Interesting thought I had last week as I was listening to the Dust Devils lose a 1-0 heartbreaker in 13 innings up in Spokane.
An amazing defensive battle for 12 innings that had each team on the verge of putting the game away more than once only to be stopped just short.
And the game kept going on.... and on.... and on.....
But the tension kept mounting, which made for even better drama.
If anybody from Tri-City was listening in to our beloved Mike Boyle on KALE 960, was it just me or did it have a ring of deja-vu to it?
Here's why it might: just over two months ago, two teams from Tri-Cities and Spokane were battling in another series in an entirely different sport. Of course, I'm talking about the Western Conference Finals of the Western Hockey League between the Tri-City Americans and the Spokane Chiefs.
If you had the good fortune to experience it, you don't need to be reminded of how amazing a series it was. It went seven games. Five of those games went to overtime - three of them to double overtime - in a finish that literally came down to the final period of Game 7 with the teams tied at 1-1.
Spokane fired out with three goals in that final period to defeat the Americans. After that the Chiefs ended up winning eight straight games on their way to the Ed Chenowyth Cup and eventually the Memorial Cup.
It was a pretty impressive battle, and I'm lucky to have been in the rink to see it. And to battle like that against a division rival gave it even more meaning for the players and the fans alike.
Coincidentally, Boyle also does play-by-play for the Spokane Chiefs. Hearing him talk about making that journey with the Chiefs, you can hear the excitement in his voice. But he agreed that whoever had come out of that Western Conference Final would have done the same.
But hearing Boyle announce the 13-inning marathon up at Avista Stadium in Spokane, it brought back some of my own memories of the hockey series and the drama that had built up between the teams over the course of a long season.
So here's hoping there's a few more dramatic moments in the Northwest League this year.
And it would be even nicer to see another epic Tri-City/Spokane battle - this time for the NWL East Division title.
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Ams run out of steam in Spokane
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SPOKANE -- Playing their third road game in four days, the Tri-City Americans finally ran out of gas Saturday night.
Dominik Uher had two goals and one assist to lead Spokane to a 5-3 win over the Americans before a crowd of 9,667 at Spokane Arena.
Tri-City (33-9-0-0, 66 points), which has lost two of its last three games, saw its lead in the Western Hockey League trimmed to one point with the loss.
'Ironman' West calls them as he sees them
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The first game Craig West called in the Western Hockey League was a win.
So was his 1,000th game with the Tri-City Americans.
The Americans radio man reached the milestone Saturday at Lethbridge as Tri-City beat the Hurricanes 7-3.
Game Day: Chiefs at Americans
Game Day: Chiefs at Americans
For those of you brave enough to venture out in this weather, I applaud you. For those of you who stayed home to watch on ROOT Sports, you may be smarter than the rest of us.
Me, I couldn’t get out of my driveway this morning to go to the gym. Once my son got a good path to the real world for me, my class was long over. But he’s a good kid and pizza was on me.
Now that we’re all here, the Spokane Chiefs are here tonight. According to Spokane radio man Mike Boyle, they left at 2 p.m. today. I talked to Spokane coach Don Nachbaur last night. He told me that Spokane had a foot of snow and the roads were dangerous. It took him quite a while to get home from the rink last night, and by the time he could call me back, I’d already filed my story. Glad to see they got here in one piece.
Ams hope to avoid rough patch at home
Ams hope to avoid rough patch at home
KENNEWICK -- The Tri-City Americans have held the top spot in the Western Hockey League for weeks, climbing to the top with the help of a 13-game winning streak and a stellar record on home ice.
But the Kamloops Blazers are knocking on the door and looking to evict the Americans from their perch.
Tri-City coach Jim Hiller, who has downplayed the importance of certain games this season, admitted that tonight's home match-up against the Spokane Chiefs and Saturday's showdown with Kamloops are big.
Ams look to bounce back from rare loss
Ams look to bounce back from rare loss
KENNEWICK -- The Tri-City Americans have put their loss to B.C. Division-leading Kamloops behind them.
They don't have much of a choice, the competition doesn't get any easier this weekend with a game at Vancouver tonight and at Spokane on Saturday.
"We'd like to win every game, but we know that isn't possible," said Tri-City coach Jim Hiller, whose team is in the midst of a five-game road trip. "We played better last night than in a few games we won during our streak."
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