Chiefs rush past Seattle
The Spokane Chiefs seemingly have solved their early-season struggles.
The Chiefs continued their offensive resurgence Saturday night with a 4-1 victory over visiting Seattle in a Western Hockey League game at the Arena.
The Chiefs pressured the WHL’s lowest-scoring team on both ends of the ice, and they never trailed after scoring just 2½ minutes into the game.
Seattle goaltender Jacob DeSerres blocked Levko Koper’s shot early in the first period, but the puck was lost in a swarm of players rushing the net. Trailing the play, Kyle Beach located the puck and flipped it past DeSerres for a 1-0 lead.
“We got (Beach) to help our offense, and he’s done that for sure,” Spokane coach Hardy Sauter said. “He’s done exactly what we’ve needed and what we’ve asked.”
Beach also served a 5-minute penalty for a second-period scuffle with the Thunderbirds’ Sena Acolatse. The Chiefs’ forward said after the game he expected the two would drop gloves, because they have a spirited rivalry dating back to camp in Chicago.
“We’re buddies,” Beach said, adding they fought “three or four times” previously at an NHL camp in Chicago.
Cowen increased Spokane’s lead to 2-0 with an unassisted goal 37 seconds into the second period. That advantage didn’t last long, however, as Seattle’s Colin Jacobs netted a goal 4 minutes later to cut the Chiefs’ lead in half.
DeSerres mishandled the puck two other times, and both instances led to goals that allowed the Chiefs to build a sizable cushion. Blake Gal cleaned up Cowen’s blocked shot to give the Chiefs a 3-1 edge with 12:39 remaining in the second period. Chiefs center Tyler Johnson collected a loose puck in the third and scored past DeSerres for a 4-1 lead.
Seattle entered the game with only nine goals in six games, but Beach said he wasn’t underestimating the Thunderbirds.
“They’ve got some good players over there,” Beach said. “They’re the best penalty-killing team in the league, and there’s something to be said for that.”
Spokane goalie James Reid preserved the three-goal margin when he smothered Acolatse’s penalty shot with 2:08 left in the game. Reid finished with 23 saves.
“James Reid’s getting used to his starting role as a goaltender after he didn’t play a lot last year,” Cowen said. “We expect a lot of him, and I’m sure he does for himself.”
The Chiefs improved to 3-1 at home and next face Kootenay in a home-and-home series that begins at Kootenay on Friday and wraps up in Spokane on Saturday. Seattle remained winless on the road in three contests.