judd was awarded with a call up to the Rockford Ice Hogs of the AHL (the AAA equivalent of the NHL) and the home of former Chiefs coach Bill Peters. In his first game in Rockford he scored a power play goal and a shootout marker in the Ice Hogs win. Welcome to the AHL, Judd Blackwater!

I'm glad that he was given the chance to continue his hockey career. It was well earned. I will continue to follow his hockey career wherever it may lead. I think I can speak for Chiefs fans everywhere when I say 'Congratulations Mr. Sweetwater!' Go get 'em!

Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal! Goal!......

Everett might need to replace their goal lights after this game.

The Chiefs continued their winning ways racking up their ninth in a row by beating the Everett Silvertips 9-1. No, that's not a misprint, and I didn't make that up.....9-1! What makes this more impressive is that not a single Chief player had two goals. That's right, the nine goals came from nine different players! The Chiefs that scored the goals are, in order: Levko Koper, Mitch Wahl, Brady Calla, Ondrej Roman, Drayson Bowman, Tyler Johnson, Jared Cowen, Jared Spurgeon, and Stefan Ulmer. Heck, I even scored on Everett on my way to work this morning. Mitch Wahl led the assists with 3.

Spokane also carried the fights from the Tri-City game over to this one. 86 penalty minutes in all! Cory Baldwin, Kenton Miller, and Brady Calla were the major fighters for the Chiefs but there were several little scuffles. Combine Brady Calla's fight with the goal and the assist he had means he scored the Gordie Howe hat trick! I still miss Seth Compton, but Brady has been a good fit so far.

The Chiefs continue to keep pace with Tri and Everett continues to slide. They haven't been the same team since the Kyle Beach trade. Way to go, Everett. Say hi to Portland when you get to the bottom.

Spokane has back to back homers this weekend against Chilliwack and Kootenay. It's good to be a Chiefs fan!

Our House

This was a game of the year candidate for sure.

The Spokane Chiefs won their eight game in a row beating Tri-City 5-2 in front of a large and pretty rowdy crowd which had a hint of a playoff atmosphere. The Chiefs didn't take long to score. Just a little over a minute into the first period Ondrej Roman scored off a rebound from Jared Cowen to make it 1-0. Later in the first Brady Calla scored on a shortie after Drayson Bowman stole the puck. Tri cut the lead to 2-1 in the second. It looked like that would be the score after two periods until Mitch Wahl scored with 27 seconds left in the period. As if that weren't enough Jared Spurgeon scored with three seconds left to give the Chiefs a 4-1 lead after the second period. After Tri-City switched goalies to start the third (that's right, they pulled Pickard in favor of the backup) and cut the lead to 4-2, Mitch Wahl scored his second of the game to ice it: Spokane 5, Tri 2. Tokarski stopped 22 shots in the win.

Then there were the fights. Lots of them. Not at the end of the game, but at the start of the second period. So many fights that I was actually a little surprised when they started playing hockey again. Levko Koper fought, Cowen fought, Bowman fought, Cory Baldwin fought, Bowman fought again. What was strange was that the guys on the Chiefs that normally fight didn't fight. Although I will say that known fighter Dustin Donaghy had a huge smile on his face after each fight.

So much for that 11 point lead Tri-City had over the Chiefs. In just three weeks that lead is now down to four points. The Chiefs also have two games in hand. Spokane travels to Everett on Wednesday before back to back homers against Chilliwack and Kootenay.

Well done Chiefs!

The road best travelled.

Just. Plain. Wow.

The Chiefs continued their winning ways by completing the four game sweep of the U.S. Division foes, all of them coming on the road. Spokane added Everett to their list of victims on Wednesday, beating them by a score of 5-1. Brady Calla, Drayson Bowman, Mitch Wahl, Stefan Ulmer, and Tyler Johnson each found their mark on the net in the win. Goalie James Reid did the job between the pipes, saving 27 of 28 shots he faced. Then the Chiefs concluded their roadie in Seattle on Friday night by beating the Thunderbirds 3-1. Drayson Bowman scored two of the three goals for the Chiefs and Stefan Ulmer scored the game winner in the third period. Tokarski continued to be 'The Golden Goalie', stopping 28 shots on the evening. The victory over Seattle was the Chiefs' seventh in a row (by the way, the Chiefs are 6-0 this year with Ondrej Roman in the lineup).

I must admit, this four game road trip was one of the most impressive I've seen in a while. Not only did they sweep the road trip, but they outscored their opponents 17-4. Spokane is now 6 points behind Tri-City in the standings with two games in hand.

Saturday night? Tri-City. Buck Night. 'Nuff Said.

Go Chiefs!

Getting To Know Your Chiefs Part 6: Ondrej Roman

6'0" 173 lbs. Birthday: Feb. 8th, 1989. Home: Ostrava-Poruba, CZE Pos: C

Ondrej Roman (the 'j' in his first name is silent) was selected by the Spokane Chiefs in the 2006 import draft and is one of the two European players on the Chiefs (the other is Stefan Ulmer). He showed tremendous skill as a rookie in the 06-07 season ans was selected in the 5th round (136th overall) by the Dallas Stars in the 2007 NHL draft. Ondrej was an important piece to the puzzle in last year's Memorial Cup run as he registered 15 goals and 46 assists during the regular season. During the World Junior Championships a last month Ondrej registered four goals and four assists with the Czech Republic.

Ondrej Roman is an important piece to the Chiefs puzzle. His offensive skills were sorely missed during his absence. His passes are always on the mark, his skating is fast and graceful, and his shot is deadly accurate. It's more than a coincidence that the Chiefs are 4-0 since his return. He brings one more scoring threat to Spokane and is someone you don't want to take your eyes off of or he'll flat out burn you. I've seen several players from other WHL teams with looks on their faces that say, "Where did Ondrej go? He was right here a second ago." All of the other WHL goalies take notice: #21 with the Chiefs is back!

Again, welcome back Ondrej Roman!

Look out, Tri. Here we come!

It finally happened. The Spokane Chiefs players are all back. I know there are still injuries to some key players but everybody is back. The tournaments are over, and Ondrej is back from the Czech Republic. Now, with everybody back it's time to make the run. Time to get to the business of winning and making the run back to the WHL title.

I think the Joker said it best: "And here we.....go!"

The Chiefs rolled into Portland on Friday and blasted the Winterhawks with five goals in the third period en route to a 7-1 victory. Goals came from all over the place: Tyler Johnson, Drayson Bowman (congrats to Bowman for his 100th goal as a Spokane Chief), Ondrej Roman, Kenton Miller, Ryan Letts, my Mom, Oprah, Ralphie from 'A Christmas Story', Bono, Cookie Monster, the guy from the Verizon commercials, and Indiana Jones to name a few (okay, not all of those but you get the idea). Then came the biggie on Saturday at Tri-City. The lone goal for the Chiefs came in the second from Ondrej Roman (glad he's back yet? I sure am!) as the teams skated to a 1-1 tie going into the shootout. The only score in the shootout came from.......Drayson Bowman! Chiefs win 2-1! I also must say Dustin 'The Golden Goalie' Tokarski was lights out again, stopping 40 shots in the game and all three shootout attempts.

The win against Tri was the Chiefs fifth straight and pulls them within eight points of Tri-City for the U.S. Division title. I know it sounds like a lot but Tri-City has played three more games than Spokane so far. I will also note that this was the first time this season that the road team won in the Spokane vs. Tri-City rivalry. Things are definitely looking up.

The Chiefs have two more roadies against Everett on Wednesday and Seattle on Friday before Tri-City comes calling again on S-A-TUR-DAY....NIGHT!!!

Bring them on!

Spokane + Portland = Wierd

I'll admit, I don't look forward to playing Portland this season. For some reason when the Chiefs play the Winterhawks strange things tend to happen. Pucks bounce awkwardly, the players do things that can only be described as bizarre, and the crowd is a little offbeat. There were more than a few moments when I was thinking things like 'what just happened?', 'that was weird.', or just plain old 'huh?'. I think my new nickname for the Chiefs when they play Portland will be the Bizarro Chiefs. If you've been to the Portland games you know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, the Bizarro Chiefs managed to overcome the weirdness and beat the Portland Winterhawks 4-2 to earn their third straight victory. Ryan Letts got the scoring off just 38 seconds into the game. Newcomer Brady Kalla also netted his first goal as a Chief in the first period. After Portland tied it up at 2 in the third period Steve Kuhn broke that tie with a shorthanded goal with less than five minutes left. Tyler Johnson added the insurance goal to finish the scoring. Dustin Tokarski was back in net and looked pretty good, and outside of the bizarro moments the Chiefs as a team looked good. With the win Spokane managed to gain a little ground on Tri-City thanks to Kelowna beating Tri on Wednesday night. Thanks Kelowna. You're my second favorite team in the WHL right now. Don't screw it up.

The Bizarro Chiefs now travel to Portland to play the Winterhawks on Friday. Then they will transform into the regular Chiefs (hopefully) to play at Tri-City on Saturday. A win at Tri will put the Chiefs right back into the race for the U.S. Division. Go Chiefs!

Time to make a run

It almost felt like the start of the season all over again.

The Chiefs scored early in the first and took care of business in the defensive zone to beat the Everett Silvertips 2-0. Dustin Donaghy scored the first goal off of an absolutely wicked pass from the newly returned Ondrej Roman that faked the Everett players out of their pads and the refs out of their stripes. The second goal came from Drayson Bowman with assists from Steve Kuhn and Stefan Ulmer. From there it was lock down defense from the Chiefs and excellent goaltending from James Reid, who stopped all 25 shots he faced in getting his fourth shutout of the season. Reid lowered his GAA to an impressive 1.74 for the season.

First off, it's good to have Ondrej Roman back. He looked impressive and worked with the Chiefs well. his fast skating and supreme passing abilities along with his scoring presence are a welcome addition. Also, James Reid was stellar in net during the absence of Dustin Tokarski. He showed he can be a starter in the WHL. Good job, Reid! You can be the Chiefs starter when Tokarski is playing in the NHL. The jury is still on Brady Kalla. He had some good moments on the ice Saturday. Hopefully he will improve once he gets more skating time with the Chiefs players. He has some big shoes to fill with Seth Compton's departure. I expect him to get better.

Spokane's next game is Wednesday against the Portland Winterhawks. I have a good feeling about this one.

Go Chiefs!

How could you do this to me?

I know I usually don't make posts about other teams, especially about other teams I don't like but I just now noticed that Everett made a trade that sent hated forward Kyle Beach and another player to Lethbridge for a couple of players and a first round pick in the bantam draft. Dude, not cool! Everett is coming to town Saturday. Who am I supposed to hate on now? How am I supposed to enjoy 'I hate Kyle Beach' day if he's no longer in Everett? One top of that, Lethbridge only comes to Spokane once every two years, meaning that unless we meet again in the WHL finals Beach won't ever be back in Spokane. Very disappointing. I still don't like Everett, though.

Anyway, there you go, Lethbridge. Hope you like him. No one else in the WHL does.

Regardless, Everett is still coming Saturday on 'Welcome Back Ondrej Roman' night. All of the Chiefs players should be back. Go Chiefs!

The Brilliance of Stefan Ulmer

The NHL scouts better start taking notice.

Stefan Ulmer scored two goals on Wednesday as the Spokane Chiefs ended their three game slide with a 4-1 win over the Chilliwack Bruins. Ulmer scored the only goal in the first period and ended the scoring for the Chiefs in the third. Mitch Wahl put home a rebound from Tyler Johnson in the second and Johnson scored in the third period. Goalie James Reid had a pretty good game, allowing just one power play goal late in the third period. I also only had to yell 'bad goalie!' at him once. Pretty good average if you ask me.

I really hope people are taking notice of Stefan Ulmer. He is turning into an excellent defensemen. He broke up several Chilliwack rushes to the net and knocked the puck away several times before they even got a shot off. He also has a great offensive mind when the Chiefs are pressuring. He sets up plays well, and can even finish them. Stefan is eligible for the 2009 NHL draft. I have a feeling he's going places. Good job Stefan!

I also have to thank the Everett Silvertips for beating Tri-City on Wednesday. That means the Chiefs are within seven points of Tri-City. Thanks again, Everett. Now get back into the dog house. I'll be hating you again when you come to town on Saturday.

That's it for now. I said something nice about Everett and now I feel dirty. I better go take a shower.

Compton: Represent No More

This post is not about the game Wednesday night. That will come soon. This is about 20-year old forward Seth Compton. Watching him at the game Wednesday he did exactly what I have come to expect from him these past five years. He was never spectacular, or flashy, or even a superstar. He was, as always, rock solid. It has always been a treat to see him on the ice.

On Wednesday night, unknowingly, I was watching him in a Spokane Chiefs jersey for the last time.

Almost immediately after the game it was announced online that the Chiefs traded Seth Compton and a third round pick in 2010 for Kamploops forward Brady Kalla. Kalla was acquired to give the Chiefs another scoring threat as they gear up for the playoffs and make another run at a WHL championship. Seth Compton played in 266 games for Spokane. The West Richland native was even part of the 04-05 team that was the worst in the WHL.

Seth has been a very important part of the team these past five years as Chiefs fans watched their team go from the worst team to the best team in the WHL, and then on to Memorial Cup champions. It has been a privilege to have him here in Spokane and to watch him grow as a player and as a person. I wish him well in Kamploops and all of his future endeavors.

Farewell Seth Compton, and thank you for everything you did as a Spokane Chief. You will be missed.

Freed Ondrej Roman!!!

It's official!

Ondrej Roman is back in Spokane and will play the rest of the season as a Spokane Chief! He will not be available for today's game against the Chilliwack Bruins but he should be available to play on Saturday against Everett. There better be an Ondrej Roman chant on Saturday! I've been waiting to say this since September: WELCOME BACK ONDREJ ROMAN!!!

Also, I would like to make a request to play 'Sweet Caroline' on Saturday. The reason? Having Ondrej along with the rest of the Chiefs while we crush Everett - "Good times never seemed so good".

Is it really true?

If this turns out to be a bogus report I'm going to be really cranky!

There has yet to be an official release on the Chiefs website but the local news stations are reporting that ONDREJ ROMAN IS COMING TO SPOKANE!!! They say he will be available for Saturday's game against Everett. He's supposedly meeting with the coach tomorrow. This better not be a joke! I'll be after somebody if it is! I'll stay cautiously optimistic on this one until I see it on the website or I see him in a Chiefs jersey.

Hats off to the Canadians!

I have to give congrats to the Canadians for winning their fifth straight World Junior Championship by beating Sweden 5-1 in the gold medal round. Spokane Chief goalie Dustin Tokarski got the start and stopped 39 of 40 shots sent his way, making several incredible saves and helping to set the overall pace of the game.

I also have to say this to all of Tokarski's critics out there: Get off his back already! Seriously, jump off the hate train before it crashes. I know he's not perfect. I know his performance against Team USA (or even the Russians) was less than stellar. But let's face it, Tokarski is absolute clutch when it matters most. After all, if it wasn't for him Kitchner would have been Memorial Cup Champions. Instead, Kitchner was on the bench watching the Chiefs hold the trophy - both pieces of it - in their building! Heck, we probably wouldn't have made it past Tri-City in last years western conference finals. How many more times does he have to prove you wrong before you back off? Dustin Tokarski is awesome. Deal with it.

One more note: It says on the Chiefs website that the players who were playing in their respected tournaments are not expected to be back on Wednesday. The local news stations are saying they will be. I guess we'll wait and see...

We're getting the band back together!

Sorry about the lack of posts lately. As always, things are pretty busy around the Holiday season. Also, the Spokane area has been hit with so many snow storms over the last few weeks I have actually lost count (by the way, it's snowing again as I type this). And to top it all, the Chiefs have lost their last three games including a 6-1 beating at the hands of Tri-City on New Year's Eve that has left me a little bummed. Anyway, it's a new year and time to get the ball rolling again!

The next game for the Chiefs is home on Wednesday night against the Chilliwack Bruins, and some of the familiar faces will be back in Spokane jerseys. Drayson Bowman, Mitch Wahl, and Tyler Johnson will be back from Team USA as they wrapped up their part in the World Juniors. Blake Gal will also be back from Team Pacific in which he participated in the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. Dustin Tokarski is still representing Team Canada as the play for the gold in the World Juniors on Monday night against Sweden. If he's not back by Wednesday he will be here on Saturday for the game against Everett.

As of right now I am also on Ondrej Roman watch. The Czech Republic has a history of letting players return to their junior teams after the World Juniors are over. I'm hoping that this holds true for Ondrej. The Chiefs MUST add him to the roster by this weekend or he won't be back at all, and that will make me really angry. Here's to hoping, and I hope for the last time: FREE ONDREJ ROMAN!!!!