Chiefs rout Tri-City to snap 4-game skid

KENNEWICK – Shut out in their previous two games, the Spokane Chiefs rediscovered their offense on Saturday night.

Jason Fram matched a season high with three assists, giving him 40 for the season, and seven players scored goals as the Chiefs snapped a season-high four-game losing streak with a 7-3 win over the Tri-City Americans at Toyota Center.

The Chiefs matched a season high with seven goals. They scored seven against Brandon on Oct. 25.

Eric Williams stopped 31 of 34 shots and the Chiefs took control with four goals over a span of 6 minutes and 2 seconds in the third period.

The Chiefs (32-18-3-2, 69 points) improved to 6-1-0-1 against the Americans (26-24-2-3, 57) this Western Hockey League season.

Tri-City outshot Spokane 15-5 during the 1-all first period. Colton Bobyk’s fifth goal of the season, and his third in four games, allowed the Chiefs to tie the game at 1 at 10:02.

Fram assisted on a pair of second-period goals for a 3-1 lead. Mike Aviani scored his 31st of the season – but his first since Jan. 4 – at 8:57, and Marcus Messier scored at 14:09 for his first goal as a Chief since a trade from Tri-City.

Leading 3-2, the Chiefs busted loose in the third period, starting with Dominic Zwerger’s 11th goal at 6:14.

Carter Proft scored at 7:48, assisted by Fram, and Adam Helewka (11:28) and Keanu Yamamoto had goals 48 seconds apart for a 7-2 advantage.

Tri-City goalie Eric Comrie entered with the third-best goals-against average and second-best save percentage in the league.

Spokane was 0 for 3 on power play while T-C was 2 for 5.

Spokane remained fifth in the Western Conference, six points behind Seattle, which was idle. Sixth-place Vancouver lost to Eastern Conference-leading Edmonton and is six points behind Spokane.