Chiefs win on strength of Hughson shutout
KENNEWICK – Spokane’s Garret Hughson stopped 28 shots to earn his first shutout of the season in the Chiefs’ 4-0 Western Hockey League win over the Tri-City Americans on Friday night.
It was the third straight shutout between the two teams. Tri-City beat Spokane 2-0 on Jan. 24 and 7-0 on Jan. 17.
Jackson Playfair got Spokane on the board with a power-play goal 13:11 into the first period. Adam Helewka made it 2-0 with his team-leading 33rd goal of the season 7:42 into the second period.
Riley Whittingham and Nick Charif added third-period goals for Spokane.
Jason Fram assisted on the Chiefs’ first three goals.
Tri-City held a 28-25 shot advantage, including 12-7 in the first period, but couldn’t get any past Hughson.
The win gave Spokane (29-27-3-1) a five-point lead over Tri-City (27-32-0-3) for the first wild-card spot. The teams meet again tonight at the Spokane Arena.