Area sports

Ethan Hughes scored an insurance goal in the second period, and the Spokane Chiefs downed the rival Tri-City Americans 5-2 in a Western Hockey League U.S. Division game on Saturday.

BURBANK, Calif. – Spokane MMA fighter Jaden Ortega remained unbeaten in professional competition, defeating Ricardo Chavez via technical knockout in the second round on Thursday in a welterweight bout at Combate Global 96.

For 50 years, Bloomsday has been a staple of Spokane. With the race only 65 days away, race officials gathered at No-Li Brewhouse on Thursday to discuss what’s new and what remains the same.

When Ortega (5-9) faces Ricardo Chavez (28-24) in La Juala, California in Thursday's Combate Global matchup, it will mark the first fight on a recently signed contract with the largest Hispanic MMA promotion in the United States.

The Spokane Indians, in conjunction with their parent club the Colorado Rockies, announced last week that Tom Sutaris will take over as manager for the 2026 season after serving as bench coach the past two seasons under previous manager Robinson Cancel, who was named manager at Double-A Hartford.

Gonzaga squandered a lead in Game 1, then rallied late for a win in Game 2 before suffering a shutout loss in the finale of its road series against Texas State. Washington State's offense sputtered during a shutout loss in Game 1, then the Cougars absorbed an agonizing extra-innings defeat before breaking through for a win Sunday at Cal Poly.

Like many Americans, Spokane Chiefs general manager Matt Bardsley got up early on Sunday to watch the crowning jewel of the Milan Cortina Olympics – the men’s hockey final between the U.S. and Canada.

KENNEWICK – Don’t look now, but maybe – just maybe – the Spokane Chiefs are starting to gain some momentum just in time for a stretch run into the playoffs.

The Spokane Chiefs came into Friday's home game against Vancouver 12 points and six standings spots higher than the Giants. But that didn't stop the game from turning into a hot-contested, penalty-filled affair. 

UFC flyweight Juliana Miller (5-3) is tired of being the underdog.

LANGLEY, B.C. – It was a big night for the Spokane Chiefs at the inaugural WHL Prospects Game.

The Spokane Indians, in conjunction with their parent club the Colorado Rockies, announced that Tom Sutaris will take over as manager for the 2026 season after serving as bench coach the past two seasons under previous manager Robinson Cancel, who was named manager at Double-A Hartford. 

WENATCHEE – One night after the Spokane Chiefs took a tough home loss to the Wenatchee Wild, they used a short turnaround and returned the favor on Sunday.

Gonzaga’s pitching staff has been impressive to start the year, but the Bulldogs dropped two low-scoring games in a season-opening series at Hawaii before unlocking their offense to pull out an extra-innings win on Sunday at Les Murakami Stadium in Honolulu.

The Spokane Zephyr posted their first win of the spring season, beating Carolina Ascent 2-0 in USL Super League action in Charlotte on Saturday.

With just 16 games remaining in the Western Hockey League regular season, every game takes on added significance to teams fighting for a playoff spot. That, of course, includes the Spokane Chiefs.

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Spokane Chiefs are in a five-team logjam playing a game of musical chairs for the bottom few playoffs spots from the Western Conference, and had a tough road test against one of the other four on Friday. 

The Spokane Chiefs are clinging to the last playoff spot in the Western Conference, with a one-point advantage over the Victoria Royals. At the start of an 11-game stretch against teams either below them in the standings or immediately above, there's no time like the present for the Chiefs to solidify that playoff spot and maybe creep up on Portland and Tri-City, tied for sixth and seventh places three points better than Spokane. 

WENATCHEE – The Spokane Chiefs had a rough one Friday night, falling at last-place Vancouver and allowing the Giants to snap an eight-game losing streak. After a slow start on Saturday, they had no such problems.