Chiefs Rip Winter Hawks, Tie For First Leeb’s Hat Trick Helps Spokane Improve Its Road Record To 12-4

Greg Leeb’s hat trick helped the Spokane Chiefs regain a share of the West Division lead Sunday, when the Chiefs thumped the Portland Winter Hawks 7-5 in a Western Hockey League match.

Leeb scored once each in the first, second and third periods as Spokane bumped its flashy road record to 12-4. By improving their overall mark to 20-5-1, the Chiefs tied the Winter Hawks for the division lead.

Spokane, 14-0 when it scores first, scored first, second and third.

Marc Brown and Dan Vandermeer, contributors to Spokane’s 5-3 victory over Tri-City on Saturday, tallied after 56 seconds and 2 minutes, 38 seconds respectively. Brown rebounded Leeb’s miss for his third goal in two nights.

Leeb, who had assisted on Brown’s goal, made it 3-0 at the 5:25 mark.

Trent Whitfield and Leeb scored barely two minutes apart in the second period to give the Chiefs a 6-3 edge. Leeb’s 14th goal completed the scoring at 8:51 of the third.

The Winter Hawks suffered only their second Memorial Coliseum defeat, incorporating 30 starts, over the span of 22 months.

Leeb scored his first goal on a wraparound to rout Portland goalie Jason Labarbara and rebounded a Derek Schutz miss for his second. His wrist shot from the left circle wrapped up the night.