Conroy’s gamble pays off for Chiefs in overtime win

On Casino Night, Spokane Chiefs coach Al Conroy doubled up.

His team already assured of one point by reaching overtime, Conroy threw caution to the wind and directed his players to pull a full-on rush on the Vancouver Giants.

The result was a pivotal, and stirring, 4-3 overtime victory for Spokane over Vancouver in a rugged, sometimes brutal, Western Hockey League game before 7,423 in the Arena on Saturday night.

Diminutive defenseman Joe Logan, acquired from Vancouver earlier this season, was out of breath and nearly speechless after recounting his game-winning goal with 2:16 remaining in overtime.

“I guess I’m still a little bit surprised,” said Logan. “It feels good to get one against the old teammates. … We battled for the full 60 and an extra (2:44) in overtime. We definitely deserved that win.”

The game-winning goal was made possible by Conroy’s decision to send his forwards deep into the Vancouver offensive zone in overtime, taking a chance on giving up an opportunity the other way.

“We don’t care if they get two points,” said Conroy. “We’re guaranteed the point. We needed the two points. We told the guys and that’s why we had Ryan on the point as well. We needed the two points, so we were going for it.”

The Chiefs came out of the gate quickly, sprinting to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals just 15 seconds apart.

Spokane’s first goal came on the power play at the 7-minute, 11-second mark when Jeff Lynch patiently drew the defense to him in the corner, then put a laser shot through the crease which bounced off Schwarz and into the goal.

On the ensuing face-off, Danny Lapointe won the draw and the Kyle Howarth picked up the puck and drove the net hard, beating the Giants defender. He buried the backhanded shot on Schwarz’s stick side at 7:26.

The Chiefs clearly had momentum and the boisterous crowd on their side, but were unable to escape the period unharmed. The Chiefs ended up a man down with 1:30 left in the period when Lynch retaliated with a cross-check after Chad Klassen lost his helmet with a check to the head.

Spokane, which has given up several late goals this season, fell back into that pattern, allowing a Conlan Seder shot from the lost with 1.4 seconds remaining in the period to make it 2-1 heading into the second.

The Chiefs extended he lead back to two goals, at 3-1, when they got their second power-play goal of the game at the 5:32 of the second period. Lapointe made it happen almost single-handedly, gathering a pass from behind the net, attempting a wrap-around, then putting in his own rebound under the pads of Schwarz.

That’s the way the teams entered the third period, with shots on goal even at 23 but the Chiefs clearly in charge. That quickly changed.

The Giants came back to tie the game in the first 10 minutes of the period on two shots from beyond the circle that beat Watt, one from each side of the ice.

First, at the 2:29 mark, Tim Kraus put one in from beyond the top of the right circle. Then, at the 9:54 mark, Paul Abers put one in off the post to the high side of Watt’s stick.

The Chiefs, who were being outshot 10-5 in the period at that point, began to play with more urgency.

The result was several more scoring chances, but Schwarz was outstanding on several occasions to deny Spokane.

In the overtime resulted in more Chiefs offensive pressure, with Schwarz continuing his spectacular play. At the 2:26 mark, Spokane had a rare opportunity, as Ned Lukacevic was awarded a penalty shot but was denied by Schwarz.

Lukacevic, who was brought down by former Tri-City American Brett Festerling, was still shaking minutes after the game.

“I don’t know what more to say about that,” said Lukacevic, who whipped the crowd into a frenzy before his attempt. “I don’t even remember it, to be honest, I was so excited.

“I can’t even explain the feeling I had. I still have goosebumps right now. It’s the most unbelievable thing I’ve ever felt in my life.”

Then, the player who was scratched last weekend as a motivational device, remembered what was most important: “We won, so all that doesn’t matter. It’s huge for us to go out and get these two points.”

Chiefs 4, Giants 3 (OT)

First period–1, Spo, Je.Lynch 16 (Ryan, Lukacevic) 7:11 (pp); 2, Howarth 13 (Bruton, Lapointe) 7:26; 3, Van, Seder 7 (Courchaine) 19:59. Key

penalty – Scharff, Van (kneeing) 6:00.

Second period– 4, Spo, Lapointe 3 (Hobson, Gladue) 5:32 (pp). Third period– 5, Van, Kraus (Abers, Voytechek) 2:29; 6, Van, Abers (Courchaine, Branson) 9:54. Overtime – 7, Spo, Logan 5 (Ryan, Je Lynch) 2:44. Power-play opportunities–Vancouver 2 of 6; Spokane 3 of 7. Saves–Vancouver, Schwarz 9-11-10-3–33. Spokane, Watt 10-12-12-0–34. A–7,423.