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

Chiefs suffers 7th straight defeat, 3rd straight shutout, in loss to Victoria

Injuries, bad breaks, poor execution – whatever the reason, the Spokane Chiefs are in a horrible funk. The Chiefs’ losing streak reached a season-high seven on Friday night as Tyler Soy had a hand in every goal and Coleman Vollrath stopped all 29 shots during the Victoria Royals’ 3-0 win at the Arena. Spokane’s last seven-game losing streak came during the 2006-07 season. The Chiefs suffered their third consecutive shutout and their fourth in five games. The only previous time the Chiefs were blanked for three straight games was in March 2006. Spokane has played nearly 206 minutes without scoring, stretching back to the second period of its Jan. 23 game at Portland. “Our players are doing things their own way right now and it ain’t working, that’s obvious,” said Chiefs head coach Don Nachbaur, whose 56th birthday was Friday. “We have to make a mental decision as a group and be committed to what we’re doing.” Injuries are a big contributing factor. Defenseman Evan Fiala came off the injury list, but seven Chiefs are still sidelined, all with upper-body injuries. Spokane also played without backup goalie Tyson Verhelst, who was ill. “It’s a lot,” Nachbaur said of what share injuries have had in the downturn. “It’s affected us mentally, but we still have a lot of season to play and the guys who are playing are getting great opportunities. But it takes leadership to instill the belief.” Bad fortune is also haunting Spokane. The Chiefs, trailing 2-0, had two big flurries against Vollrath late in the first period but couldn’t convert. “We’re snake-bitten,” Nachbaur said. “We had an empty net and Devon McAndrews couldn’t get it past the stick and Jake Cardiff threw it off the glass. But these are all things where if we change the mentality of where we’re shooting … we like the high heater and it’s not working for us.” Victoria, 27-20-3-1 after winning 10 of its last 13 games, had a bit of good fortune in the first period. Soy, whose rebound goal at 4:32 opened the scoring, assisted on Jack Walker’s goal less than 31/2 minutes later. “I thought Jack Walker was going to be open out front, so I just tried to get it to him,” Soy said. “(The pass) … came off the net right to him and he buried it in the five-hole. Pretty lucky bounce, for sure.” Soy completed the scoring with a breakaway at 7:41 of the third, tying his season highs for goals and points in a game. “I came in and kind of mishandled the puck and it just luckily slid through (Chiefs goalie Garret Hughson’s) legs, I think, and he might have slid in the net with the puck,” Soy said. “But I just saw it cross the line and I was so thankful that it went in.” Spokane (23-21-3-1, 50 points) remained tied for fourth place in the U.S. Division with Tri-City. Third-place Seattle (54 points) won to increase its edge on the Chiefs and Americans. The challenges don’t get any easier for Spokane, which hosts Medicine Hat tonight. The Tigers (35-12-1-1) own the second-best record in the 12-team Eastern Conference.