Is there a doctor in the house?

I know there was no post after last weekend's Tri-City game. That game left such a bad taste that I didn't even want to think about it for a while. So here's the short version: Chiefs lose 4-3. we gave that game to them. Wrapped it up and handed it to them like a wedding present you were kinda ashamed to buy but did anyway because it was on sale. We spotted Tri a 2-0 lead, came back and tied it, took the lead on a Tyler Johnson penalty shot, and then let Tri score two goals within less than a minute of each other. Chiefs lose. There goes the neighborhood.

I was hoping there would be some retribution on Wednesday against the Brandon Wheat Kings. And for a while it looked that way. After Spokane gave them a goal in the first minute the Chiefs scored three and had a 3-1 lead. We then let Brandon tie it in the second period and gave them the lead in the third. After we tied it at 4 we gave the game right back to them. Brandon 5, Spokane 4.

I never thought that mention of a hattie would end up this far down in a post. But sure enough, here it is. Kyle Beach and his hattie was basically what kept the game against Brandon so close. Thank goodness for Kyle Beach! Levko Koper was the other goal scorer for the Chiefs and had a decent game. Garrett Leedahl also continues to impress me, as he made several good defensive plays including stopping a puck that had made it past the goalie and almost trickled in the net. We also fared well on the power play and the penalty kill.

Then there's the other stuff: James Reid had an off night. He didn't look very sharp in net at all. I hate to say this but I am starting to have some doubts about Reid. I don't want to, but I don't know how many five goal nights I can take. He certainly has the skill to turn it around, and I'm pulling for him. But I wonder how long before the Chiefs try out Michael Tadjdeh for the Starting job. Also, Jared Cowen wasn't himself last night. He made several bad passes and just didn't look very comfortable. Hopefully the captain can right the ship fast. Kyle Beach can't do it all on his own.

The Chiefs are at Kelowna on Friday and then a home-and-home with Portland over the weekend.

Get back on track, boys.

Go Chiefs!

When Tri comes to town....

I still can't get over the weirdness of the schedule this season. Not only have we still not played Everett (which will change next month), but this will be Tri's last visit this calendar year. No Tri visits in November and December. Oh, well. Nothing to be done about it.

Also, I hope Tri-City fans make the trip up this time. They were noticeably absent for the Chiefs home opener. Fact is I LOVE bantering with Tri fans. Put Tri fans in my section and I'm like Mr. Burns. "Excellent!"

Saturday is buck night at the Arena. I'm indifferent on buck night but I do understand the reason behind it. It puts more butts in the seats. But do they have to put cheer stick night on the same night? I have never wanted something to go away at sporting events this badly since 'the wave'. Trust me when I say this: I don't need cheer sticks to be noisy. Cheer Sticks? We don't need your stinking Cheer Sticks! Seems to me buck night would be a good time for a 'red' out. Especially against Tri-City. Just saying.

Anyway, Tri is ranked again in the CHL poll and I really don't want them to stay there. Game is at 7. Don't be late or you'll miss out on all the good hot dogs.

Go Chiefs!

It's a Jekyll and Hyde Thing

Well, it's a month into the WHL season and people are still trying to decide what they think of Kyle Beach. I decided to give him a second chance to be the player he's capable of, both on and off the ice. I am glad I gave him that shot. However, he did revert back to the other Kyle Beach while in Kootenay on Friday night as he was responsible for 11 of the 16 Spokane Chiefs penalty minutes, including a tripping penalty in the third which led to the Kootenay power play that produced the game winning goal and the 4-3 win over Spokane. This led me to the obvious and inescapable conclusion:

Kyle Beach has an evil twin!

This has to be it. Beach has done well so far with Spokane. Then the Chiefs travel to Kootenay and the evil twin must have sneaked onto the bus as they were crossing the border. Someone needs to find this evil twin and lock him up for the rest of the season. Anyway, Chiefs lost on Friday 4-3. Kenton Miller, Mitch Holmberg, and Jared Cowen were the scorers for the Chiefs. Chase Martin stopped 26 of 30 shots as he filled in for James Reid, who was back home due to a death in the family.

Saturday was better. After a lallygagging first period the Chiefs woke up and beat Kootenay 3-1. Steve Kuhn, Kyle Beach (good twin, his evil twin must have forgotten his passport), and Kenton Miller scored the goals. The newly acquired Michael Tadjdeh looked rocky in the first but shook off his nerves and played well down the stretch, stopping 24 out of 25 shots. He might make this roster when all is said and done. I'm honestly surprised that he didn't earn a star in that game.

Now I know we're still a couple of weeks away from Christmas but I'm starting my wish list already. First off, I wish that Mitch Wahl would start playing like Mitch Wahl. The more we get into the season the more frustrated he gets. It really showed this past weekend. Snap out of it, Mitch. We need you. Second, I wish coach Sauter would stop tinkering with his lines. You would think three weeks of practice and one month of a regular season would be enough to figure this out. Set your lines and give your players a chance to work with each other on a regular basis. That actually might be one of the things that is frustrating Mitch Wahl.

No games all week until Saturday when Tri-City comes to town again.

Saturday is also buck night.

Hide the liquor.

Go Chiefs!

New Goalie in Spokane

Straight from the files of 'I did not see this coming'.

The Spokane Chiefs traded their eighth round pick in the 2011 bantam draft to Lethbridge for goalie Michael Tadjdeh. Full details are on the Chiefs website. I'm not sure the logic behind this one. James Reid is excellent. Backup Chase Martin has potential, and I really liked Brenden Edie at Chiefs camp, and he is still in the Chiefs system. I guess this doesn't bode well for Alex Wright, who I thought might end up being the Chiefs backup to Reid. Hopefully Tadjdeh is good enough to stay.

Also, Wednesday at 4pm Pacific time is the AHL matchup of the Albany River Rats against the Norfolk Admirals, which will match former Chiefs Drayson Bowman (Albany) and Dustin Tokarski (Norfolk) against each other. Both have started their AHL careers well. Tokarski notched his first shutout win over the weekend and Bowman has three points and two assists in three games. The AHL website has your hookup. I can't pick sides on this one so I hope they both do well.

Four point weekends make me happy!

As I write this I'm cranky. The baseball playoffs have put me in a bitter mood. The Yankees and Angels both swept their series to advance to the second round.

Crap.

The two teams I hate the most advanced. I have to slightly cheer for Anaheim due to the fact that I flat cant stand the Yankees. They're right up at the top of my hate list along with the New York Rangers, the LA Lakers, and Manchester United.

Thankfully the Chiefs were able to brighten up my mood this weekend with a pair of wins. First up was Prince Albert. The Chiefs played well during part of the first and all of the third period, but the bizarro Chiefs came out of the locker room to play the second period. I hope this is not going to be a pattern. Regardless, the Chiefs pulled it together and won 5-2. Levko Koper, Stefan Ulmer, Matt Marantz, Steve Kuhn, and Tyler Johnson were the goal scorers, with Johnson's being an empty netter. James Reid stopped 24 shots and looked more relaxed than he did the previous weekend. This was also the first goal for Matt Marantz. That kid has impressed me so far this season. He works hard every shift and has a desire to prove himself. He is making a strong case for my new favorite Chief player (the spot is empty with the departure of Ondrej Roman).

Saturdays game went better. The Chiefs played a solid 60 minutes of hockey and beat the Seattle Thunderbirds 4-1. The goals belonged to Kyle Beach, Jared Cowen, Blake Gal, and Tyler Johnson. Reid stopped 23 shots in this game including stopping a penalty shot. James Reid needed to have a good weekend. After last weekend's lackluster play he needed this. He looked a lot more comfortable in net this weekend. So to the people who were at the game complaining about him on Friday: Get off his back! He's going to be fine.

I also must say that Jared Cowen is absolutely LOVING being captain. I'm impressed. Ottawa picked up one seriously good defensemen in the draft this past Summer.

And of course there's Kyle Beach, who got into his first fight as a Chief on Saturday. Bet let's face it, Acolatse had it coming. I'm not faulting Beach for that one. So because of his play and behavior so far this season Kyle Beach is now on my good side.

Chiefs are off until next weekend with a home and home against the Kootenay Ice.

Go Chiefs!

They told me there would be weekends like this....

As far as the Spokane Chiefs are concerned, I wish this weekend didn't happen. But since I don't have the authority to call a 'do over' there's nothing I can do about it.

First off: The Portland Winterhawks.....

"They are who we thought they were!"

Now I know that weird things happen when Portland visits, and Friday was no exception. There were strange bounces, bizarre rebounds, and our players were falling so much I thought I was watching the mite skate. Portland played well, however, scoring three times in the second and holing off a Chiefs rally to beat Spokane 5-3.

"They are who we thought they were!"

Mitch Wahl, Kyle Beach, and Tyler Johnson were the goal scorers in this game. The most memorable moment came from Jared Cowen who fought in the second period. As he was heading to the penalty box he called out his whole team at the bench. The Chiefs weren't playing well in the second and he was trying to fire up the troops. It worked. And though they lost they played better the rest of the game. I must say I was a little worried about giving the 'C' to an 18 year old. But after that game I have to say I believe in Jared Cowen. But Portland is for real this season. They're going to have a good run.

"They are who we thought they were!"

Saturday was a roadie to Tri-City. The result, far worse. Tri-City 6, Spokane 2.

Ugh.

I know roadies are never easy, especially against rivals. But this one stings. The main thing that seems to be lacking is the penalty kill. Tri has three power play goals, and our penalty kill overall this season has been less than stellar. I'm guessing there will be more practice on that this week. Let's hope the Chiefs can just put this weekend behind them and move on. At least my Flyers got off to a good start, beating both Carolina and New Jersey. The Flyers beating Jersey puts me in my happy place.

Also, for those interested the Albany River Rats (new home of Drayson Bowman) will play the Norfolk Admirals (new home of Dustin Tokarski) on Wednesday, October 14th. The game can be purchased on the AHL website. I believe you can also stream the audio from there.

The Chiefs are off until this weekend with back to back homers against Prince Albert (Yeah, Canadian Anthem!) and Seattle.

Go Chiefs!