Spokane delivers: Johnson’s late goal beats Giants
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Tyler Johnson figures it was either going to be him or Mitch Wahl.
One way or another, someone was putting the puck in the net.
It was Johnson who broke a 2-2 tie and tapped in the game-winning goal in the third period as the Spokane Chiefs took a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal with a 3-2 victory over the defending Memorial Cup champion Vancouver Giants in Western Hockey League playoff action on Wednesday night in front of a Pacific Coliseum crowd of 7,115.
The best-of-7 series resumes Friday and Saturday in Vancouver, and unless the Chiefs win the next two games, they will return to the Spokane Arena on Monday for Game 6. If a seventh game is to be played, it will be on Tuesday at the Arena.
“We played a good game,” said Johnson, a Spokane native. “(Stefan) Ulmer got a shot through and it leaked past (Vancouver goalie Tyson) Sexsmith and just stopped on the line. It was just lying there, so it was either me or Wahl getting it, I just beat him to it.”
Goalie Dustin Tokarski stopped 23 shots in the victory to improve to 6-1-0-0 between the posts for Spokane in the playoffs.
The Chiefs’ second line of Ondrej Roman, Judd Blackwater and David Rutherford continued its ample postseason production. Roman and Rutherford notched a goal and an assist each and Blackwater finished with a helper.
“His whole second half has been outstanding,” Peters said of Rutherford. “That whole line – Judd Blackwater from the middle of January on and Ondrej Roman from probably February on and since (Rutherford) has been healthy (after missing 18 games early because of a groin injury) all three guys have played better and collectively it’s a good line.”
After a scoreless first period, Roman quickly got to work on his first shift of the second, putting the Chiefs on the board 1 minute, 36 seconds into the period when he scored off Rutherford’s feed from the right wall. Roman collected the puck in front of Sexsmith and lifted it in stick side over Sexsmith’s shoulder.
The Giants answered 1:30 later when Vancouver captain Spencer Machacek set up Casey Pierro-Zabotel’s second goal of the playoffs.
After failing to convert two power-play opportunities and killing a penalty, the Chiefs took the lead again when Roman fired in a shot from the left boards which Rutherford – who was positioned in front of Sexsmith outside the crease – got a piece of to earn credit for the goal at 12:42.
Vancouver responded again with a goal from Mike Piluso at 17:48 to force a 2-2 tie heading into the final period.
The Chiefs remained poised down the stretch, and as a result improved to 3 for 3 on the road during the playoffs.
“The thing that allows you to have composure is the fact that you’ve won enough,” said Peters, whose Chiefs won a league-high 24 games on the road during the regular season. “You’ve been in that situations where you’re tied after 40 minutes numerous times in the regular season and in the playoffs and you’ve come through before, so there is a sense of believing, and we played that way.”
Ice chips
Spokane was 0 for 4 on the power play, while Vancouver was scoreless in three advantages. The Giants outshot the Chiefs 25-24. … Rookie defensemen Jace Coyle and Brett Bartman and forwards Blake Gal and Ryan Letts were healthy scratches for Spokane.