KENNEWICK, Wash — The Chiefs have hit that time of the season where the games seem to fly by, but every contest is huge as the club is fighting for the final playoff spot in the conference. With just 21 games remaining in the campaign entering the first full week of February, Spokane knows every point is crucial towards securing a post season berth or missing out on the playoffs for a second straight season. The team was coming off a successful 3 games in 3 nights weekend, having won at Everett and at home against Kelowna.
The lone loss of the previous weekend was at Tri City, who was looming just a point back of the Chiefs for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West coming into the week. After playing Everett, Tri and Kelowna, Spokane turned around and played the same three teams again this week. First up would come the Americans at home in the Spokane Arena in a game that could see the Chiefs solidify their lead, or have them fall out of the final playoff berth.
The Americans handled Spokane 6-3 last weekend in Kennewick in a game Tri City took a 2-0 lead and never looked back. Friday's game would see the two teams play a tight and even first period until rookie defenseman Nathan Mayes snapped home his first career goal with just .3 seconds left in the period to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead after one. Spokane would seize the momentum of that goal and run with it in the second. Berkly Catton drove to the net and lifted one under the bar 3.5 minutes into the period to apparently make it 2-0. The puck went in and out of the net and was hit out by Tri City goalie Lukas Matecha and the referee ruled it a no goal. The goal judge turned on the light though and the play went to video review. After a lengthy review process, the goal was ruled good and the Chiefs now led the contest 2-0.
Spokane would follow that goal with a Shea Van Olm rebound goal from Mayes at 7:51 to go ahead 3-0. Tri City would get on the board just under 4 minutes later with a goal off a face off win in the Chiefs zone to cut the deficit to 3-1. The Americans then had a chance to get within one as they went on the power play late in the period, but Spokane would turn the tables when Catton scored his second of the night, and his league leading 6th short handed goal with just 48 seconds left in the second to give the Chiefs a commanding 4-1 advantage heading into the third. Spokane out shot Tri City 17-4 in the second and would continue that dominance into the final frame.
In the third, the Chiefs squashed any thoughts of a Tri City comeback as Connor Roulette scored his 33rd of the season only 1:18 into the period to put Spokane up 5-1. From there, the Chiefs outshot the Americans 12-6 in the period and carried the play continually into the Tri City zone. Goalie Dawson Cowan was hardly tested as he faced just 22 shots on the night and Spokane moved 3 points ahead of the rival Americans for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West with a 5-1 victory. It was a great start to the weekend, but the team had little time to celebrate as they boarded the bus afterwards and made their way to Everett to take on the division co-leading Silvertips the next evening.
Spokane had knocked off the Tips on their home ice the previous Friday by a 6-4 score and Everett was more than anxious to give some payback. The Silvertips had won the night before in Wenatchee by a convincing 6-2 final and were now tied with Portland for first in the U.S. Division, although the Winterhawks had a whopping 5 games in hand over Everett. The Chiefs and Silvertips had played 5 previous times, with the road club winning every occasion. Spokane was hoping to finish with a season split of the series as they hoped for their 3rd straight victory on enemy ice.
Saturday's contest didn't start on a good note as Everett's first shot on net was hit up in the air by goalie Dawson Cowan, but went straight up in the air and over and behind Cowan into the net just over two minutes into the game to give the Silvertips a quick 1-0 lead. The Chiefs didn't get their first shot on goal until almost 9 minutes in but Rasmus Ekstrom made it count, as he scored his 11th of the season at 8:49 to even the game at 1-1. Everett re-took the lead on a goal off a 4 on 4 at 14:09 and then capitalized on a Chiefs turnover behind their net at 17:07 to take a 3-1 advantage. The Chiefs came right back 22 seconds later as Layton Feist scored his 9th of the season to cut the deficit to 3-2 after the first period.
The Chiefs had a power play to start the second but the Silvertips Ben Hemmerling scored a short handed goal 59 seconds into the period to put Everett back up by two at 4-2. That lead would hold until the final minute of the period. Spokane went on their only power play of the middle frame in the last minute and would convert just 20 seconds into it as Berkly Catton scored his team leading 38th of the year to bring the Chiefs within 4-3 at the end of two. Spokane was outshot 34-13 at the end of 40 minutes, yet found themselves within a goal heading to the final period.
The third would prove to be one of the wildest periods of hockey this season. Everett went back up by two goals midway through the stanza to take a 5-3 lead. Spokane got back in the game when Hayden Paupanekis scored his 8th of the year, and his 4th against Everett, at 15:42 to make it a 5-4 game. Everett seemed to have put the game away when Hemmerling scored his second of the game off a 2 on 1 rush with 3:30 remaining to give the Silvertips a seemingly safe 6-4 lead. The Chiefs would pull Cowan from goal in the final minute and a half and the move paid off as Owen Martin tipped in a Chase Bertholet shot with 51 seconds left to bring Spokane withiin 6-5. After the face off, Cowan headed to the bench again and once again the Chiefs executed as Ty Cheveldayoff lifted a back hand in with just 22 seconds remaining to cap a wild come back and tie the game at 6-6 heading to overtime.
Both teams went back and forth in the 5 minute overtime, putting 3 shots apiece on net. While both clubs got great looks, neither team scored as they headed to a 3 round shootout. Catton would give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead in the first round as he found the net for the second time in the game. Everett's Carter Bear evened the shootout at one with a goal in the second round and then Hemmerling would win it for the Silvertips as he scored in round 3 to give Everett a 7-6 shootout victory. It ruined a whale of a comeback by Spokane, but the Chiefs did pick up a point over Tri City as they now led Tri by 4 points for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West.
The team would then head North to Kelowna for their final meeting with the Rockets this season on Tuesday night. The home team had won the previous three meetings between the two, so the Chiefs knew a win would give them the season series over Kelowna. Cooper Michaluk got the start in goal after Dawson Cowan had started the previous two games. Spokane got in trouble early as Kelowna got a 5 on 3 power play in the first 4 minutes of the game and the Rockets wasted little time as they scored just 6 seconds into the two man advantage to take a 1-0 lead. The Chiefs would counter on Kelowna's next power play as Connor Roulette scored Spokane's league leading 14th short handed goal of the season at 8:27 to tie the game at 1-1. The Rockets re-took the lead on a tip midway through the period as they would seize a 2-1 advantage after one.
Spokane came out firing in the second as they put up 6 of the first 7 shots of the period and would even the game on a Saige Weinstein goal 5.5 minutes into the period to make it 2-2. Spokane would kill off 2 Kelowna power plays in the period as Michaluk turned aside all 14 Rockets shots in the period to send the game to the third tied at two. The Chiefs would have to kill off 52 seconds of a 5 on 3 Kelowna power play early in the third and then would go on the rush after the penalty kill. Once again, it was Weinstein leading the rush as his shot was hit in the net by Rocket defenseman Caden Price 2:24 into the period to give the Chiefs their first lead of the night at 3-2.
Kelowna would get their 7th power play of the game midway through the third but Michaluk and the penalty kill unit kept the Rockets off the board for the 6th time in 7 tries to keep the lead. Rasmus Ekstrom then extended his points scoring streak to 6 straight with his 12th goal of the season at 17:48 to seal a 4-2 victory. The win gave the Chiefs the season series from the Rockets 3-1 and kept Spokane 4 points ahead of Tri City for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West. The club also moved within 4 points of Kelowna for the 7th spot in the conference with 18 games left in the season.
The Chiefs now head into a huge part of the schedule as they will play 4 games in 5 nights. Spokane starts with a home and home series with the arch rival Tri City Americans on Friday and Saturday. The team travels to Tri Friday night at 7:05 pm before hosting the Americans Saturday at 6:05pm. Spokane then heads back on the road for two, visiting the 6th place team in the West in Vancouver on Monday at 2:05 pm before finishing the stretch in Wenatchee at 6:05 pm Tuesday the 20th. It's that time of the year that will solidify the Chiefs playoff hopes or cause some nail biting heading into the final month of the season.
I'll have the call for Friday, Monday and Tuesday's games on 103.5 FM the Game and 1510 AM KGA with the pre-game shows at 6:30pm, 1:30 pm and 5:30 pm. Saturday's game will be on 94.1 FM the Bear and 790 AM KJRB due to Gonzaga basketball with the pre-game starting at 5:30 pm. It's a huge test for Spokane with 3 of 4 on the road and a playoff berth hanging in the balance. Let's hope the boys keep improving and we hope to see you at the rink!
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