SPOKANE, Wash. — Coming off a split last weekend to open their season long 5 game home stand, the Chiefs got 6 days off before having to hit the ice again as they played another 2 game weekend set at the Spokane Arena. The team took on their new Highway 2 rival, the Wenatchee Wild on Saturday to start the weekend, before hosting the Kamloops Blazers for the second time in the last week on Sunday.
Spokane was sitting at the .500 mark with a 7-7-2 record entering the weekend but found themselves in last place in the U.S. Division. Wenatchee, who moved from Winnipeg in the off season, won the Eastern Conference title last year before falling to Seattle in the WHL finals. The Wild had started slow, but then ran off an 8 game win streak that had them at that point, tied for first in the U.S. Division. While the Chiefs had the week off, the Wild had played two games during the week leading up to Saturday's matchup, hosting Prince Albert before playing at Tri City. Wenatchee won against P.A. but had dropped an overtime decision at Tri the night before.
The Chiefs came out with purpose in the first period as Connor Roulette scored his team leading 15th goal of the year five minutes into the game to give Spokane a 1-0 lead. It was also the 5th straight game Roulette had potted a goal, a team high streak on the season. The Chiefs then scored on their first power play chance of the night as Owen Martin scored his third goal in his last two games at 8:42 to make it 2-0 Spokane. Wenatchee countered with a goal on their first power play opportunity late in the first to cut the margin to 2-1 but the Chiefs Rasmus Ekstrom netted his first career goal with 40 seconds left in the period to put Spokane up 3-1 after the opening 20 minutes.
Wenatchee would go on the power play to start the second and cut the margin to 2-1 with their second power play goal 55 seconds into the period to make it a 3-2 game. The Wild then scored after a Chiefs turnover in their zone less than 4 minutes later to even the contest at 3-3. Spokane came right back and broke the tie on Ben Bonni's second of the year just 18 seconds after the game was tied as the Chiefs regained the lead at 4-3. Wenatchee then got a third power play chance midway through the second and Matt Savoie converted to begin a big night offensively for himself and bring the Wild back even at 4-4. The Chiefs had a chance to take the lead late in the second with a power play chance, but Savoie stole the puck at the Chiefs blue line and scored shorthanded on a breakaway at 18:25 to give the Wild their first lead at 5-4 after two.
Savoie wasn't done as he came out in the third and netted the natural hat trick at 6:56 of the final period to put Wenatchee up 6-4. The Chiefs got back in the game as Chase Bertholet scored his 4th of the season at 14:02 to cut the margin to 6-5. The Wild would respond though with a rebound tally at 16:49 to go back up by two at 7-5. Spokane pulled goalie Cooper Michaluk in the final 2 minutes and Ekstrom would rip home his second goal of the night at 18:09 to bring the Chiefs back to within 7-6. The Chiefs pulled Michaluk again after the next face off, but the Wild would score into the empty net 22 seconds after Ekstrom's goal to seal an 8-6 victory in the two teams first meeting.
The win vaulted Wenatchee into first place in the U.S. Division while the Chiefs fell 3 points back of Seattle for 5th in the division as the Thunderbirds won their game over Everett Saturday. Spokane surrendered 42 shots in the loss and went just 2-5 on the penalty kill as the team struggled defensively behind a good outing in net from Michaluk. The Chiefs had no time to mope over the loss though as they welcomed the Kamloops Blazers to the Spokane Arena the next afternoon. Spokane had won all 3 meetings from the Blazers this season, including a 6-3 decision the previous weekend. Kamloops had not played since that loss the previous Saturday, so they were well rested heading into the 4th game of the 5 game season series.
Dawson Cowan got the start in goal and would end up being the difference in the game. Kamloops came out and scored with less than 5 minutes left in the first period to take a 1-0 lead into the second period. The Chiefs killed off a Blazer power play early in the middle frame and then would score 10 seconds later as Cam Parr came out of the penalty box and scored his second of the season to even the game at one. Kamloops got three power plays in the second and would convert the second as a knuckleball shot from the right circle beat Cowan midway through the period to give the Blazers a 2-1 edge heading to the third.
Kamloops dominated the second, outshooting the Chiefs 19-7 in the period as the puck rarely left the Spokane end of the ice over the final half of the period. Cowan's 18 save effort though kept Spokane in the game as the Chiefs were still within a goal. In the third, Spokane failed to score on two power play opportunities. Kamloops would then have a chance to seal the game on their lone power play chance midway through the third. Spokane would turn it around though as Connor Roulette would take a Berkly Catton pass and score a shorthanded goal at 13:47 to bring the Chiefs even at 2-2. The goal was Roulette's 6th straight in a game, the longest streak in the league, and boosted his team leading total to 16 on the season.
The two teams headed to overtime for the 2nd time in 4 meetings this season. Spokane won their season opener at Kamloops on September 22nd on a Roulette goal and were hoping to repeat history. Both teams would put up 5 shots in the OT, but Cowan and Blazer goalie Dylan Ernst were razor sharp and kept both teams out of the net. For the first time this year, Spokane was heading to a shootout. Neither team scored in the first two rounds but the Chiefs would break the tie as Chase Bertholet beat Ernst in round three to give Spokane a 1-0 lead. Cowan then stoned the Blazers Fraser Minten to secure Spokane's 4th straight win over Kamloops this season as the Chiefs came away with a 3-2 shootout victory.
With the win, Spokane pulled their home record to 5-5, their overall record to 8-8-2 and went to 2-2 on the 5 game homestand. The Chiefs sit with 18 points, one back of fifth place Seattle as the team enters its' busiest week on the schedule to date. The club will play 4 games in 5 nights over the Thanksgiving weekend, starting with the closing of the 5 game homestand on Wednesday when the Chiefs host the Vancouver Giants at the Arena at 7:05 pm. After getting the Thanksgiving holiday off, Spokane will play 3 games in 3 nights, beginning with their first road trip to Wenatchee on Friday at 7pm. The Chiefs return home to host Victoria for the first time on Saturday at 6:05 pm, before heading to Portland to finish off the weekend on Sunday at 5:05 pm in the two teams first matchup of the season. It's a demanding stretch for Spokane but they will definitely get a sense of where they stand as they play games 19 through 22 of the campaign.
Spokane has just 4 weeks left in the first half of the season, so now is the time for the team to start to make a move up the standings. I'll have the call for all four games this week on 103.5 FM the Game starting with the pre-game shows a half hour before puck drop. The Chiefs will get forward Ty Cheveldayoff back in the lineup Friday from his 5 game suspension, so that should prove to be a boost to the lineup. Let's hope for a big week from the club and we hope to see you at the rink!
