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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Chiefs end losing streak

Beggars can’t be choosy, and with seven straight losses the Spokane Chiefs were all but begging for a win.

They got it Wednesday night before 3,280 fans at the Arena. Even if it wasn’t exactly pretty, they’ll take it.

Derek Ryan’s power-play goal early in the third period was the difference in a 4-3 win over the U.S. Division-rival Portland Winter Hawks.

“Huge,” Chiefs coach Bill Peters said. “Huge.

“I don’t think thing we started to doubt ourselves, but I think frustration was starting to become too big a factor. I think this win is going to flush all of that. If there was any doubt, it will flush the doubt and the frustration and we’ll have a good weekend.”

The first two periods were somewhat lackluster, but after Ryan’s goal, his fourth of the year, the Chiefs (6-7-3, 15 points) took the game to the Winter Hawks (6-8-0, 12).

“Romy (Ondrej Roam) was driving wide and he tossed it in to me,” Ryan said. “I kind of made a move and went forehand five-hole.”

Ryan was out front between the circles. In traffic, he skated in on Kurtis Mucha, cut to the right, then flicked in the winner.

“Coming in on the losing streak, obviously you need a win because of that reason, but just because these guys are chasing us in this division it’s huge,” Ryan said. “You always have to win those kinds of games at home.”

It still wasn’t easy. Despite a 19-7 shot advantage in the third period the Chiefs had to kill off three penalties in the third period, including 72 seconds of a Portland 5-on-3 with less than 6 minutes left.

“I thought our work ethic was a lot better this game,” said veteran defense Sean Zimmerman, who sat out the second game of his two-game suspension.

The Chiefs were listless for most of the first period but came out of it with a 2-2 tie.

The Winter Hawks got a pair of easy goals, the first for Sasha Golin and Stefan Langwider. Spokane countered with David Rutherford’s fifth and Drayson Bowman’s fourth.

Rutherford scored by poking the puck past Portland goalie Kurtis Mucha, who couldn’t smother a rebound after Dan Mercer flipped a shot on goal from tight quarters. Bowman, parked alone in the right circle, one-timed a perfect cross-ice pass from Ondrej Roman.

Adam Hobson gave the Chiefs a short-lived lead 34 seconds into the second period. Judd Blackwater had the puck behind the net and found the captain alone in front of the net for his fourth goal of the season. But just 31 seconds later Nick Hotson’s weak backhander went through the legs of Spokane goalie Dustin Tokarski.

“I thought we took the game over in the third,” Peters said. “That first 40 minutes was just like ping pong. When we scored the third goal early (in the second), a great shift by the Hobson, Rutherford, Blackwater line, they come back and get a bit of a soft goal. That didn’t give us the opportunity that we wanted to take over that period.”

Spokane overage defenseman Evan Haw left the game in the first period and didn’t return.

Chiefs 4, Winter Hawks 3

Portland21003
Spokane21014

First Period—1,Por, Golin 1(Bailey, Klinkhammer) pp, 6:44. 2, Spo, Rutherford 5(Mercer), 14:05. 3, Por, Langwider 1 (Scevior, Hotson), 14:45. 4, Spo, Bowman 4 (Roman), 18:01.

Second Period—5, Spo, Hobson 4 (Blackwater, Spurgeon), :34. 6, Por, Hotson 5, unassisted, 1:05.

Third Period—7, Spo, Ryan 4 (Roman) pp, 2:47.

Power-play Opp.—Portland 1 of 9; Spokane 1 of 10. Saves—Portland, Mucha 9-7-18-34. Spokane, Tokarski 9-7-7—26. A—3,280.