T-C Overhauls Chiefs Spokane Squanders Two-Goal Lead, Bows In Another Overtime Battle

The Spokane Chiefs scored four goals and circled the wagons Wednesday night but a twogoal lead and third-period caution were no match for Tri-City’s Daymond Langkow.

The Western Hockey League’s leading scorer, Langkow again dominated late as the Tri-City Americans shaded the Spokane Chiefs 5-4 in overtime.

Langkow scored the tying goal in the third period and assisted on two others as the Americans wiped out a 4-2 Spokane lead and won for the 20th time, topping their victory total of all last season.

“He loves to win,” Tri-City coach Bob Loucks said. “When the game’s on the line he’s a driven hockey player.”

It was the Chiefs’ third straight loss before 3,403 at the Coliseum, who watched the Americans out-shoot Spokane 11-4 in the third period.

“They’ve been in four straight overtime games,” Loucks pointed out. “When we started pouring it on a little bit it looked like they got tight and sat back.”

The Americans coach still gave the Chiefs an A for effort.

“Spokane played as well as they have all year against us,” Loucks said. “I take my hat off to their effort.”

Tri-City captain Chad Cabana, coming off a shoulder injury, scored the game-winner 1:53 into the extra session.

“Cabby’s been out two or three weeks,”Loucks said. “This was his first game back. He certainly had some energy.”

The Chiefs squandered a two-goal performance by their scoring leader Jason Podollan.

“Podollan had a pretty good game,” Chiefs coach Mike Babcock said. “I thought a lot of guys had pretty good games until the third period.”

Tri-City won for the sixth straight time against the Chiefs by “taking it to us in the third period,” Babcock said.

“Their third goal came after we killed off a penalty and two of our guys skated right by (Mark Hurley) standing there with the puck,” the coach said. “Big-time mental mistake.

“Their fourth goal comes on a 1-on-1 that we don’t win going down the wall and the guy (Langkow) comes around the net (to take a puck the Chiefs failed to clear out of their defensive zone). They did the the little things better.”

John Cirjak and Jared Hope also scored for Spokane (11-27-1).

Tri-City goals came from Geoff Lynch, Hurley, Langkow and Cabana, who struck twice.

Rookie Scott Fletcher of Spokane was ejected for fighting midway in the opening period, leaving the Chiefs with four defensemen.

“That makes for a long night for four D-men with the type of players they have,” Babcock said.

Tri-City twice came back from two-goal deficits. Cirjak made it 3-1 by carrying the puck from behind the net into the slot for a 15-foot wrist shot. With an assist on the play, Jeremy Stasiuk ran his scoring streak to five straight games heading into Saturday’s 7 p.m. Coliseum date with WHL West-leading Kamloops.

Last in the WHL West, the Chiefs have dropped eight of their last 11 at home.

Americans 5, Chiefs 4, OT

Tri-City 1 1 2 1 - 5 Spokane 2 2 0 4 - 4

First period - 1, Spo, Podollan 22nd of the year (Leeb) 5:04; 2, Spo, Hope 4 (Leonov, Haley) 8:45; 3, T-C, Lynch 9 (Ascroft, Komarniski) 15:07. Key penalties - Hamilton, Spo, 1:52; Petrovicky, T-C, 5:39; Spo, Ryan, T-C, 10:02; Fletcher, Spo, roughing minor, fighting, game misconduct 10:02 (served by Favaro); Stasiuk, Spo, 13:07; Mark Hurley, T-C, 16:52.

Second period - 4, Spo, Cirjak 13 (Stasiuk, Cardarelli) :57; 5, T-C, Cabana 9 (Langkow, Kriz) 4:08, (power play); 6, Podollan 23 (Gillam) 19:54. Key penalties - Sawyer, Spo, roughing double minor, 3:15; Gillam, Spo, 9:45; Gillam, Spo, 15:29; Stahl, T-C, 18:28; Hurley, T-C, 19:47.

Third period - 7, T-C, Hurley 11 (Smart, Langkow) 4:11; 8, T-C Langkow 38 (Olson, Souray) 14:10 (pp). Key penalties - Bench minor (too many men on the ice, served by Hope) 2:04; Smart, T- C, 8:42; Cirjak, Spo, 12:48.

Overtime - 9, Cabana 10 (Lynch) 1:53.

Saves - Boucher, T-C, 10-9-4-2- 25 Daniel, Spokane, 14-9-9-0-32.

A - 3,403