Published: February 19, 2009 11:45 pm      

For Chiefs ‘every game is a playoff game’

The Johnstown Chiefs and South Carolina Stingrays have mirrored each other in recent weeks.

Both teams are streaking, with the Chiefs on a four-game roll and South Carolina outscoring opponents by a combined 16-6 in three straight wins.

The Chiefs’ power play has sprung back to life, going 4-for 14 in three home games. South Carolina had two power-play goals in Wednesday’s 4-1 win at Dayton.

The Stingrays have a league-best 13 short-handed goals. The Rays’ Keith Johnson has had one shorty in each of the past three games. The Chiefs have netted 12 short-handed tallies.

Each team is riding a solid netminder, with reigning ECHL Goaltender of the Week Ian Keserich winning the past four games and former Chief Jon Boutin going 5-2-0 since the Stingrays acquired him.

“South Carolina has some very skilled forwards. They’re strong,” Chiefs coach Ian Herbers said. “Their power play is strong. They had two power-play goals and a short-handed goal at Dayton. They’re a well-rounded team. We need to be ready right from the start and play our game for 60 minutes.”

The Chiefs (30-18-2-0) lead the North Division, while South Carolina (27-19-2-3) is second in the South.

“Right now, points are important,” Herbers said. “Every game is a playoff game.”

Herbers said defenseman David Schulz and right winger Wes Clark each might return from injuries.

“That will give us more options for the lineup,” the coach said.

Johnstown finishes a six-game home stand this weekend. Elmira visits on Saturday and Sunday. Last week, the Chiefs beat Reading (5-2), Trenton (3-2) and Wheeling (5-2). Herbers’ team outscored its North Division rivals by a combined 13-6.

“That’s the way we’ve got to play. We’ve got to go after teams,” Herbers said. “We can’t sit back and play not to make mistakes. We’ve got to be aggressive on our forecheck, play smart and use our speed. We’ve got to wear teams down. Specialty teams need to keep clicking and we need to be physical as well. It’s a good time of the year to get on a roll.”