SPOKANE, Wash. — The Chiefs have just two months remaining in this 2021-22 campaign and are in the heat of a race for the final playoff spot in the Western Hockey League's Western Conference. With just 27 games left, Spokane is just one point out of the 8th berth in the West behind Victoria and are tied with Tri City in 4th place in the U.S. Division. Time is beginning to run short for the Chiefs as the team has thus far been unable to generate a winning streak to climb their way up the standings. The schedule is not getting any easier as well, as Spokane is facing some of the top teams in the WHL over the final 27 contests. This past week, the Chiefs had to face the hottest team in the league, as they continued their 5 straight against Portland. The Winterhawks won their 10th straight last Saturday in Spokane in the first of the 5 with an emphatic 7-3 victory. The Hawks have put up points in 16 straight games as they moved into second in the U.S. and third in the West.
Spokane had managed just one win in 7 previous meetings with the Winterhawks and had gone 0-3-1 in Portland in the season series. The Chiefs were hoping to change that Wednesday as they headed to the Rose City for the first of three games with the Winterhawks this past week. Portland had been running on all cylinders offensively as they had scored 6 or more goals in 4 straight games, including their win in Spokane the previous Saturday. The Chiefs had been tied with Portland 3-3 early in the second but the Hawks scored 4 unanswered, two on the power play to pull away to the win. Portland went 4-6 on the power play in the game as they out shot Spokane 39-25 in the contest. The Chiefs were focusing on changing those stats on Wednesday.
The Chiefs were without starting goalie Mason Beaupit, who stayed behind in Spokane due to an upper body injury suffered in the last game with Portland. Spokane was also without defenseman Timafey Kovgoreniya and forwards Ty Cheveldayoff and Blake Swetlikoff, who were all out due to injuries. The Chiefs did bring up 16 year old goalie Cooper Michaluk, who signed with the club this week, to back up Manny Panghli in goal. It didn't take long for Portland to strike on their home ice as James Stefan scored just 2:55 into the game to give the Winterhawks a 1-0 lead. Portland would score again midway through the period to go up 2-0 and then the floodgates opened. It became 3-0 1:26 later and then a 4-0 lead 18 seconds after that. Jayden Dureau, who had scored a hat trick in the last game the previous Saturday, would cap a 5 goal first late in the period as the Hawks took a commanding lead to the second.
Things didn't get any better for Spokane in the middle 20. Portland scored just over 7 minutes in to go up 6-0. Tyson Kozak scored back to back goals midway through the period to put Portland in cruise control at 8-0. Panghli would depart after Kozak's first goal, as Michaluk got his trial by fire in his debut. Portland would score 2 on the rookie netminder, including their second power play goal of the second to put up 4 in the period and put the game away at 9-0 after two. Panghli would come back in the third and was superb as he turned aside all 22 Portland shots to keep the Hawks from hitting double figures. Portland out shot Spokane 56-19 in the game, going 2-9 on the power play. It was the most shots the Chiefs have given up this year, the most goals, and the most lopsided loss. Panghli's performance was the lone bright spot of the night, as the team now had just a couple days to bounce back and try to get competitive against a Portland team that had won 10 in a row and earned points in 17 straight games.
The loss also damaged the Chiefs in the standings, as Tri City had upset Kamloops to pull 2 points up on the Chiefs. Tri was now in the last playoff spot, a point up on Victoria, so Spokane was now in danger of falling even further behind in the playoff race with back to back games with Portland at the Arena Friday and Saturday. Wednesday's loss also signaled a change behind the bench as the team relieved head coach Adam Maglio of his duties. Maglio finished his Chiefs career with a 18-36-7-2 record and is the first head coach to be let go during a season since owner Bobby Brett bought the franchise in 1990. Assistant coaches Ryan Smith and Dustin Donaghy will take over the club on an interim basis for the rest of the season as they hope to get the Chiefs into the playoffs. The task wasn't going to be an easy one as Portland was in the Spokane Arena for back to back games in the middle of 5 straight between the two clubs. Spokane had lost the first two by a combined 16-3, so the club really had nowhere to go but up, right?
Friday's game saw the Chiefs play the Winterhawks even for the first 5 minutes as Spokane had a chance to take the lead on an Erik Atchison shot that hit the post. Portland then went the other way and would convert as Jayden Dureau scored his 4th goal in the last 2 games in Spokane to make it 1-0 Hawks. Portland then scored two goals in the next 6.5 minutes to go ahead 3-0. Just when it looked like the game would get away from the Chiefs, Spokane would get on the board on an Atchison power play goal with just 1:08 left in the period to cut the Portland lead to 3-1 after one. In the second, the Chiefs had a chance to cut the lead to one on the power play, but a turnover led to a breakaway chance for the Hawks Cross Hanas. Hanas was taken down by the Chiefs Bear Hughes on the attempt and a penalty shot was awarded. Hanas would convert the short handed penalty shot and Portland was suddenly up 4-1. The Winterhawks would add another goal late in the second to take a commanding 5-1 lead into the third.
The third would see the Hawks dominate the final twenty minutes as Hanas would score 2 of the 3 goals in the frame to wrap up a 4 point night. Spokane would be out shot 17-7 in the period and 44-26 overall as Portland would secure their third straight win over the Chiefs 8-1. Spokane had now been outscored 24-4 in three straight losses to the Hawks, as Portland had now won 11 straight and had taken 8 of 9 from the Chiefs in the season series. The Chiefs did have a couple of bright spots as they won the special teams battle in Friday's game and saw the debut of the #1 overall pick in the bantam draft in Berkly Catton. While he didn't score in his debut, he certainly showed the ability to create his own shot and make plays. It will be exciting to see him develop over the next 4 years in a Chiefs jersey.
Spokane didn't have a lot of time to mope about their downturn in fortunes vs. the Winterhawks as they welcomed Portland back to the Arena the very next evening.
The Chiefs would start back up goalie Cooper Michaluk in Saturday's contest in his first career start. Michaluk had played half a period in Wednesday's 9-0 loss in Portland, giving up two goals before starter Manny Panghli came back in net in the third. Michaluk would be kept busy in the first as the Winterhawks would pepper him with 15 shots in the opening 20 minutes. Michaluk was equal to the task though as he would allow Spokane to get out of the first period scoreless. The Chiefs would come out in the second and take a 1-0 lead as Carter Streek scored on a rebound 2:12 into the period. Portland would come back with a goal at 7:43 to knot the score at 1-1, but Spokane would answer with a power play goal from Nick McCarry at 13:31 to take a 2-1 lead into the third.
In the third, Streek would find an open Kooper Gizowski from the right side at 5:11 to give the Chiefs their first multi goal lead over the Hawks since a 4-1 victory back on December 17th. That was also the last game Portland had lost in regulation. The Winterhawks narrow the margin to one with a power play goal midway through the period, but Michaluk and the Chiefs defense buckled down. Spokane blocked enough Hawks shots in the third to limit Portland to just 10 shots in the period, the fewest Portland had put up in a period in the 4 games the two teams had played each other over the last week and a half. The Winterhawks would pull their goalie in the last two minutes, but the Chiefs held firm and would hold on for a 3-2 victory. The win snapped Portland's 11 game win streak and their streak of 18 straight games picking up a point, which had started after their 4-1 loss in Spokane December 17th. The triumph also snapped the Chiefs four game losing streak and handed new head coach Ryan Smith his first win, as well as Michaluk who picked up his first WHL victory. The line of Reed Jacobson, Carter Streek and Kooper Gizowski picked up 6 points, with Streek and Gizowski getting a goal and an assist apiece, with Jacobson picking up two helpers as well.
It was an uplifting ending to a week that had been full of upheaval and disappointment. Spokane will head into the final 24 games of the regular season just one point out of the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Chiefs schedule for the rest of February will be a challenge. Spokane still has two meetings with Portland remaining, as well as two games with Seattle and two with Tri City. It's a key stretch as the Chiefs will have just 4 home games in the month of March and just one in the month of April. Whether the team is able to take Saturday's win and run with it remains to be seen, but it's certainly a step in the right direction after getting blown out in their last 3 meetings with Portland. Spokane will have another tough week as they will host Portland in the final of their 5 game stretch with the Winterhawks on Tuesday at the Spokane Arena before heading out on a 3 games in 3 nights road trip through Seattle, Tri City and Portland Friday through Sunday.
It will be a challenging week to say the least. Spokane is a point ahead of Victoria for 9th in the West and a point behind Tri City for the coveted 8th spot that holds the final playoff berth in the conference. The Chiefs were without second line center Blake Swetlikoff and starting goalie Mason Beaupit this past week, so hopefully they'll be back in the lineup sooner than later. I'll have the call of this week's 4 game schedule on 103.5 FM the Game and 1510 AM KGA for the games Tuesday, Friday and Sunday. Saturday's game will be on 94.1 FM the Bear due to Gonzaga basketball. Tuesday's home game and Friday's game from Seattle will have the pre-game shows at 6:30 pm and the puck drop at 7:05 pm. Saturday's game from Tri City will be a 5:30 pm pre-game and 6:05 pm puck drop, while Sunday's game from Portland will be a 4:30 pm pre-game and 5:05 pm puck drop. A lot of hockey and a lot on the line for this young Chiefs team and we hope to see you at the rink!