WHL Spokane Chiefs

Spokane Chiefs Weekly

February 16, 2009 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Spokane Chiefs News Release


The Spokane Chiefs will play three games in four nights this week including a pair on the road this weekend. Spokane will play the first half of a home-and-home series with the Seattle Thunderbirds on Wednesday night and then travel on Friday night in the second half. Saturday night, Spokane and Tri-City will resume their 12 game season series with their ninth match-up of the year. Saturday's game can be seen live on Comcast channel 78.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

DAY EVENT AIR GAME LOCATION

Monday, February 16th Day Off

Tuesday, February 17th Practice 1:00 Eagles Ice-A-Rena

Wednesday, February 18th vs. SEATTLE 6:30 7:00 Spokane Arena

Thursday, February 19th Practice 1:00

Friday, February 20th at SEATTLE

7:00

7:30 Kent, WA

Saturday, February 21st at TRI-CITY

6:30*

7:00 Kennewick, WA

Sunday, February 22nd Day Off

AIR-Denotes the beginning of Comcast Hockey Tonight on 1510 KGA. Saturday, February 21st will air on KJRB 790

Rank

Western Conference GP W L OTL SL PTS

1

x *Vancouver Giants 57 48 5 1 3 100

2

x *Tri-City Americans 58 39 16 0 3 81

3

x Spokane Chiefs 57 38 16 0 3 79

4

x Kelowna Rockets 57 35 19 1 2 73

5

Kamloops Blazers 61 27 29 1 4 59

6

Seattle Thunderbirds 59 27 28 1 3 58

7

Everett Silvertips 59 24 26 7 2 57

8

Prince George Cougars 60 23 35 0 2 48

9

Chilliwack Bruins 60 14 40 2 4 34

10

Portland Winter Hawks 56 14 38 2 2 32

Rank

Eastern Conference GP W L OTL SL PTS

1

x *Calgary Hitmen 62 51 7 3 1 106

2

x *Saskatoon Blades 60 42 14 3 1 88

3

x Brandon Wheat Kings 59 39 16 3 1 82

4

Medicine Hat Tigers 60 31 22 4 3 69

5

Swift Current Broncos 60 33 25 1 1 68

6

Lethbridge Hurricanes 60 30 25 3 2 65

7

Kootenay Ice 59 28 23 2 6 64

8

Prince Albert Raiders 61 26 31 3 1 56

9

Edmonton Oil Kings 62 25 31 2 4 56

10

Regina Pats 60 23 31 1 5 52

11

Red Deer Rebels 59 19 31 1 8 47

12

Moose Jaw Warriors 58 16 39 1 2 35

THIS WEEK

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH vs. SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS AIR-6:30 GAME-7:00

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH at SEATTLE THUNDERBIRDS AIR-7:00 GAME-7:30

Spokane and Seattle will play in a home-and-home series next week with the first game taking place on Wednesday, February 18th in the Spokane Arena. The Chiefs will travel to Kent on Friday night. In their last meeting, Drayson Bowman scored two goals, including an empty net goal with five seconds remaining, on January 23rd in a 3-1 Spokane win in Seattle. Dustin Tokarski stopped 28 shots and the Chiefs were 3-3 on the penalty kill. On December 28th the Chiefs earned a 4-0 win as James Reid stopped 25 shots and four different players, Trevor Glass, Kenton Miller, Stefan Ulmer and Jared Spurgeon, all scored for Spokane. Spokane was 3-5 on the power play. In their previous trip to Seattle, Spokane dropped a 3-2 shootout decision on October 4th. Drayson Bowman scored both of Spokane's goals. The Chiefs and Seattle split two games on back-to-back nights in the Arena with the Chiefs winning 1-0 on December 12th and dropping a 3-1 decision on the 13th. James Reid made 26 saves in the 1-0 win for his second shutout of the season. Jared Cowen scored the games only goal, on the power play, at 13:30 of the first period. Spokane outshot Seattle 36-16 on the 13th but the Thunderbirds scored twice in the first and again in the third for the win. The Chiefs and Seattle will play nine times, four times in the Spokane Arena and five times in Seattle. The home-and-home series will be the last two meetings between the two. The two played a 9-7 game, won by Seattle, on February 11th of last year.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21ST at TRI-CITY AMERICANS AIR-6:30 GAME-7:00

The Tri-City Americans will host the Chiefs in the ninth meeting of the year between the two. Their last meetings saw the Chiefs earn a 5-2 win over the Americans on January 24th. Mitch Wahl had a pair of goals and Levko Koper and Drayson Bowman had a pair of assists a piece. The Chiefs were 1-6 on the power play and 3-3 on the penalty kill with a shorthanded goal by Brady Calla. Spokane picked up a 2-1 shootout win on January 17th in Kennewick. It was the first time a road team had won in the series and the third time the two teams have gone to a shootout this year. The Americans won the 19th version of the New Year's Eve match-up with a 6-1 win in the previous meeting. Spokane is 5-2-0-1 on the season earning 11 out of 16 points with Tri-City. Four different players scored goals for Spokane, Jared Cowen, Ryan Letts, Trevor Glass and Justin McCrae, on December 27th in a 4-2 Spokane win.

James Reid stopped 26 shots, including 16 in the third, for the win. The Americans earned a 5-1 win over the Chiefs on November 28th in Kennewick. Steve Kuhn had Spokane's lone goal. Stefan Ulmer had three assists and scored the decisive goal in the shootout on November 8th in the Spokane Arena for a 4-3 Spokane win. The Americans won 3-2 in a shootout on October 18th in Kennewick. Dustin Donaghy and Mitch Wahl scored for Spokane but Johnny Lazo scored the only goal of the shootout for Tri-City's win. Spokane shutout the Americans 4-0 on September 27th, the Chiefs home opener, as Dustin Tokarski stopped 31 shots. The Chiefs put 19 shots on net. In last year's Western Conference series, the Chiefs earned the victory on their way to the WHL and Memorial Cup titles. Five of the games went into overtime with three of them heading to double overtime. In its 21st year of existence the Chiefs lead the series 122-108-1-5 with 13 ties.

NEWS AND NOTES

LIKE A SPURGEON...Nineteen-year-old Jared Spurgeon has eight points in his last two games, including a one goal and four assist night on February 14th versus the Edmonton Oil Kings. The following night he had three helpers in a 5-3 win over Prince George. It was the second five point night of the year for Spurgeon. In his last 10 games, Spurgeon has five goals and 17 points. Spurgeon has 10 goals, three on the power play, and 37 points this season with a +32.

THIS ONE GOES TO 11...The Spokane Chiefs scored 11 goals in an 11-2 win over the Edmonton Oil Kings on Saturday, February 14th in the Spokane Arena. The 11 goals is the most they have ever scored in the Spokane Arena and the most they have scored since a 10-1 win over the Tri-City Americans on February 26th, 2000. The franchise record for goals is 16, set on January 30th, 1988 in a 16-7 win over Moose Jaw in the Spokane Coliseum.

TOKARSKI SETS NEW MARK...Goaltender Dustin Tokarski has won 71 career games in a Spokane jersey, the most all-time in franchise history, three more than Aren Miller. Tokarski won 13 games as a 17-year-old rookie in 2007-08 and 30 games last season. Through 41 starts this season, the Tampa Bay Lightning's fifth round selection has won 28 games.

ROADIES The Chiefs have the second longest road winning streak in the WHL this season with eight. The Saskatoon Blades won 12 in a row in the first half of the season. Spokane's streak began on January 16th at Portland. The Chiefs longest road winning streak last year was six.

PROJECT POWER PLAY...This season, Avista will donate $25 to Project Share for each power play goal the Chiefs score. Through 57 games, the Chiefs have scored 58 goals on the man advantage for a total of $1,475. In their last 28 games, Spokane is 33-118 (28.0%) on the man advantage. The Chiefs own the third best percentage (25.0%) in the WHL.

TIC-TALK WON'T STOP... Dustin Tokarski won 11 straight games, equaling the franchise record he set last year, from December 3rd through January 31st. The stretch began on December 3rd, a 4-3 shootout win over Calgary. He won three in a row before leaving for Team Canada and eight starts after returning. Tokarski had a 1.16 goals against average, a .959 save percentage and three shutouts during the span. Tokarski leads the WHL with 1.83 GAA, a .940 save percentage and six shutouts. Tokarski has 14 shutouts for his career, a franchise record. Tokarski signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, who selected him in the fifth round last summer. 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. During the playoffs Tokarski had a stretch of 186 minutes and 15 seconds without allowing a goal. 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).

BOWMANS BACK...In his last 17 games, Drayson Bowman has 17 goals and 29 points. Bowman was named the CHL Player of the week on February 2nd after recording five goals and 10 points in three wins. Bowman had a point in the 10 straight games after returning from the World Junior Tournament. Bowman had 10 goals and 19 points in the stretch and was +13. Bowman had a hat trick on January 30th versus Chilliwack and his second five point night of the season and fourth of his career. Bowman now has 115 career goals, tied for seventh in franchise history, and 221 career points, tied for 14th all-time. The 19-year-old forward has 46 points in his last 30 games (24-22-46). The Littleton, Colorado native was the Carolina Hurricanes third round selection in 2007.

BIG RED...Mike Reddington has one goal and four points and is a +6 in his last four games. Reddington enjoyed a career high one goal and two assists on February 11th in a 5-2 win over Everett. Reddington has played 182 games in a Spokane jersey.

LETTS CHAT...Nineteen-year-old Ryan Letts has three assists in his last two games and has set career highs with eight goals, 10 assists and 18 points. Letts has played 197 career games and has been a plus or even in 47 of 53 games this year.

CAPTAIN'S LOG...Captain Justin McCrae has three goals and four points in his last four games.

LOW PLACES...The Chiefs have allowed zero or one goal 20 times this season and have give up 109 goals in 57 games for a league best 1.91 goals against per game. Dustin Tokarski and James Reid have combined to post a 1.79 goals against average.

KILLER...Spokane is 110-119 (92.4%) on the penalty kill in their last 26 and holds the top spot in the WHL with a penalty kill of 87.7%.

PROSPECTING...Defenseman Jared Cowen is ranked seventh overall by NHL Central Scouting for draft eligible North American skaters for the 2009 Entry Draft. Levko Koper is ranked 44th overall. Stefan Ulmer, a second-year defenseman, is ranked 99th overall. Both Cowen and Koper played in the Top Prospects game.

CALLA-RIES...Brady Calla has seven goals and 16 points in 17 games as a Chief. The 20-year-old has points in 11 of the 17 games in Spokane and a six game point streak during the stretch. Spokane acquired Calla on January 7th from the Kamloops Blazers. Calla has appeared in 307 career WHL games, scored 58 goals and 174 points with Everett, Moose Jaw, Kamloops and Spokane. Calla was Florida's third round pick in the 2006 NHL Draft. Calla started the season with the Rochester Americans, Florida's AHL affiliate.

TOKARSKI IS GOLDEN... Goaltender Dustin Tokarski stopped 39 Swedish shots and helped Team Canada win the World Junior Championship crown on January 5th with a 5-1 decision in Ottawa, Ontario. Tokarski is the first Spokane goaltender to back stop Team Canada and the first Chief to win a gold medal since Trent Whitfield and Hugh Hamilton did it in 1997, a junior team coached by the Spokane's Mike Babcock.

ROMAN EMPIRE...Ondrej Roman scored the game winning goal with 39-seconds remaining on February 15th in a 5-3 win over the Prince George Cougars. Roman has a six game point scoring streak and has three goals and 11 points through the span. Roman also has three goals and nine points in his last four games. The 19-year-old has points in 14 of 17 games in Spokane this year and is +15. Roman led the Chiefs in scoring last year in the WHL playoffs with 9-12-21in 21 games. The Dallas Stars selected Roman in the fifth round in 2007. Most recently, Roman finished second on his team in scoring with 4-4-8 in a sixth place finish at the World Juniors for the Czech Republic.

USA NEWS...The United States finished fifth at the World Junior Hockey Championship after a 3-2 overtime win over the Czech Republic on January 4th. Drayson Bowman finished the tournament with three goals and four points, Mitch Wahl had one goal and four points and Tyler Johnson had one goal in six games.

ULMER WINS GOLD, HONORS... Stefan Ulmer was named the Best Defenseman of the 2009 IIHF Group B World Junior Hockey Championships after leading Austria to the gold. Ulmer also led the tournament in scoring with five goals and 11 points in helping Austria win the tournament. Ulmer had a four game point scoring streak snapped on February 6th versus Vancouver with two goals and six points. The 18-year-old is the top scoring defenseman on the Chiefs. In 54 games, Ulmer has 35 points and is a +9.

WAHL NUTS...Chiefs center Mitch Wahl has six goals and 15 points in his last 10 games. The Seal Beach, CA native also has 111 career assists and 25 goals and 51 points in 48 games this year. The 18-year-old is also a team leading +34 on the season. 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.

KEEPING UP WITH JOHNSON...Tyler Johnson has 11 goals and 22 points in the 18 games since returning from the World Junior Hockey Championships. Johnson is the first Spokane product to play for the United States at the World Juniors. Johnson attended the Phoenix Coyotes camp in the pre-season and was named the Western Hockey League Finals MVP against the Lethbridge Hurricanes. In 2007-08, Johnson led all Chiefs rookies with 69 games, 13 goals and 35 points.

REID BETWEEN THE LINES...James Reid has four shutouts in 16 career starts. Reid has a 1.70 goals against average and .937 save percentage. Reid is 10-5-0-1 on the season and stopped 25 shots on January 10th in a 2-0 win over the Chilliwack Bruins.

KOPER'S COUNT...Levko Koper has two goals and eight points in his last four games. Koper recorded his first career hat-trick on November 1st in a 5-1 win over Kootenay. His 19 goals are six better than his career high of 12 set last year. The 18-year-old had a career best 11 game point streak at the start of the season. Koper is in his third season in Spokane with 175 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 the first game of the tournament against Belleville.

LOOKING GLASS...Defenseman Trevor Glass has seven assists and is a +11 in his last 16 games. Glass has played 242 games and has six goals and 19 assists in 52 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'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.

DRAFTED PLAYERS...Brady Calla (Florida, 3rd round, 2006), Drayson Bowman (Carolina, 3rd round, 2007), Justin McCrae (Carolina, 4th round, 2007), Ondøej Roman (Dallas, 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...Jared Cowen (knee, out for season)

Check out the Spokane Chiefs Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from February 16, 2009


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