SPOKANE, Wash. — When the Chiefs started this 2022-23 campaign with back-to-back wins in Victoria the last weekend of September, I don't think anyone, certainly, myself included, could foresee the struggles the team would endure over the next 6 months of the season.
A one-win month in October was followed by another victory in November and the team's falling into the basement of the U.S. Division was underway. A three-win December was then followed by a 2 win in January. February showed signs of promise for the young club as the Chiefs went .500 for the only month of the season.
The optimism of that month though was to be overshadowed by 2 wins in 10 games performance in March that preceded Spokane's final two games of the season in the next to last weekend of March.
This year's struggles by one of the youngest teams in franchise history have been documented in the record books, as this year's squad will finish with the worst record in franchise history.
Heading into their final two games against arch-rival Tri-City, Spokane was sitting 15-42-4-5, good enough for 39 points, 8 back of the previous low season mark of 47 set in 1998-99.
That '99 Chiefs club was also in the midst of turning the roster over to a younger group and would rebound big time the next year, as Mike Babcock's team would go all the way to the league finals in 1999-2000. While the chances of that kind of turnaround next season are a bit on the long side, the future is certainly looking brighter for Spokane moving forward.
Spokane was coming off a home win over Everett the previous Sunday, as Berkly Catton's goal in the third period sparked the Chiefs to just their second win over the Silvertips this season with a 3-2 victory.
After losing the first 4 meetings of the year to Everett, the Chiefs managed to split the final 4 contests of the season series. Spokane would finish this year with a pair of games in a home-and-home series with Tri-City, a team that had swept the Chiefs the previous weekend and had won 7 of 10 thus far in the season. In the two clubs' last encounter, the Americans had buried the Chiefs 8-2 in Kennewick in one of Spokane's poorer performances of the year.
The two clubs would start the season's final weekend back down in Kennewick as the Chiefs hoped to exact a little revenge while the Americans hoped to continue their push to play well heading into their first-round playoff series with Prince George.
Spokane got a break early as a goal by the Americans about 5.5 minutes in was waived off after an offside was spotted on video replay. Tri City came right back though and scored just under 7 minutes into the game on a Jalen Luypen goal to make it 1-0 Ams. The Chiefs answered at 11:27 when Carter Streek scored his 17th of the year on a rebound of a Chase Harrington shot to even the game 1-1. The assist was Harrington's first career point as Spokane headed to the second tied.
The Chiefs came out in the second and converted their first power play of the period as Mac Gross scored his 10th of the season 2.5 minutes in to give Spokane their first lead at 2-1. Tri City came right back and scored on a power play of their own when Reese Belton scored on a rush up ice to make it 2-2.
A Chiefs turnover at the Tri blue line led to a 2 on-0 break and the Americans converted to take the lead back at 3-2. Back would come to Spokane as Streek scored his second of the night on a one-timer to send the contest to the third period all tied at 3-3. The Chiefs outshot the Americans 31-22 through two periods as Spokane hoped to win the third period and gain their first victory in Kennewick this season.
Unfortunately for Spokane, the third period was determined on the very first shift of the frame. Luypen scored off a 4 on 4 just 29 seconds into the third to give the Ams a lead they wouldn't lose at 4-3. The Chiefs then got a power play midway through the period with a chance to tie the game. The game blew up on Spokane though as Luypen and Belton scored back to back short handed goals just 41 seconds apart to break open the game at 6-3.
Belton then finished off a hat trick, joining Luypen, with a goal with just 2:12 left to seal the win at 7-3. Spokane would cap the scoring as Berkly Catton notched his 23rd of the year with just 9 seconds left to close out a 7-4 defeat. Despite outshooting the Americans 46-32, the Chiefs dropped their 6th straight game in the Tri-Cities this season, finishing 0-5-1 in Kennewick.
Spokane headed home to close out the season series and the regular season as they hosted Tri-City at the Spokane Arena the next night. The Chiefs got off to a great start in front of a sellout crowd as Kooper Gizowski scored on a rebound 8:28 into the game to put Spokane up 1-0 after one.
Tri City would come back and tie the game on a Parker Bell goal late in the second to send the game to the third tied at 1-1. In the third, Spokane had 2 power play chances but failed to score as the two clubs fought to a scoreless final period. For the second time this year, the two teams went to overtime and each club put up 4 shots and had a couple of great chances to score, but Chiefs goalie Cooper Michaluk and Americans goalie Nick Avakyan were perfect to send the game to a shootout.
It was the first time the two clubs had gone to a shootout this season. Spokane had won just once in a shootout and Tri-City had yet to win. The two clubs would be stymied in the first 4 rounds. In round 5, the Chiefs' leading scorer Chase Bertholet would be denied, but the Americans' leading scorer Lucas Dragicevic would end the contest by putting one inside the post to give the Americans their 4th straight win over the Chiefs over the last two weeks with a 2-1 shootout victory.
After going .500 in regulation in February, the Chiefs limped home in March, winning just two games in the month; an overtime victory at Prince George and a regulation win vs. Everett. Spokane finished the season at 15-43-4-6, good for 40 points as they finished last in the U.S. Division and Western Conference. The 15 victories and 40 points are the fewest in franchise history, snapping the records set by the 1998-99 team.
To say it was a disappointing season is a major understatement. The club was amongst the 3 youngest in the league and it certainly showed much of the season. Spokane finished with 195 goals scored, the third-fewest in the league, and surrendered 314 goals, the third-most in the WHL. Special teams struggled much of the year too as the power play finished 20th of 22 teams in the league and the penalty kill was 21st.
No question that the club will have to improve defensively next year and play at the level they showed in February and March. The good news is the Chiefs will have both goalies back for their 18-year-old seasons as Michaluk and Dawson Cowan will return after playing very well over the last 2 months of the season.
The Chiefs lose twenty-year-olds Raegan Wiles, Mac Gross and Cade Hayes to graduation. Nineteen-year-olds Chase Bertholet, Ty Cheveldayoff and Grady Lane will return, but whether the club retains all of them as twenty-year-olds for the season remains to be seen. The 18-year-old group will have defensemen Brayden Crampton, Jaren Brinson, and Ben Bonni and forwards Tomasso DeLuca, Carter Streek and Michael Cicek returning. DeLuca will be counted on to be one of the top forwards in the league, while Bonni's versatility to play both defense and forward will be valuable coming back. The other 4 will be counted on to be more consistent in their games moving into next year. The 17-year-olds with defensemen Saige Weinstein and forwards Kooper Gizowski and Jake Gudelj will have to continue to take major steps forward in their all-around games and be impact players next season.
The returning 16-year-old group will bring back forwards Berkly Catton, Cam Parr and Cole Wadsworth as well as defenseman Will McIsaac. This group should be a key part of Spokane's improvement next year as all 4 look to take their games to the next level.
Spokane will have an exciting new group of youngsters next season as forwards Will Jamieson, Luka Shcherbyna, Chase Harrington, and defensemen Nathan Mayes and Owen Schoettler were all called up late in the season and will be a big part of the club next season. Other players who saw action earlier in the season, like forward Owen Martin will be in a group of 16-year-olds who hope to have the same impact as this year's quartet.
The future is indeed bright for Spokane moving forward, but it will come with growing pains next season as well. The hope is the group uses its' experience from this year to learn quicker than this year's group and improve in the win-loss column accordingly. Next year's group of Chiefs will be as young as this year's club, but there's no doubt in my mind the talent level will increase going forward for Spokane.
Camp begins at the end of August with 3 weeks of pre-season to follow before the season opener in Kamloops the next to last weekend of September. A new season will be here before we know it, so let's hope the Chiefs heal up and then get to work in anticipation of getting back to the playoffs. Enjoy your summer and we'll see you at camp in August!
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