Ams wallop Chiefs

KENNEWICK – The Spokane Chiefs ended 2008 on a down note.

Mitch Fadden and Mason Wilgosh scored 57 seconds apart in the second period Wednesday to snap a 1-all tie and spark the Tri-City Americans to a 6-1 win over the visiting Chiefs in a key Western Hockey League game at the Toyota Center.

The New Year’s Eve win allowed the first-place Americans (25-10-0-2, 52 points) to keep the Chiefs (22-12-0-3, 47 points) from closing within one point in the U.S. Division. The season series is tied at 3.

Spokane had only allowed 72 goals in its previous 36 games.

Jared Spurgeon’s fifth goal of the season, at 13 minutes and 14 seconds of the first period, allowed Spokane to knot the game at 1.

But the Americans scored three second-period goals, with Tyler Schmidt picking up assists on Fadden’s power-play goal at 3:00 and Brendan Shinnimin’s goal at 16:13.

Taylor Procyshen scored his 20th and 21st goals of the season for the Americans.