That good feeling

This was a good weekend for the Chiefs. A VERY good weekend for the Chiefs.

I get to the game on Saturday to see the warm up skate as I usually do. There I am, checking to see which players didn't suit up. Imagine my delight when I see a Chief wearing number 18 which can only mean one thing:

JARED SPURGEON IS BACK!!!

Spurgeon responded in his first game back with three assists as the Chiefs went off on the Kamploops Blazers 6-1. Mitch Wahl knocks in a goal. So does Stefan Ulmer. Brady Brassart gets his first WHL goal of his career. The other three goals went to Kyle Beach, who earned another hattie. I know usually a Beach hattie would be mentioned earlier in the post but Spurgeon was the bigger story. He's not the biggest defensemen, or the strongest defensemen. But he is one of the smartest defencemen the Chiefs have ever had. This team is much better with him. Even Jared Cowen had a better game with him there. Cowen and Spurgeon are the Butch and Sundance of the WHL. Also, any doubts I had about James Reid are completely gone. Another stellar job in net by #35. Reid is getting the job done. That's all I ask.

Sunday's game against the Kelowna Rockets marked the return of Ryan Letts. His main job is not to score goals, it's to hit you and wear you down. He does that well, and it would prove to be crucial in this game as Brady Brassart makes a case to be my new favorite Chief as he scores the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory over the defending WHL champions. Again, James Reid did the job in net, stopping everything Kelowna threw in front of him. Also good to note that if you go to the Chiefs website and click on the injury report you won't see any names. Can't remember the last time that happened.

After this weekend it is clear to me that the Chiefs can play with anyone. They have beaten Tri-City, Portland, Vancouver, and now Kelowna twice. They are tied with Everett for third place in the U.S. Division and in the grander scheme of things are tied for fourth place in the western conference with a 12-7-1-0 record and 26 points. The Chiefs are ready to make a run. Tri-City and Portland better be checking over their shoulder.

The Chiefs now go on their second longest roadie of the season with stops in Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary, Everett, and Tri before returning on the 28th of November to face Regina. Better find a new hobby this weekend.

Go Chiefs!