Chiefs let this one get away

The Spokane Chiefs know only they can control their destiny, but on this night the “hockey gods” paid them back in the most painful of ways.

The Chiefs blew a two-goal lead in the final six minutes of regulation, then gave up the game-winner with just 10.3 seconds left in overtime as they fell 5-4 to the Kootenay Ice on Friday night in Western Hockey League play at the Arena.

“Up 4-2 in the third period, we can’t be giving up a loss like that; it just leaves all of us speechless,” said defenseman Dan Mercer, shaking his head and thumping his hip pads in frustration as he recalled the game’s end.

“We can’t let this happen,” he continued. “It’s halfway through the season and we’ve got to mature as a team. … It doesn’t show we’re a mature team if we’re giving up two-goal leads in the third period.”

Maturity was the difference on this night. Kootenay (27-11-0-2), the WHL’s third-ranked team, toyed with Spokane (16-18-1-1) for the first 14 minutes and got two goals from captain Adam Cracknell to jump to a 2-0 lead.

The Chiefs had no answer as a team, but its most productive line stepped forward to answer the challenge. Spokane worked its way back during the next 10 minutes and tied matters on goals from Adam Hobson and Drayson Bowman. Those two and linemate Michael Grabner had a spectacular night in an effort that ended up being wasted.

Spokane did play well as a team in the second period, but put itself on the penalty kill way too often. The Chiefs survived several short-handed situations to end the second and start the third, but expended a lot of wasted effort in doing so and gave hope to the Ice.

Yet the Chiefs worked through it and were able to pad their lead to 4-2 with two power-play goals in the the first half of the third period.

Joe Logan (at 4:34) and Hobson (with his second at 10:13) gave Spokane a lead that appeared safe with half a period remaining and Kootenay clearly frustrated by its inability to gain ground on Spokane during that span.

Spokane goalie Jim Watt also bounced back from a rough first period to make some nifty stops over the next 30 minutes. Things appeared too good to be true for a young Chiefs team.

But the Ice stormed back with the trademark intensity of a veteran team and got a power-play goal with just 5:59 remaining after a hooking penalty on Spokane’s Justin Falk. Paul Kurceba poked in a rebound goal as the puck just sat idly in the Spokane crease for what seemed like an eternity.

“That’s a 50-50 puck right there,” said Watt. “Someone’s got to get that puck out of there.”

Then, with just 3 minutes left, Spokane defenseman Sean Zimmerman was whistled for a costly interference penalty that buoyed the Ice.

They put intense pressure on the Spokane defense, then tied the game just after the expiration of the man advantage with a pass through the Spokane crease that Curtis Billstein buried as Watt tried to cover the right side of the net.

That quieted the rowdy crowd of 7,044, but Spokane rallied its effort for overtime.

The Chiefs were just 10.3 seconds from a shootout when Busto put a shot on net from the top of the right circle that Watt gloved, then dropped, as it dribbled slowly over the goal line.

Watt slammed his stick against the goal post and skated off the ice with his head down.

The Chiefs then held an extended postgame meeting.

Ice 5, Chiefs 4 (OT)

First Period—1, Ktn, Cracknell 19 (Kurceba) 4:16.

2, Ktn, Cracknell 20 (Bailey) 13:49.

2, Spo, Hobson 13 (Grabner, Bowman) 14:50.

Second Period—4, Spo, Bowman 9 (Hobson) 4:45.

Third Period—5, Spo, Logan 3 (Mercer) 4:34 (pp).

6, Spo, Hobson 14 (Zimmerman, Mercer), 10:13 (pp).

7, Ktn, Kurceba 4 (Cracknell, DaSilva) 14:01 .

8, Ktn, Billstein 14 (Maxwell, Bailey) 19:21.

Overtime—9, Ktn, Busto 6 (Maxwell, Bailey) 4:50.

Power-play Opp.—Kootenay 1 of 7; Spokane 2 of 5. Saves—Kootenay, Dakers 25 saves. Spokane, Watt 38 saves. A—7,044.