Wahl powers Spokane

SEATTLE – Mitch Wahl scored two goals Tuesday night and the Spokane Chiefs earned a 5-2 Western Hockey League victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds in front of 3,206 at KeyArena.

This was the first game of a home-and-home series between the T-Birds and Chiefs. They meet again at 7 tonight in Spokane.

With the win, Spokane (29-20-3-3, 64 points) moved within one point of idle Tri-City (32-18-0-1, 64 points) for second place in the U.S. Division standings.

The Thunderbirds fell to 23-18-2-11, five points behind the Chiefs for fourth place.

Wahl got the Chiefs started early with the first of his two goals, 27 seconds into the first period to give Spokane a 1-0 advantage.

After Seattle’s Aaron Gagnon tied the game at 1 with a 5-on-3 power-play goal at 17:07 of the first, Adam Hobson put the Chiefs up 2-1 at 7:57 of the second period.

David Linsley put the Chiefs up 3-1 at 9:04 of the second.

Gagnon cut the Chiefs’ lead to one at 13:12 of the second with his second goal of the game.

But Spokane scored two empty-net goals – by Wahl and Evan Haw – in the final minute of the third period to seal the victory.

Chiefs 5, Thunderbirds 2

First Period—1, Spo, Wahl 10 (Hobson, Rutherford), :29. 2, Sea, Gagnon 27 (Robertson, Hickey), 17:07 (pp).

Second Period—3, Spo, Hobson 10 (Rutherford), 7:57. 4, Spo, Linsley 4 (Szaszkiewicz), 9:04. 5, Sea, Gagnon 28 (Olson), 13:12.

Third Period—6, Spo, Wahl 11, 19:02 (en). 7, Spo, Haw 3, 19:59 (en).

Power-play Opp.—Spokane 0 of 6; Seattle 1 of 4. Saves—Spokane, Armstrong 6-12-6—24. Seattle, Yeomans 10-14-8—32. A—3,206.