Overview:
Don Nachbaur’s Spokane Chiefs are heading into tonight’s game having won two straight games against the Victoria Royals. The Chiefs are 4-6-0-0 in their last 10 games, and right now they sit fifth in the Western Conference just one point back of the Vancouver Giants. The Chiefs overall record is 34-22-4-3.
Who’s Up Front:
Leading the way offensively for Spokane up front is import center Dominik Uher. Uher leads the Chiefs with 27 goals and is second on the team with 58 points in 54 games played. Uher is shifty, strong and fast. He has also scored six short-handed goals for Spokane this season.
Who’s on D:
The Spokane Chiefs leading scorer is defenceman Brenden Kichton. The 19-year-old product of Spruce Grove, Alberta has 62 points through 62 games and leads all WHL defencemen in scoring this season. He’s got 22 points on the power play and will likely log a ton of ice-time against the Cougars top forwards. Kichton is the total package, and will need to be kept in check this weekend.
Who’s in Goal:
The Spokane Chiefs have a solid goaltending tandem of Mac Engel and Eric Williams. Engel is 26-17-1-2 this season and has a goals against average of 2.74. Williams is 14-20-3-2 and has a save percentage of .879.
X-Factor:
Aside from Brenden Kichton, the Spokane Chiefs roster may lack the star-power compared to other teams in the league. But don’t let the lack of star-power fool you. Spokane is a gritty, fast, and hard-working group that is well-coached and well conditioned. They have five players on their roster with 40-or-more points and four more with over 30. They can come at you in waves, and the Cougars will need to minimize their mistakes if they want to find success this weekend.
Overview:
The Prince George Cougars head into this weekend needing points more than ever. With nine games left in their regular season, the Prince George Cougars are four points back of eighth and six points back of seventh. The problem the Cougars have is that Everett and Victoria still have some games against each other, as do the Thunderbirds and Silvertips. It is imperative that the Cougars take advantage of these games at home this weekend if they want to keep pace with Seattle, Everett and Victoria.
Who’s Up Front:
Cougars forward Greg Fraser notched his 16th goal of the season on Wednesday against Medicine Hat. The goal ties Fraser’s season-high for goals. The Cougars will need Fraser and his linemates Campbell Elynuik and Caleb Belter to provide similar secondary scoring this weekend. If these three returning players can all play to their strengths this weekend against Spokane, the Cougars will be well positioned for victory.
Who’s on D:
Cody Carlson was the hero for the Cougars back on December 10th in Spokane. Carlson assisted on the game-tying goal and also had the shootout winner for the Cougars who were able to erase a 3-0 deficit to defeat Spokane. The 20-year-old Carlson is closing in on game number 300 for his career, and you know that he’ll need to be at his best this weekend against a tough Spokane opponent.
Who’s in Goal:
Drew Owsley is 2-0-0-0 this season against Spokane and you know that he’ll be up for the challenge tonight. Owsley is no stranger to the Chiefs, having seen a lot of them during his time in Tri City. Hopefully that familiarity can help Owsley this weekend. Cougars backup Devon Fordyce hasn’t played since Monday, February 21st in Portland. He’ll be ready if/when called upon this weekend as well.
X-Factor:
Confidence. The Cougars are winless in their last six games, but are heading into a stretch of games where they’ll be facing teams that they have not yet lost too this season. The Cougars need to harness as much confidence as possible in preparation for tonight’s game and beyond. If the Cougars can win these next four games at home, they’ll be able to keep pace with everybody else in the race for a playoff spot. The Cougars went into Spokane twice and won in a hostile environment, and now they’ll look to take advantage of their meetings at home. It starts and ends with confidence.
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