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The Spokane Chiefs will be home this Friday for the team's second home game of the year after playing the last six games on the road.
Out of a possible 12 points available, the Chiefs picked up just five in an up and down road trip. The team dropped its last three games of the trip to Victoria, Portland (a 5-0 drubbing) and last night's 5-4 overtime loss in Everett.
A curious struggle so far this season has been the play of 20-year-old goaltender Garret Hughson. The starter from beginning to end last season, Hughson has posted just an .833 save percentage in the four games he has appeared in. His presumed backup, Tyson Verhelst, has a save percentage of .921 in the five games he's played. Hughson's goals against average is 5.44 (I've always looked at GAA as a team stat, for what it's worth).
Here's a comparison of the two goalies.
It'll be interesting to see how much playing time Hughson gets going forward.
The Chiefs now return home for a five game home stand, which begins Friday night when Prince Albert comes to town.
Video Vault: The elder Toporowski
Kerry Toporowski racked up 505 penalty minutes (to go along with 27 points, lest you forget...) during the 1990-91 season for the Spokane Chiefs, the same year the team won its first Memorial Cup. He was drafted by the San Jose Sharks, though he never appeared in an NHL game.
Let's look back at an old KXLY report on Toporowski and his fighting ways:
My how the game has changed.
As you may know, Toporowski's son Jake is a member of the current incarnation of the Spokane Chiefs. The 17-year-old defenseman has appeared in 12 total games (two this year, ten last year) with no points and just two penalty minutes (so is he really Kerry's son??).
Two Chiefs selected for U-17 Hockey Challenge
Last week a handful of Chiefs prospects were selected for the U-16 Challenge Cup, and now two current Chiefs have been selected for another in-season tournament: the U-17 Hockey Challenge.
Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Hayden Ostir will soon join one of three Canadian teams that will compete against other countries in the U-17 Hockey Challenge from Oct. 30 - Nov. 7.
Anderson-Dolan burst onto the scene with a hat trick on opening night, but has been rather quiet since then. Fellow 16-year-old Ostir has appeared in all seven games but has yet to register a point.