Chiefs need to get past the past

After 36 hours of reflection, Spokane Chiefs coach Bill Peters stayed firm in his opinion of his team’s lifeless play Saturday in its home-opening loss.

“No, I saw the game perfectly clear and was just honest in my assessment of the game,” he said Monday while reviewing video of the 5-1 loss to Tri-City.

However, Peters also has a “24-hour rule” in place: no matter what the outcome of the previous game, think about it for a day then mentally move along.

Peters is fond of saying that Western Hockey League teams need to live in the present to survive the rigors of a 72-game season. So he was urging his players to look ahead to tonight’s home game with Portland when they hit the ice Monday for practice.

“If we’re worried about Saturday night today, we’re not going to be ready (tonight),” said Peters. “We’re preparing for Portland and working to get our best lineup out there.”

Yet the question still remains: How can a team that looked so solid in its first four games look so bad in this one?

“We just weren’t mentally tough,” veteran center Chris Bruton said after the game.

The lack of focus and failure to play a physical game is actually a carryover from last year’s long season, as was evidenced by the déjÀ vu look of shock on Peters’ face Saturday when he met the media for interviews.

“Our problem is all between the ears; we’ve got to grow up,” Peters said.

He expounded on his statement Monday.

“It’s just maturity; you’ve got to play the same way all the time – whether you’re on the road or at home,” he said. “You’ve got to be consistent. The coach has to know what game you’re going to bring as a player, so he can trust you in every situation. Until we get that straightened out, we are going to be inconsistent.”

What was wrong with the Chiefs on Saturday provides the blueprint for a turnaround. In short, it involves almost every fundamental aspect of the game.

“We weren’t involved enough on Saturday night,” said Peters. “It’s lack of hitting; one hand on the stick on loose pucks; lack of intensity in those 50-50 puck battles.

“It goes back to some of the issues that we had last year that need to be corrected. And if they’re not corrected, then obviously we’ve got to look at other ways to improve our team – on a daily basis and then overall.”

Unlike recent years where talent was an issue, the team is on a plane with its U.S. Division rivals. But success stills requires individual players to improve, so Peters is fostering ongoing competition for playing time to encourage that development.

For his part, Bruton believes the troubles of the past won’t dog this club.

“We’ve got too much talent here and too much energy – coming from the young guys all the way up to the old guys – entering this season that it’s not going to happen again,” he said.