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

Gal strikes twice against Edmonton

Reid stops 41 shots in Chiefs victory

EDMONTON, Alberta – Blake Gal’s shorthanded goal in the first period looked like it would be all the breathing room Spokane goalie James Reid would need against Edmonton, but the Chiefs obliged Reid with two more in the third in their 3-1 Western Hockey League win Friday.

With Spokane (13-7-1-2) down a man in the first period, Gal broke away from the pack and snapped a back-handed shot into the net to break the scoreless tie at the 14:21 mark. Gal was just getting things going against the Oil Kings (8-13-2-4), though, as he added an assist on a goal by Levko Koper and then capped the Chiefs’ scoring with a rebound goal with 8:55 remaining in the game.

Given the lead early, Reid responded with 41 saves against the Oil Kings, stopping 16 shots in a scoreless second period and 14 in the final frame.

“James Reid got us a win tonight,” Spokane coach Hardy Sauter said. “I was also real happy with Blake Gal and Levko Koper, as well. The penalty kill was outstanding for us in the win.”

The victory came at an opportune time for the Chiefs, who started on their five-game road swing by moving into a tie for third place in the U.S. Division with Everett.

Koper gave Spokane a two-goal lead after the second intermission, corralling a missed shot by Mitch Wahl and pushing it past Edmonton goalie Torrie Jung. The goal for the Edmonton native came in front of nearly 300 friends and family.

Edmonton’s lone goal – which was credited to Brent Raedeke – came with 1:07 left, when a Chiefs defender tried to clear from behind the net and had the puck ricochet off a teammate into the net.