SPOKANE, Wash. — The start to 2024 has not gone exactly the way the Chiefs would have liked. After winning their last four games of 2023, the team had dropped the first two games of the New Year as they had given up 18 goals in losses at Swift Current and Medicine Hat. As a result, Spokane had fallen out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference behind Vancouver and were now having to scratch their way back up in the standings with a demanding four games in six days stretch to end their longest road trip of the season.
Spokane was short handed up front to start the week, as they were already down forwards Rasmus Ekstrom and Cam Parr due to injury. The Chiefs took a further blow when forward Ty Cheveldayoff was handed a two game suspension for a penalty he took in Sunday's loss at Medicine Hat. The team called up 15-year-old forward Mathis Preston to take Cheveldayoff's spot in the lineup as the Chiefs started the week with back-to-back games at Lethbridge and Red Deer.
First up would be the Hurricanes, who were coached by former Chiefs head coach Bill Peters, who led Spokane to the Memorial Cup title in the 2007-08 season. Lethbridge also featured forward Kooper Gizowski, who was traded from Spokane in the offseason. The Hurricanes were in fourth in the Central coming into Tuesday's contest and were in seventh in the East. Spokane went with Dawson Cowan in goal vs. the Hurricanes and that proved to be a good move for the Chiefs as he would turn aside all 12 shots in the first period to keep the game scoreless after one. Cowan turned away three point blank shots net front, including a breakaway to keep Spokane in the game.
In the second, the Hurricanes would snap the scoreless tie with two goals 2:07 apart to take a 2-0 lead. Spokane worked their way back into the game as Berkly Catton scored his team leading 25th of the season at 15:31 of the period to cut the deficit to 2-1 after two. The goal extended Catton's point scoring streak to 13 straight games and with the assists on the tally, Chase Bertholet and Connor Roulette stretched their point scoring streaks to 7 straight. Cowan continued to keep the Chiefs in the game with two breakaway stops in the period.
Catton would will his way to his second goal of the night with a highlight reel goal 15:15 into the third period to bring the Chiefs back even at 2-2 and eventually force overtime. Unfortunately, he would take a penalty in the opening minute of OT and the Hurricanes would score their second power play goal of the game at 2:19 of overtime to cap off a 3-2 victory. It was a bitter pill to swallow for Spokane, who generally outplayed Lethbridge but had to settle for just one of the two points. The loss dropped the Chiefs two points back of Vancouver for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West after the Giants won their game at Prince Albert on Tuesday. Spokane did extend their lead over Seattle to six points for 5th in the division though.
Tuesday was the day before the trade deadline and the Chiefs made their first and what turned out their only move, as they traded 17-year-old forward Cole Wadsworth and two draft picks, a 3rd round selection in 2025 and a second in 2026, to the Kamloops Blazers for 19-year-old forward Shea Van Olm. Van Olm was the second leading scorer for the Blazers with 29 points and he will add some scoring depth to a Chiefs lineup that has been top heavy with its first line of Catton, Roulette and Bertholet carrying the load most of the season. Van Olm was able to join the Chiefs in time for their next game at Red Deer and its a good thing. Spokane was still down Rasmus Ekstrom, Cam Parr and Ty Cheveldayoff and then lost forward Lukas Kral to illness on the day of the game.
Wednesday's game was nationally televised in Canada as the Canadian Hockey League's game of the week. Unfortunately for Spokane, they looked like a team playing their fourth game in six days as they came out flat in the first period. Red Deer, who had been off since Friday, came out flying and scored just 4:49 into the contest to take a 1-0 lead. The Rebels put up the first 11 shots of the game and outshot Spokane 18-9 in the opening period, but Chiefs goalie Dawson Cowan kept the Chiefs in the game with a 17 save performance. Spokane would improve in the second as the shots were even at 8-8 and the Chiefs would convert the only power play of the frame when 15-year-old Mathis Preston, called up to help out the forward shortage, scored his second goal of the year in just his third game to even the contest at 1-1 heading to the third.
The third period would decide the game and it was the Rebels that took over. Red Deer scored two goals in the first 2:53 of the period to take a 3-1 lead and they would never look back. Spokane managed just eight shots in the third, seven of those in the final four minutes as Red Deer shut down the Chiefs offensively in a 3-1 victory. It was the Chiefs fourth straight loss on their Central Division trip but they got good news off the ice when both Seattle and Vancouver lost their games, keeping Spokane six points up on Seattle for fifth in the U.S. Division and just two points back of Vancouver for the eighth and final playoff berth in the West.
Spokane would get a much needed day off on Thursday as the temperatures in Alberta hit the sub zero marks. The game in Red Deer saw the temps hit -12 during the contest and things didn't warm up as the team headed to Calgary for a Friday matinee with the Hitmen, as the temperatures continued to plummet. Calgary had been off since a home win over Edmonton the previous Sunday, so they were rested and ready to go. Game day didn't start well for Spokane as the team bus failed to start Friday morning after temperatures hit -24 in Calgary. After taking a series of cabs to the Saddle Dome, the Chiefs got good news as forwards Ty Cheveldayoff and Cam Parr were back in the lineup from suspension and injury, respectively.
Unfortunately for the Chiefs, the start to the game was about like the outdoor temperatures, as the Hitmen scored on their first shot of the game on goalie Cooper Michaluk less than two minutes into the contest to take a 1-0 lead. Calgary scored again midway through the period to extend their margin to 2-0 but the Chiefs rallied in the waning seconds of the period when Connor Roulette tipped in a Brayden Crampton shot with just seven seconds left to score his team leading 26th of the season to cut the Calgary lead to 2-1 after one. The second period did not go well for Spokane as the Hitmen scored 2:12 into the period to go up 3-1 and then would put up two more goals midway through the stanza to take a commanding 5-1 advantage.
Just when it looked like the Chiefs were done, they started to come back late in the second. Spokane got one power play chance in the middle twenty and they would do so successfully, as Hayden Paupanekis scored on a net front scramble to bring the Chiefs within 5-2 after two. In the third, defenseman Saige Weinstein scored his 5th of the year 3:12 into the final period to cut the margin to 5-3. Calgary would go back up by 3 though on a tipped shot with just under 5 minutes left but back would come the Chiefs as Chase Bertholet scored his 15th of the season at 16:10 to bring Spokane back within 2 at 6-4. Calgary would get a late power play though and would put the game away with a goal 1:01 after Bertholet's goal to hand the Chiefs their fifth straight loss on the Central swing with a 7-4 victory.
The loss was even more damaging for Spokane as Vancouver beat Regina on Friday to take a four point lead over the Chiefs in the Western Conference. Tri City lost at Red Deer, so now the Americans fell a point back of Vancouver and into the 8th and final playoff spot, three points ahead of Spokane in the West. Seattle also gained ground on Spokane as they beat Portland Friday to move within four points for 5th in the division. The Chiefs now had one final chance to salvage a win on their Central journey as they headed to the last place team in the division and the Eastern Conference in the Edmonton Oil Kings. Edmonton had been playing very well of late though, beating Tri City earlier in the week and had won 6 of their last 10 after a slow start to the season.
While the Chiefs had Saturday off, the Oil Kings played at Red Deer, where they lost 4-1. Needless to say both teams were looking to get back on the winning side of the ledger. With a win and a Tri City loss at Calgary, Spokane could move within a point of the Americans for the final playoff spot in the West and just two points behind Vancouver for 7th in the conference. For the second straight game, the Chiefs would play in an NHL rink as they took the ice at Rogers Place, the home of the Edmonton Oilers. Dawson Cowan was back in net for Spokane, looking to put one of his good performances from this road trip into the win column.
Much like the game in Calgary, things didn't start well for the Chiefs in the first period in Edmonton. The Oil Kings scored just 5:31 into the game on a Marc Lajoie slap shot to go ahead 1-0. Just over two minutes later, Lajoie scored his second of the game on a 5 on 3 power play as Edmonton took a quick 2-0 advantage. While the Oil Kings were still on the 5 on 4 man advantage and looking to go up by three, the Chiefs got themselves back in the game. Connor Roulette found an open Berkly Catton between the circles and Catton drilled home his team leading 27th goal of the season at 8:24 to bring Spokane within 2-1. The Chiefs drew even just 1:28 later as Shea Van Olm scored his first goal as a Chief to bring Spokane into a 2-2 tie at the end of the first.
Despite being outshot 15-8 in the first, Spokane was even heading to the second. The two teams traded chances in the middle period, but the Chiefs broke through late in the second as Ty Cheveldayoff, who grew up just outside Edmonton, scored his sixth of the year in front of the family and friends to give Spokane a 3-2 lead heading to the third. Midway through the final period, the Oil Kings appeared to tie the game but goalie interference was ruled as Edmonton's Marshall Finnie interfered with Cowan in net and the goal was waved off. Just a few minutes later, Catton found Roulette, who rifled home his 27th of the season to give the Chiefs a 4-2 lead. The goal was Roulette's 100th of his career and was a huge insurance tally.
Edmonton would get a power play with just under 1:30 left in the game and would pull their goalie for a 6 on 4 advantage. Cowan and the defense would turn aside every Oil Kings shot though and Van Olm would get his second goal against the team where he started his WHL career with a short handed empty netter with 12 seconds left to cap off a 5-2 Chiefs victory. The Chiefs got more good news when Calgary rallied for a 6-4 win over Tri City, so the Spokane victory brought them within 1 point of Tri City for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West, and within 2 points of 7th place Vancouver. Spokane ended the trip 1-4-1 against the Central Division and Sunday's victory was their 15th of the season, matching their season total from all of last year.
Now the Chiefs will return home for their first home game in 2024 as they host division leading Everett Friday before visiting Wenatchee on Saturday. The team will do so without head coach Ryan Smith, as he will miss the rest of January while leading Team Canada at the Winter Youth Olympics in Korea. With Prince George, Portland and another contest with Everett to end the month, Spokane will have a tough five game stretch to wrap up the first month of 2024.
I'll have the call for Friday's game on 103.5 FM the Game and 1510 AM KGA, while Saturday's game from Wenatchee will be on 94.1 FM the Bear and 790 AM KJRB due to Gonzaga basketball. Puck drop for Friday's game is 7:05 pm from the Spokane Arena with pre-game at 6:30 pm, while Saturday's game in Wenatchee will be a 6:05 pm start and a 5:30 pm pre-game. Let's hope the Chiefs carry over the winning ways from Edmonton and we hope to see you at the rink!
WATCH RELATED: Chiefs announce Ryan Smith as head coach, Dustin Donaghy as assistant
