Spokane Chiefs dispatch Victoria

The Spokane Chiefs used a pair of rebounds to rebound from a pair of losses on Tuesday night.

The Chiefs scored three times in the third period and goalie Mac Engel made 26 saves as the Chiefs scored a 4-2 win over the host Victoria Royals in a Western Hockey League game.

The fifth-place Chiefs (33-22-4-3, 73 points) moved within three points of the Vancouver Giants for fourth place in the Western Conference playoff race.

After Victoria’s Dakota Conroy scored 5 minutes, 17 seconds into the first period, Spokane’s Mitch Holmberg scored his 25th goal of the season. Holmberg’s initial shot was turned away, but Collin Valcourt kept the rebound alive for Spokane and got the puck to Holmberg, who snapped the puck in at 12:24.

After a scoreless second, Valcourt scored at 1:30 in the third on the rebound of Brenden Kichton’s shot. Victoria tied it before Blake Gal scored the winner on a patient feed from Steve Kuhn at 16:40 and Corbin Baldwin added an empty-net goal at 18:54.

“That (Kuhn to Gal) play was obviously a huge play and for me the difference in the game,” Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz said in a radio interview.

“(After Victoria’s second goal) our guys didn’t sag and from then on I don’t think we lost a shift.” .

KIJHL

Dylan Tappe scored the tiebreaking goal at 6:11 of the third period as the Spokane Braves stayed alive in their KIJHL playoff series with a 3-2 win over the Beaver Valley Nitehawks at Eagles Ice-A-Rena.

The Braves, who trail 3-1 in the best-of-7 series, visit Beaver Valley on Thursday night at 7:30 for Game 5.