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Spokane Chiefs

Chiefs Weekly Report

November 12, 2008 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Spokane Chiefs News Release


The Spokane Chiefs last of five straight home games on Wednesday night will be the first of seven in a row versus out of conference teams when the Lethbridge Hurricanes come visiting. Following the game, the Chiefs will hit the road for a six game Eastern swing that will begin in Prince Albert on Friday night. Spokane will play at Saskatoon on Saturday.

THIS WEEK

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12TH vs. LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES AIR-6:30 GAME-7:00

The Chiefs will welcome the Lethbridge Hurricanes to the Spokane Arena for their first meeting since last season's WHL Finals, a 4-0 sweep by the Spokane Chiefs. With the series win, the Chiefs advanced to, and won, the Memorial Cup. Tyler Johnson was named series MVP with three goals, including two game winners and a shorthanded goal. Drayson Bowman had three goals and four points. Spokane was 4-16 on the power play and 11-11, with one shorthanded goal, on the penalty kill. The Hurricanes earned a 2-1 win over Spokane in their only meeting of the regular season on Wednesday, December 5th in Lethbridge. The game was Spokane's last of a five game in six night trip through the Central Division. Lethbridge outshot Spokane 9-6 in a scoreless first period as the Chiefs went 0-2 on the power play, while the Hurricanes failed to score in their only man advantage. Cam Braes wrap-around goal just 10 seconds into the second period gave Lethbridge a 1-0 lead. Zach Boychuk would give Lethbridge a 2-0 lead just 30 seconds into the third. Johnson would bring the Chiefs within 2-1 on a power play goal at 11:38. In their last 16 meetings with each other, Lethbridge has won six times, Spokane five with five games finishing in a tie.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH at PRINCE ALBERT RAIDERS AIR- 5:00 GAME-5:30

The Chiefs will travel to Prince Albert for the first time since January 23rd, 2007, a 2-1 Raider win. Drayson Bowman had the only goal for the Chiefs. In Prince Albert's only trip to Spokane last year, the Chiefs skated away with a 4-2 win. The Raiders scored two second period goals to even the game at 2-2 but Levko Koper and Tyler Johnson scored power play goals to lift the Chiefs to the win. Dustin Tokarski made 24 saves in the win. Only six penalty minutes were issued, two to Spokane and four to Prince Albert. The Chiefs are 10-9-1 versus the Raiders since the 1995-96 season.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15TH at SASKATOON BLADES AIR-4:30 GAME-5:00

In last year's only meeting between the Blades and Chiefs Jared Cowen broke a 2-2 tie 10:13 into the third period and helped give Spokane a 3-2 win over Saskatoon's in the Spokane Arena. The win was Spokane's 13th in the last 17 meetings against Saskatoon, dating back to 1995-96, and the third in a row. The Chiefs are 18-15 with one tie versus the Blades all-time. Spokane earned a 3-2 win on January 24th, 2007 in their last trip to Saskatoon. Justin McCrae, a former Blade captain, had a goal and assist for Saskatoon.

LAST WEEK

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH SPOKANE-4 vs. TRI-CITY-3 SO

Stefan Ulmer's shootout goal in the sixth round proved to be the difference over the Tri-City Americans on Saturday night as the Chiefs earned a 4-3 shootout in front of 9,630 fans in the Spokane Arena. Ulmer's shootout goal complimented his three assists. Tri-City scored the only goal in the first period as the Americans held Spokane to just one shot on goal through 20-minutes. Taylor Procyshen redirected a Kruise Reddick shot at 14:45 to take a 1-0 lead. Spokane's Drayson Bowman tied it up at 3:16 of the second with a snap shot from the slot. The Americans took a 2-1 lead into the second intermission after Reddick's power play goal at 14:37 of the period.

The Chiefs entered the third period with a power play chance and Mitch Wahl cashed in as he took a rebound of an Ulmer shot and buried it from the left circle. Seth Compton put the Chiefs ahead 3-2 as he tucked a power play goal in from the left post at 17:43. The Chiefs were assessed two penalties with exactly two minutes remaining, a delay of game for shooting the puck into the stands and a bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. After Chet Pickard left the ice for an extra attacker, the Americans tied the score with 27-seconds remaining. Each team had three shots in overtime and Spokane had one of their four power play chances in the extra period. Wahl scored for Spokane in their first try and Mitch Fadden made it 1-1 after two shooters for Tri-City. Neither team tallied until Ulmer's attempt squeaked through Pickard's pads. Tri-City outshot Spokane 35-20.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH SPOKANE-1 vs. PORTLAND-2

The Portland Winter Hawks scored goals 12-seconds apart in the second period and defeated the Spokane Chiefs 2-1 on Friday night in the Spokane Arena. Taylor Jordan scored the game's first goal 9:22 into the second period and then Brock Cornish added the eventual winner on a scramble in front of the net at 9:35. Spokane got on the board at 5:42 of the third when Steve Kuhn poked a loose puck past Kurtis Mucha in the crease and pulled the Chiefs within one. The Chiefs outhsot Portland 40-26, including 18-8 in the third, but the Winter Hawks picked up their second win in three games. Spokane was 1-4 on the power play and 3-3 on the penalty kill.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH SPOKANE-2 vs. RED DEER-0

James Reid made 27 saves in his first career shutout as the Spokane Chiefs defeated the Red Deer Rebels 2-0 in the Spokane Arena on Wednesday night. Spokane benefited from the bouncing puck on both goals, the first coming off a slap shot from Levko Koper. The Chief's leading scorer shot it off the backboards and it caromed towards the net. As Kuemper retreated to cover the post to his stick side, the puck hit his skate and was banked into the back of the net. The goal came on a five-minute kneeing major assessed to Red Deer's Josh Cowen just 40-seconds into the game and was the Chiefs only power play goal in three chances. Mitch Wahl's slapper from the left wing was redirected in front of the net by a Rebel defender and beat Kuemper stick side for a 2-0 game 16:57 into the first period. Neither team scored in the second or third as each team finished the night with 27 shots. The Chiefs were 1-3 on the power play and 5-5 on the penalty kill.

NEWS AND NOTES

THREE SELECTED FOR TEAM WHL...The Canadian Hockey League and the Western Hockey League announced that three Chiefs, goaltender Dustin Tokarski and defensemen Jared Spurgeon and Jared Cowen, will compete in the 2008 ADT Canada Russia Challenge for Team WHL. The ADT Canada Russia Challenge will take place November 17th to 27th, 2008 in Canada as Canadian Hockey League All-Star Teams, from each of its three member Leagues (WHL, OHL and QMJHL), take on the Russian National Junior Team in a six game series. Team WHL was selected by a special committee of WHL General Managers along with Al Murray, Hockey Canada's Head Scout for the Canadian National Junior Team, as part of the selection process for the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championships. The three Chiefs will play in games on November 26th in Swift Current and November 27th in Prince Albert.

LETTS TALK...Ryan Letts has four goals and eight points and is +10 in his last 11 games. Letts has been either a plus or even in 17 of 19 games this season. Letts scored a career high two goals on Friday, October 10th in a 6-2 win at Portland and has played 162 career WHL games.

KOPER'S COUNT...Levko Koper has seven goals in his last six games, including his first career hat-trick on November 1st in a 5-1 win over Kootenay. Koper's team leading 12 goals equals his career high set last year. The 18-year-old has points in 16 of 19 games this year, including a career best 11 game point streak at the start of the season, the third longest in the WHL this season. Nine of his points have come on the power play, a team high. Koper is also +13. Koper is in his third season in Spokane with 138 games played. In a career high 69 games last year, Koper scored 12 goals and 26 points and added another four goals and nine points in 21 playoff games. Koper scored two goals in the Memorial Cup, including the overtime game winner in Spokane's first game of the tournament against the Belleville Bulls.

REDDINGTON'S READY...Mike Reddington has three assists and is +5 in his last six games and has played in 162 games in two-plus seasons, 27 playoff games and four more in the Memorial Cup. Reddington appeared in 71 of 72 games last season and led the Chiefs with 102 penalty minutes.

WAHL NUTS...Chiefs center Mitch Wahl has 10 goals and 18 points in 16 games this year. The 18-year-old is also +11 on the season. Wahl has points in 11 of the 16 games he has played this year. This is his third season in a Spokane jersey and he has played 150 career games in two-plus seasons. After scoring two goals and six points in four Memorial Cup games, Wahl was named to the tournament All-Star Team. Wahl was also selected by the Calgary Flames in the second round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Last year Wahl led the club with 53 assists, seventh in the WHL, and finished second on the team in scoring with 73 points. Wahl also finished tied for fifth in the WHL with a +33.

PROJECT POWER PLAY...This season, Avista will donate $25 to Project Share for each power play goal the Chiefs score. Through 19 games, the Chiefs have scored 20 goals on the man advantage for a total of $500. In their last 13 games, the Chiefs are 19-58 (32.8%) on the power play and they own the fourth best percentage (24.7%) in the WHL.

HOME, SWEET HOME...Spokane is 9-2 at home and have scored 40 goals and allowed 14. The Chiefs had back-to-back shutouts to begin the home season, 4-0 against Tri-City on September 27th and 5-0 versus Everett on October 3rd. Spokane has outscored the opposition 24-19 on the road.

LOOKING GLASS...Defenseman Trevor Glass was +3 with an assist on October 25th against the Prince George Cougars. Glass appeared in his 200th career WHL game on Saturday, October 18th in Tri-City and has now played 207 games. Glass has one goal and six assists in 16 games. The 20-year-old is in his fifth season in the WHL and has played 59 career playoff games and another eight in the Memorial Cup. Glass scored Spokane's third goal, his only of the Memorial Cup, in a 4-1 win over the Kitchener Rangers in the final game to help the Chiefs win the championship. In 2007-08, Glass had three goals and 12 points as a Chief in 27 games after being acquired in a January, 2008 trade. The defenseman was also +15 in Spokane. Glass's resume also includes a pair of WHL titles, one with Medicine Hat in 2007 where he led the team with a +13 in the playoffs. The Cochrane, Alberta native was a former first round selection in the 2003 WHL Bantam Draft (10th overall).

BOWMAN'S BAG...Spokane forward Drayson Bowman has scored 92 career goals, tied for 16th all-time in franchise history. Bowman has nine goals and eight assists in his last 16 games. Bowman is in his fourth season in Spokane after leading the team in goals (42) and points (80) last year. Bowman was named the Chiefs Player of the Year in 2007-08. The Littleton, Colorado native was the Hurricanes third round selection in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

REID BETWEEN THE LINES...Eighteen-year-old James Reid earned a shutout in his third career start with 27 saves on November 5th versus the Red Deer Rebels. Reid has a 0.97 goals against average, a .967 save percentage and 2-0-0-1 record.

DUSTIN TIME...Chiefs goaltender Dustin Tokarski is second in the WHL with a 1.66 goals against average, first with a .947 save percentage, third with nine wins and first with three shutouts. Tokarski now has 11 shutouts for his career, setting a new franchise record after he posted back-to-back shutouts for the third time in his career, second time in the regular season, with blankings on September 20th against Portland and September 27th against Tri-City. Tokarksi's third of the year came with 30 saves against Everett on October 3rd. Tokarski was named the Memorial Cup MVP after going 4-0 with a 1.72 GAA, a .953 save percentage and a 52 save performance in the Championship game. Through games five and six of the second round versus Vancouver and one and two against Tri-City Tokarski had a stretch of 186 minutes and 15 seconds without allowing a goal. The Tampa Bay Lightning selected Tokarski in the fifth round in 2008. In 2007-08, the 19-year-old set a slew of records in net for Spokane, including most shutouts in a season (6), most consecutive wins (11-October 13th through December 2nd), best goals against average in a single season (2.05) and best save percentage (.922).

TEAM COWEN-ADA...Defenseman Jared Cowen was named an Alternate Captain and helped Team Canada win a gold medal at the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka under-18 World Championships. Cowen is in his second season in a Spokane jersey. In his rookie season, Jared Cowen appeared in 68 games, scored four goals and 18 points. His +28 led all rookie defenseman in 2007-08. Cowen is eligible for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

BARTMAN...Brett Bartman is a team leading +15. The 19-year-old posted a career high +6 in a 6-2 win over the Kamloops Blazers on Tuesday, September 30th and is now +11 in his last 15. Bartman appeared in 48 games last season with six assists and a +16.

KEEPING UP WITH JOHNSON...Spokane's own Tyler Johnson has two goals and eight points in his last seven games and leads the Chiefs with three game winning goals, including a breakaway with seven minutes remaining to snap a 1-1 tie on October 25th versus the Prince George Cougars. Johnson had one goal and two assists in a 6-2 win at Portland on October 10th and has five goals and 18 points in 16 games. Johnson attended the Phoenix Coyotes camp in the pre-season and was named the Western Hockey League Finals MVP after scoring three goals in four games, including game winners in games three and four against the Lethbridge Hurricanes. In 2007-08, Johnson led all Chiefs rookies with 69 games, 13 goals and 35 points.

COMPTON'S CORNER...Twenty-year-old forward Seth Compton is in his fifth season in the WHL, all with the Chiefs, and has played in 243 career games (23rd in franchise history), including a career high 71 games in 2007-08. Compton also scored a career high 13 goals and 20 points last year. Compton was named the Player's Player after last season.

DRAFTED PLAYERS... Drayson Bowman (Carolina, 3rd round, 2007), Justin McCrae (Carolina, 4th round, 2007), Mitch Wahl (Calgary, 2nd round, 2008), Dustin Tokarski (Tampa Bay, 5th round, 2008), Jared Spurgeon (NY Islanders, 6th round, 2008)

INJURY REPORT...Justin McCrae (knee, 2-3 weeks), Jared Spurgeon (ankle, day-to-day)

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