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Apr. 8—The Spokane Chiefs have been resting since Saturday when they closed out their Western Hockey League best-of-seven, first-round matchup against Vancouver in five games with a 9-4 win at the Arena.
With several other series going deeper , it took a couple of extra days for the Chiefs to learn their second-round opponent.
Second-seeded Victoria , the B.C. Division champion which knocked off Tri-City in five games, advance to face the Chiefs in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Chiefs have home-ice advantage at the Arena for Games 1 and 2 on Sunday and Monday before shifting to Victoria for Games 3 and 4, plus 5 if necessary. Games 6 and 7, if necessary, will be back at the Arena.
Spokane finished 3-1 against the Royals during the regular season.
Western Conference semifinals schedule
Game 1: Sunday, 6:05 p.m., Arena
Game 2: Monday, 7:05 p.m., Arena
Game 3: Wednesday, 7:05 p.m., Memorial Arena, Victoria
Game 4: Friday, 7:05 p.m., Memorial Arena
—Game 5: Saturday, 6:05 p.m., Memorial Arena
—Game 6: Tuesday, April 22, 7:05 p.m., Arena
—Game 7: Wednesday, April 23, 7:05 p.m., Arena
* if necessary
Lauer, Bardsley named finalists for awards
The league announced finalists for coach of the year and executive of the year on Tuesday, and Chiefs head coach Brad Lauer and general manager Matt Bardsley were recognized as one of the six finalists in their respective categories.
Lauer, who previously coached and won a WHL championship with Edmonton, oversaw a high-powered offensive performance this season and a notably improved defense, which spurred the Chiefs to their winningest season (45-20-1-2) since 2010-11.
Spokane finished second in goals for (292) and fifth in goals against (202) and dominated in special teams with the league's top power play (28.9%) and third-best penalty kill (80.8%).
Bardsley engineered a near-total overhaul of the roster from his hiring in 2022 through this season, including notable trades that landed WHL goal-scoring leader Shea Van Olm, WHL points leader Andrew Cristall and winger Sam Oremba.
Continue reading...
With several other series going deeper , it took a couple of extra days for the Chiefs to learn their second-round opponent.
Second-seeded Victoria , the B.C. Division champion which knocked off Tri-City in five games, advance to face the Chiefs in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Chiefs have home-ice advantage at the Arena for Games 1 and 2 on Sunday and Monday before shifting to Victoria for Games 3 and 4, plus 5 if necessary. Games 6 and 7, if necessary, will be back at the Arena.
Spokane finished 3-1 against the Royals during the regular season.
Western Conference semifinals schedule
Game 1: Sunday, 6:05 p.m., Arena
Game 2: Monday, 7:05 p.m., Arena
Game 3: Wednesday, 7:05 p.m., Memorial Arena, Victoria
Game 4: Friday, 7:05 p.m., Memorial Arena
—Game 5: Saturday, 6:05 p.m., Memorial Arena
—Game 6: Tuesday, April 22, 7:05 p.m., Arena
—Game 7: Wednesday, April 23, 7:05 p.m., Arena
* if necessary
Lauer, Bardsley named finalists for awards
The league announced finalists for coach of the year and executive of the year on Tuesday, and Chiefs head coach Brad Lauer and general manager Matt Bardsley were recognized as one of the six finalists in their respective categories.
Lauer, who previously coached and won a WHL championship with Edmonton, oversaw a high-powered offensive performance this season and a notably improved defense, which spurred the Chiefs to their winningest season (45-20-1-2) since 2010-11.
Spokane finished second in goals for (292) and fifth in goals against (202) and dominated in special teams with the league's top power play (28.9%) and third-best penalty kill (80.8%).
Bardsley engineered a near-total overhaul of the roster from his hiring in 2022 through this season, including notable trades that landed WHL goal-scoring leader Shea Van Olm, WHL points leader Andrew Cristall and winger Sam Oremba.
Continue reading...
