Chiefs make it 3 wins in a row
Brassart, Koper score twice in win over Bruins
CHILLIWACK, British Columbia – Brady Brassart and Levko Koper each notched a pair of goals and Brenden Kitchton added three assists Tuesday to lead the Spokane Chiefs to their third consecutive win, a 6-1 drubbing of the Chilliwack Bruins.
The Chiefs (28-11-3-2), whose three-game winning streak has propelled them into a tie for first place with the Portland Winterhawks, outshot Chilliwack (20-19-2-1) 37-20 in the game, scoring all six goals against Bruins goalie Lucas Gore.
In net for Spokane, James Reid was more than up to the task of shutting down the Bruins, converting 19 of 20 save attempts to earn his club-record 78th win.
The Chiefs didn’t take much time to put the game out of reach. Koper’s goal 6:06 into the opening period gave them a 1-0 lead and the Chiefs finished the first 20 minutes with a 3-0 lead and a 16-4 edge in shots on goal.
The Bruins managed no more than eight shots in a period, scoring their only goal 25 seconds into the final period. Ryan Howse had the goal for the Bruins, with an assist from Curt Gogol.
Spokane added two goals in the second, with Brassart’s second goal of the night giving them a 5-0 lead, putting the finishing touches on their third straight win. It was the 13th game this season in which Spokane has scored at least five goals.
“It was a great road win for us,” Chiefs coach Don Nachbaur said about his team’s fourth win in five games. “It’s a great way to end a very tough week of travel with a quality road win to keep us at the top of the division.”
Jared Cowen scored the Chiefs’ second power-play goal of the night to extend his goal-scoring streak to three. Spokane connected twice in four power-play opportunities.
Adding to a streak of his own was Tyler Johnson, who tallied a pair of assists to give him points in 11 consecutive games.
With the win, the Chiefs have 61 points and sit deadlocked with Portland, which knocked off Tri-City 5-4 in overtime.
Spokane will try and make it four in a row when it hosts Kootenay at 7 p.m. Friday.