Before leaving town, Spokane Chiefs coach Don Nachbaur analyzed the just-completed 2014-15 hockey season. Read story

 

A few other final thoughts from coach Nachbaur:

 

On the team's offense: "It was (about) growth. Some players had to assume bigger roles from last year to this year. And then there's the unexpected, that some players maybe overachieved that you didn't think would score. But you go through that every year."

 

On the multiple injuries that hit the team in early January: "That affected our regular-season point total, for sure, because when you lose what you consider to be one of your top players in Calder Brooks, you're never going to be the same. You can inject a young guy into that spot, but the experience that (Brooks) brought and the chemistry that he brought to the other two guys (Adam Helewka, Kailer Yamamoto) on that first line was desperately needed. But with that said, it added to the growth of some players because they played some more. We lost some points, but in the long run we made some players better."

 

How the Chiefs lined up for the postseason: "We were healthy going into the playoffs. I think the only guy who was ineligible was Matt Sozanski, who was lost for the season with a shoulder injury. ... It pretty much resembled late December of who we were. The lines had shuffled a bit and we made some lines in the playoffs that we thought would counteract what Everett had. I think we played really well in the playoffs, but coming up short is never a good feeling. There's  always room for improvement with us."

 

Final word about the players: "I can't complain about the players who played night in and night out. They gave it what they had."

 

 

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