Chiefs can ensure another home game

The Spokane Chiefs must win Friday night to guarantee that they’ll play another game at the Arena this season. A Chiefs loss in Game 4 would give Everett a 3-1 lead in the Western Hockey League first-round playoff. That would hand the Silvertips a chance to clinch the best-of-7 series Saturday at their Xfinity Arena. If the Chiefs can’t force a Game 6 in Spokane on Tuesday, their fans will have seen the last of at least seven veteran players who contributed mightily to this year’s efforts. The 20-year-old players – centers Liam Stewart and Calder Brooks and right wing Jackson Playfair – are a given. All three will have surpassed the age limit for playing in the league when the 2015-16 season begins. But the Chiefs also have seven 19-year-olds on their roster whose overage season arrives in 2015-16. WHL rules limit each team to three 20-year-olds, so at least four of those players are seeing their final days in a Chiefs uniform. The list includes No. 1 goaltender Garret Hughson, goals and points leader Adam Helewka, captain and assists leader Jason Fram, defenseman Nick Charif, and forwards Riley Whittingham, Blair Oneschuk and Devon McAndrews. “Obviously, it’s kind of in the back of your mind a little bit and you’re always wondering what’s going to happen, but right now it’s not really at the forefront,” Fram said before Game 3. “You try to worry about the playoffs and worry about the games. … You just kind of let that happen later on.” Fram’s stance may be the best one to take. From the list of Chiefs 19-year-olds last season, captain Reid Gow, Carter Proft and Connor Chartier appeared to be strong candidates with Stewart to return for their 20-year-old seasons. But Gow chose not to return to Spokane and now plays for the Eastern Conference’s top-seeded team, Brandon; left wing Proft signed a professional contract to play in Germany; and the Chiefs released forward Chartier to waivers in early November when they reacquired Playfair from the Tri-City Americans. Spokane could delay thoughts about next season by rebounding to win what has been a nearly dead-even series. The Chiefs had the momentum and were aggressive during the third period and first overtime of Game 3 on Wednesday, but they couldn’t find the net with 31 shots during that 40-minute sequence. “We’re fighting for our lives here,” Chiefs head coach Don Nachbaur said about Game 4. “We could easily be up 2-1 here. We’re down 2-1, so the next game it’s imperative that we follow with a strong performance.”