Chiefs Move Closer To First Division Title As Hrdina’s Natural Hat Trick Trips Tri-City

The Spokane Chiefs haven’t scaled the mountain yet, but for the first time they can see the summit.

Jan Hrdina’s natural hat trick - three uninterrupted goals in the third period - lifted the Chiefs to a huge 4-2 win over the Tri-City Americans Saturday night before 5,916 in sold-out Tri-City Coliseum.

With the win - the Chiefs’ club-record ninth straight on the road - Spokane climbed to within three wins of its first division championship. The Kamloops Blazers are still breathing down their necks in second place. But by winning their final regular-season road game, the Chiefs need only get by their last three regularseason opponents, all at home, to shut out the Blazers and claim the Western Hockey League West Division championship - and the home-ice advantage through the division playoffs.

They find themselves closer to a championship today after putting up another first in their season of firsts - the Americans hadn’t lost when leading after two periods. Through the season Tri-City had 35 leads after 40 minutes and 35 wins.

Hrdina spoiled that 35-0 mark almost single-handedly.

Tri-City led 1-0 after two periods and 2-1 in the third before Hrdina lit up one of his favorite buildings.

Last December, the 19-year-old center scored six of a game-high seven points in the third period of a 10-8 loss here with the Seattle Thunderbirds.

Hrdina didn’t need six to pull this club over the top. He came to Spokane in a trade on Jan. 25, a date that is becoming known as the day the West was won.

“It doesn’t really matter where I play,” Hrdina said. “Maybe the style of hockey Tri-City plays is good for me, I don’t know.”

Playing their fourth game in five nights and 10th in their last 15, the Americans tried to play their trademark up-tempo style and nearly pulled it off with flawless goaltending through two periods.

The Chiefs fired 22 shots at Tri-City’s Brian Boucher in the first period. Twenty-two were swept aside in a scoreless 20 minutes. Boucher blanked the Chiefs in the second period, brushing aside 11 Spokane shots.

Meanwhile, Mark Hurley scored on Daymond Langkow’s rebound with the American’s skating short-handed just 1:06 into the second period, and it appeared that a Boucher would make one goal stand up.

But Spokane’s Randy Favaro broke through at 2:54 of the third period, taking a pass from Hrdina in the slot for a one-timer that tied it at 1.

Langkow got that one back at 7:41 of the third, slapping a shot from the left circle through the pads of goaltender David Lemanowicz - not the most artistic strike of Langkow’s brilliant junior hockey career but his 157th career goal, a Tri-City record.

It took 20 seconds for the Chiefs to answer the Langkow goal, Hrdina scoring at 8:01 and again at 10:48 before dumping his third goal into an empty net with 10 seconds left.

Hrdina’s second was as pretty as they come. With the teams skating at four aside, Hrdina stepped around Dan Focht and carried into the slot, patiently waiting to spring a backhander that found its way through the pads of the helpless Boucher, who had 42 saves.

“When it’s four-on-four there’s more room on the ice and it’s better for me,” Hrdina said.

Boucher stood up to almost constant first-period pressure, knocking aside 22 Spokane shots. The Chiefs outshot the Americans in the first 20 minutes 22-7.

The Chiefs lead the series with TriCity 6 games to 5 with the last scheduled meeting Saturday night in an already sold-out Arena.

Chiefs 4, Americans 2

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

First period - None. Key penalties - Olson, TC, 4:56; Haley, Spo, 12:44; Manson, TC, 19:45.

Second period - 1, Tri-City, Ma.Hurley 33 (Langkow), 1:06 (sh). Key penalties - Whitfield, Spo, 3:12; Bertsch, Spo, 6:07; Leonov, Spo, 6:13; Bertsch, Spo, 8:47; Boikov, TC, 9:32; Briske, TC, 14:26; Hamilton, Spo, 19:55.

Third period - 2, Spokane, Favaro 16 (Hrdina, Cardarelli), 2:54. 3, Tri-City, Langkow 28 (Boikov), 7:41. 4, Spokane, Hrdina 27, 8:01. 5, Spokane, Hrdina 28 (Cardarelli), 10:48. 6, Spokane, Hrdina 29 (Sinclair), 19:50 (en). Key penalties - Komarniski, TC, :07; Gillam, Spo, 4:48; Komarniski, TC, 9:12; Podollan, Spo, double minor, 9:58; Hamilton, Spo, 19:40.

Power-play opp. - Spokane 0 of 6; Tri-City 0 of 10.Saves - Spokane, Lemanowicz 7-14-13-34. Tri-City, Boucher 22-11-9-42.A - 5,916.

, DataTimes