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 Spokane Chiefs

Chiefs Weekly Report

January 29, 2013 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Spokane Chiefs News Release


THIS WEEK

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST

at KAMLOOPS BLAZERS

AIR-6:30

GAME-7:05

RADIO-1510 KGA

TV-ROOT SPORTS

Spokane will travel to Kamloops for their third of four meetings of the season. Spokane is 1-1 versus Kamloops this season as each team has won on their home ice. The Chiefs scored three third period goals on November 9th for a 5-2 win. Todd Fiddler, Mitch Holmberg, Riley Whittingham, Cole Wedman and Dylan Walchuk all scored for the Chiefs. The Blazers earned a 5-1 win over Spokane on October 12th in Kamloops in their first meeting of the season. Liam Stewart scored the Chiefs lone goal. Spokane will host Kamloops again on Saturday, February 23rd.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2nd

at PORTLAND WINTERHAWKS

AIR-6:30

GAME-7:05

RADIO-790 KJRB

TV-NONE

The Chiefs will play in Portland for the third time this season in their seventh meeting of the year. The Chiefs won two of three games versus Portland from January 21st through the 25th when the two teams played three straight games with each other. Portland picked up a 3-0 win on January 25th. The Chiefs have won the first two games of the series, including a 5-4 shootout effort on January 23rd. Adam Helewka scored two goals and Dylan Walchuk and Brenden Kichton added singles in the win. Eric Williams stopped 41 shots, including eight in overtime. Spokane also skated to a 5-2 win on January 21st in Portland. Todd Fiddler scored three goals and Mike Aviani had a pair. The Chiefs outshot the Winterhawks 38-35 as Williams made 33 saves. The Winterhawks won the previous three games versus Spokane including a 5-2 decision on January 11th in Portland. Prior, Portland won a 4-3 game on December 18th in Spokane. Portland earned a 9-1 victory over Spokane on November 10th in the other meeting this season. Spokane outshot the Winterhawks 44-36. Spokane and Portland will play a total of eight times this season, including six in the second half of the season. The final meeting of the year will take place on Monday, February 18th in Portland. Todd Fiddler has five goals and eight points and Mitch Holmberg has one goal and eight points in six games.

NEWS AND NOTES

NEARING 1,000...The Spokane Chiefs have won 999 games in franchise history in 1,994 games played. Spokane has lost 836 games and 159 have ended in a tie, shootout loss or overtime loss. Spokane has won 227 games over the past six seasons, including this one. Twice, they have won 50 games in a season (1995-96 and 2007-08) and have won more than 45 games eight times.

CHIEFS ADD BECTHOLD... The Spokane Chiefs have announced that Markson Bechtold will be added to their roster for this weekend's games. Bechtold, a 16-year-old from Strathmore, Alberta, was Spokane's third round selection in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft. In 30 games this season for the UFA Bisons of the Alberta Midget Hockey League he has scored 12 goals and 28 points and has added 64 penalty minutes.

SCHEDULE...Spokane will play 13 games in the month of February, six at home and seven on the road.

ALESSIO IS MORE...Alessio Bertaggia has two goals and two assists in two games in Spokane. The Chiefs acquired the 19-year-old forward from the Brandon Wheat Kings in exchange for 19-year-old forward Marek Kalus, prospect Rhett Gardner, a third round pick in 2013 and a fifth round pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft. Bertaggia came to Spokane with 16 goals, 18 assists and 34 points in 30 games with Brandon. He played for Switzerland in the last two World Junior Hockey Championships totaling 12 games and six points. Bertaggia is currently out with an upper body injury.

HOLM-SCHOOL...Mitch Holmberg has six assists in his last four games. Holmberg recorded a career high five points, three goals and two assists, in a 7-6 shootout win over Seattle on December 14th. Holmberg has 12 goals and 24 points in his last 22 games. Holmberg played two games in the Subway SuperSeries.

GET CARTER...Carter Proft leads the WHL with 145 penalty minutes. The 18-year-old has appeared in all 50 games this season and has scored six goals, three more than he had in 50 combined games last year with Brandon and Spokane. Proft scored on a penalty shot on January 9th versus the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Text Box: SPOKANE CHIEFS ALL-TIME LEADERS ASSISTS 1 - Ray Whitney (1988-1991) 207 2 - Pat Falloon (1988-1991) 194 3 -Mitch Wahl (2005-2010) 186 4 - BRENDEN KICHTON (2008- ) 181 5 - Travis Green (1986-1990) 165 6 - Ryan Duthie (1991-1994) 164 Greg Leeb (1994-1998) 164 8 - Valeri Bure (1991-1994) 163 9 - Chad Klassen (2001-2006) 156 10 - Trent Whitfield (1993-1998) 155 BOLD - active IN YOUR KICHTON...Brenden Kichton had an 11 game point scoring streak snapped on January 21st at Portland. Kichton recorded six goals and 17 points during the stretch. Kichton appeared in his 300th career game on Friday, January 4th at Everett becoming just the eighth player in Spokane history to hit that mark. Kichton is also the franchise's all-time leader as a defenseman with 61 career goals, 181 career assists and 242 points. His 181 assists are fourth all-time in Spokane history. Kichton has seven goals and 17 assists in his last 22 games and is +20 in his last 26 games. He leads all WHL defensemen in scoring with 16 goals and 59 points. Last season Kichton was named the WHL's Western Conference Defenseman of the Year as he led all blueliners with 74 points, including 17 goals and 57 assists. Kichton was selected in the fifth round in 2011 by the New York Islanders.

GAL GAB...Blake Gal has two goals, six points and is +4 in his last six games. Gal had an assist in his 300th career WHL game on January 21st at Portland. He became the ninth player in the history of the franchise to have appeared in that many games. He has five goals and 11 points in his last 15 games. Originally a second round selection in the 2007 WHL Bantam Draft, Gal joined the Chiefs at the end of the 2008 WHL season but did not appear in any regular Text Box: SPOKANE CHIEFS ALL-TIME LEADERS GAMES PLAYED 1 - Brandin Cote (1996-2002) 352 2 - Tim Krymusa (1998-2003) 332 3 - Levko Koper (2006-2011) 330 4 - Derek Schutz (1994-2000) 322 5 - Mason Wallin (1998-2003) 319 6 - Jeff Lynch (2001-2006) 313 7 - BRENDEN KICHTON (2008- ) 312 8 - BLAKE GAL (2008- ) 303 9 - Jevon Desautels (2000-2005) 301 10 - Steven Kuhn (2008-2012) 288 BOLD - active season or playoff games in Spokane's run to the Memorial Cup. The Lethbridge, Alberta native has scored 66 career goals and 149 career points in five seasons. He has nine goals, 19 points and is +13 in his last 26 games.

NACHBAUR'S 1,000TH...Spokane Chief Head Coach Don Nachbaur returned to the bench on January 8th after serving as an assistant for Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships. He had picked up a 5-2 win over Tri-City in his 1,000th WHL game on November 30th at home. He became just the fourth man in the history of the league to coach in 1,000 games. To this point of his career Nachbaur is 544-387 with 85 games finishing in a tie, overtime loss or shootout loss. He is four wins behind Ernie McLean for fourth all-time in WHL wins. Nachbaur coached 408 games in Seattle winning 202 times and 423 games in Tri-City with 229 wins. Nachbaur was the head coach of Team WHL for the Subway Super Series and went 1-1 in the two games versus Team Russia.

ROOFTOPS... Todd Fiddler has six goals and eight points in his last five games and leads the WHL with 35 goals. He recorded his second hat trick this season on January 21st in a 5-2 win at Portland. Fiddler now has 23 goals, 36 points and is +13 in his last 29 games. He recorded his first career hat-trick in a 3-2 win at the Seattle Thunderbirds on November 17th. Fiddler also has a team leading four shorthanded goals.

AVIANI FLEW...Mike Aviani scored two goals in a 5-2 win over Portland on January 21st. Aviani now has six goals and 10 points in his last 13 games. Aviani had his third four point night with a hat trick, his first career, and an assist in a 7-4 win at Prince Albert on December 4th. He has 12 goals, including the game tying goal with 55-seconds left in a 7-6 shootout win over Seattle on December 14th, 25 points and is +13 in his last 24 games. Aviani has 18 goals, 43 points and is +24 in his last 39.

GOW SCHOLASTIC PLAYER OF THE YEAR...Reid Gow has two goals and 13 points in his last 16 games. He is +16 in his last 21 games. Gow has six goals, 22 points and is a +14 in his last 24. Gow was selected as the winner of the WHL's Daryl K. (Doc) Seaman Trophy for the Scholastic Player of the Year last season. Gow earned a cumulative 95% in his core classes. The defenseman from Killarney, Manitoba scored 22 points, including 20 assists, in 54 games last year. Gow recorded a career high four assists, in a 7-2 win over Tri-City on October 1st, 2011.

WALLY'S WORLD...Dylan Walchuk has four goals and 11 points in his last 12 games. In 2010-11 he helped the Vernon Vipers finish as a runner-up in the Royal Bank Cup Championship, the Canadian Junior A National Title, one year after winning it.

INJURY REPORT...Tanner Mort (upper body, indefinite), Tyler King (upper body, week-to-week), Adam Smith (upper body, day-to-day), Alessio Bertaggia (upper body, 3-4 weeks), Connor Chartier (upper body, week-to-week), Jackson Playfair (upper body, week-to-week)

NHL DRAFT...Brenden Kichton (New York Islanders, 5th round, 2011)


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