Favaro’s Overtime Goal Gives Chiefs First Win Vs. Kelowna
It didn’t come easy, but five months into the Western Hockey League season, the Spokane Chiefs finally have their first win over Kelowna.
The Chiefs, who had just a tie to show for three previous meetings with the Rockets, pulled out a 5-4 victory Friday night when Randy Favaro buried a shot from the slot 3:11 into overtime.
That gives the Chiefs, who saw a two-goal lead disappear in the final half of the third period, momentum heading into a key meeting against Kamloops tonight at 7 in a sold-out Spokane Arena.
Spokane dominated the overtime in the hard-hitting game. Favaro intercepted a Kelowna clearing attempt at the point, moved in a couple of strides and fired home his 14th goal of the season.
Trent Whitfield scored twice for the Chiefs in a 5-minute span in the second period, one with Spokane skating short-handed, and Sean Gillam and Joe Cardarelli added singles.
Whitfield, who raised his season goal total to 29, has scored five of Spokane’s 11 short-handed goals this season. He sailed in on Kelowna goalie Rob Friesen on a breakaway 13:50 into the second period for a 3-2 lead.
Gillam’s 11th goal, when he slipped a Whitfield feed under Friesen, gave Spokane the lead just 1:19 into the game.
But the Rockets turned a couple of Gillam miscues into a 2-1 lead. He was off the ice twice with penalties when Robb Gordon (less than a minute after Gillam’s goal) and Tyler Prosofsky (early in the second period) beat Spokane goalie David Lemanowicz. The goals came a total of 11 seconds into the power plays.
And the quick strikes didn’t end there. After Cardarelli’s 20th goal gave Spokane a 4-2 lead 57 seconds into the third on a power play, Brett McLean and Gordon got Kelowna into overtime. Gordon’s second goal came 13 seconds into a power play with 2:25 left in regulation.
Spokane 1 2 1 1 - 5 Kelowna 1 1 2 0 - 4
First period-1, Spokane, Gillam 11 (Whitfield), 1:19. 2, Kelowna, Gordon 43 (Grimard, Henderson), 2:15 (pp). Key penalty-Gillam, Spo, 2:09.
Second period-3, Kelowna, Prosofsky 30 (Gordon, Henderson), 6:37. 4, Spokane, Whitfield 28 (Gillam, Cardarelli), 8:42. 5, Spokane, Whitfield 29 (Shockey), 13:50 (sh). Key penalties-Gillam, Spo, 6:32; Wade, Kel, 7:39; Favaro, Spo, double minor, 10:39; Varada, Kel, minor, fighting major, 19:12; Boschman, Spo, fighting major, 19:12.
Third period-6, Spokane, Cardarelli 20 (Schutz), :57 (pp). 7, Kelowna, McLean 31 (Grimard, Hannan), 9:44. 8, Kelowna, Gordon 44 (Henderson), 17:35 (pp). Key penalty-Schutz, Spo, 17:22.
Overtime-9, Spokane, Favaro 14, 3:11. Key penalties-None.
Power-play opp.-Spokane 1 of 5; Kelowna 3 of 8.Saves-Spokane, Lemanowicz 6-12-9-1-28. Kelowna, Friesen 10-6-12-3-31.A-2,200.
, DataTimes