Chiefs Ring Out Year With Another Loss

As old acquaintances go, this is one the Spokane Chiefs should forget.

The Tri-City Americans, behind Mike Hurley’s first-period goal and two assists, edged Spokane 3-2 Tuesday night at the Tri-City Coliseum and picked up their sixth consecutive New Year’s Eve victory over the Chiefs.

The win snapped a modest two-game Western Hockey League winning streak for Spokane (17-19-3) and pushed the Chiefs’ record in their last nine road games to 0-8-1.

Hurley got the Americans (10-23-4) started early by helping set up teammate Chris Flynn for the game’s first goal and then answered Spokane’s initial score with a breakaway goal of his own later in the opening period.

Hurley also assisted on Dylan Gyori’s third-period power-play game winner, a one-timer from the right circle with just more than 12 minutes left in the game.

Spokane picked up its first goal with just more than six minutes into the first period when Yegor Mikhailov redirected Greg Leeb’s shot past Americans goaltender Aaron Baker.

The Chiefs’ final goal came on a power play midway through the second period when John Cirjak redirected a rebound shot by Marian Cisar into the net.

Baker finished with 36 saves for the Americans.

Marc Magliarditi registered 26 saves for Spokane, which remained in fourth place in the WHL’s West Division, one point behind Kamloops.

Americans 3, Chiefs 2

Spokane 1 1 0 - 2

Tri-City 2 0 1 - 3

First period - 1, Tri-City, Flynn 2 (Hurley, Pylner), 2:06. 2, Spokane, Mikhailov 8 (Leeb, Magarrell), 6:27 (pp). 3, Tri-City, Hurley 14 (Ascroft, Baker), 17:21 (pp). Key penalties - Jones, Spo, 2:58; McCallum, TC, high sticking major-game misconduct, 4:41; Boschman, Spo, 11:05; Jones, Spo, 16:05.

Second period - 4, Spokane, Cirjak 21 (Cisar, Lane), 10:47 (pp). Key penalties - Lane, Spo, 2:18; Magarrell, Spo, 5:37; Waltze, TC, 9:22; Ascroft, TC, 11:16; Jones, Spo, 14:00.

Third period - 5, Tri-City, Gyori 18 (Ascroft, Hurley), 7:39 (pp). Key penalties - LeGault, TC, 4:10; Jones, Spo, 6:44.

Power-play opp. - Spokane 2 of 4; Tri-City 2 of 7. Saves - Spokane, Magliarditi 7-19-8-34. Tri-City, Baker 6-12-18-36. A - 5,936.