In the Chilliwack Chiefs 7-2 win over the Surrey Eagles last Friday at Prospera Centre, we may have seen something we’ve never seen before.
There’s no way to be sure, as box scores from 1990s through the early 2000s are difficult to locate, but I’m fairly confident in saying that last week’s game was the first game in which the Chiefs have not taken a penalty.
There have been games with no opposition power plays but nobody I’ve talked to can remember a Chiefs team going an entire game without taking a penalty.
If anyone can prove different please let me know.
Despite the lack of records from the team’s first 10 years, anyone who saw those teams play will, I think, agree with me that the chances of any of those teams playing a penalty free game were slim.
Those Chiefs teams played intimidating hockey. They’d rough you up and take their chances on the penalty kill. A few ‘good’ penalties early in games at the Chilliwack Coliseum went a long way to the Chiefs taking over games in the third period.
Two home games this weekend as the Chiefs start a very important month of the season.
If the Chiefs, winners of four straight are going to challenge for first place in the Mainland division, they need to take advantage of their November schedule which is by far the friendliest left on the schedule.
Of the nine games they will play this month, seven of them will be played at Prospera Centre.
The Chiefs are good on home ice.
They’ve won six of their first nine home games with two of the losses coming in overtime.
November is the last month with more home games than road games and their only two road games this month are an hour away in Surrey.
Two of their home games are against Prince George so four of the nine games the Chiefs will play this month are against teams with a combined record of 9-26-0-1.
The Langley team that we will see Friday night is different than the one we saw defeat the Chiefs 3-2 in double overtime here on Oct 3.
Since then they’ve added forward Torrin White, who spent four seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Moose Jaw Warriors. They also acquired forward Logan Mick from Salmon Arm.
Mick has a goal and three assists since joining the Rivermen.
You won’t see former Chiefs forward Ben Butcher in a Langley uniform as he was dealt to Vernon earlier this week.
Sunday the Chiefs host Salmon Arm.
They’ve dropped two straight games but they head into weekend action with a very impressive record of 11-4-2-1.
Sunday will be their third game in three nights. This is the second and final meeting this season between the two teams. They played to a very entertaining 4-4 tie in Salmon Arm earlier this season.
As with all Sunday home games, the puck drops at 5 p.m. and fans are invited to join the team for a skate after the game.
jb@chilliwackchiefs.net