Chiefs ‘wake up’ late for shootout win

Who are those guys?

The Spokane Chiefs were well on their way to extending their home-ice misery Friday night. Then, somehow, things changed in the final seven-plus minutes of regulation.

Spokane scored two goals in that span to force a five-minute overtime – just when it looked like the Chiefs had doomed themselves again – then won it in an overtime shootout by a 4-3 score in Western Hockey League play in the Arena.

“It’s big, obviously,” said a relieved Spokane coach Bill Peters. “Now we go out on our eastern swing, and it’s a good way to send us out on our road trip.”

The win was a key one for Spokane (11-12-1, 23 points), which ended a three-game winning streak for Seattle (11-7-1-3, 26). Still, the Thunderbirds get a point for the shootout loss.

Spokane is in fourth place in the U.S. Division, just two points ahead of last-place Tri-City (21 points), a 4-0 winner over slumping division leader Everett.

The WHL added the shootout this season in an attempt to create some exciting finishes for the league’s fans. It had that effect this night, but only after Adam Hobson scored his second goal of the game for Spokane with just 48.4 seconds left in regulation to extend the contest. The teams were scoreless through the five-minute, 4-on-4 overtime, then the crowd rose to its feet as each team selected three shooters.

First, Spokane goalie Jim Watt stopped Seattle’s Bud Holloway. Then, in alternating fashion, the next four shooters all scored: Chris Durand and Mitch Fadden for Seattle and Derek Ryan and Chad Klassen for Spokane.

That meant Michael Grabner, the Chiefs’ blossoming import star, could win it all with a goal. He wouldn’t disappoint.

He took the puck at center ice, drove on Seattle goalie Gavin McHale, got him to commit low, then skated right and put it in backhanded. The Chiefs mobbed Grabner as they breathed both a sigh of relief and exhilaration on the heels of one of their worst games of the year.

“It was pretty exciting,” said Grabner. “At first, he (Peters) only called the first two shooters. Then, when it was tied up, he said, ‘Grabs, let’s go.’ I was pretty nervous at first, but then I said, ‘Just do it like in practice.’ We’ve done it so many times.”

The Chiefs followed a tried-and-true formula through the first two periods: get on the penalty-kill early, spot the opponent at least a two-goal lead, then try to play catch-up hockey. It wasn’t working. But they turned it around in the third – with a little help from the Thunderbirds.

Seattle got first-period goals from Ladislav Scurko, Clayton Barthel and Aaron Gagnon – two on power plays – to build a 3-1 first-period lead, then put it on cruise control. Spokane got its lone goal through two periods from Hobson and wasn’t looking like a winner until the final half of the third period.

“There’s nothing better than a comeback win, especially going out on the road,” said Hobson.

Spokane mixed things up a little bit, sitting rookie defensemen Jared Spurgeon and Justin Falk and struggling import forward Johannes Salmonsson. The Chiefs also called up 18-year-old left winger Judd Blackwater from Brook of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, and he had a nice debut, playing alongside Hobson and Drayson Bowman.

Hockey is a game of discipline, timing, and hustle. The Chiefs weren’t doing most of those things through the first two periods: costly turnovers and needless penalties put them in a hole numerous times, yet – despite all those – they were in this one as the final minutes ticked off.

That’s because one player, J.P. Szaskiewicz, didn’t give up. He took the puck in the defensive zone, then headed up ice along the boards to the left circle and fired a shot on net that bounced off the skate of McHale for a 3-2 score with 7:37 left in the game.

“Billy was talking about putting the puck on net the whole game,” said Szaskiewicz. “I took it wide, kind of lost it there, then put it on net like (he) wanted me to and got good results.”

The goal came only after Spokane had blown a golden opportunity, a five-minute power play that came via a rare clipping penalty called on Seattle’s Greg Scott at the 6:02 mark, which also carried a match penalty. Spokane’s Dan Mercer was called for roughing McHale just 38 seconds into the man-advantage, but the Chiefs killed it off.

After the goal by Szaskiewicz, his first of the season, the Chiefs got a final-minute power play when Seattle’s Thomas Hickey was called for high sticking with just 54 seconds left. Hobson banged home a rebound of a Klassen shot six seconds later to send the game into overtime.

It was a wild, weird finish for a team that has befuddled its coaches and fans alike at every turn this season.

“This is a frustrating group of guys; it is for everybody: themselves, the coaches, the fans, because we’re capable,” said Peters. “We’re a capable group, but we have to be willing. We have to be more willing on a consistent basis. It’s one through 20, and we can’t have anyone taking a night off.”

Seatttle appeared to relax a bit after the first period, though their coaches said they warned their players to be wary of a Spokane team that was looking to erase the memories of the 8-3 Thanksgiving Eve loss to Portland.

“Obviously, they scored a couple of goals and came back,” said a shaken Seattle coach Rob Sumner. “We didn’t think they were going to go away, and they didn’t.”

Chiefs 4, Thunderbirds 3 (SO)

Seattle/Spokane won shootout 3-2

First Period—1, Sea, Scurko 7 (Tomanek) 2:12 (pp).

2, Sea, Barthel 3 (Gibbons, Hickey) 6:10 (pp).

3, Spo, Hobson 7 (Schulz) 8:38.

4, Sea, Gagnon 2 (Gibbons) 14:40.

Second Period—None.

Third Period—5, Spo, Szaskiewicz 1 (Zimmerman, Watt); 6, Spo, Hobson 8 (Klassen, Schulz) 19:12.

Overtime—None.

Shootout—Seattle 2 (Holloway, miss; Durand, goal; Fadden, goal); Spokane 3 (Ryan, goal; Klassen, goal; Grabner, goal).

Power-play Opp.—Seattle 2 of 6; Spokane 1 of 4. Saves—Seattle, McHale 31 saves. Spokane, Watt 30 saves. A—6,273.