Chiefs blank Thunderbirds

Tyler Johnson and Steven Kuhn provided the scoring and James Reid made 29 saves and earned his second straight shut out in net as the Spokane Chiefs (20-10-3-2) blanked the Seattle Thunderbirds (15-12-3-4) 2-0 Tuesday in WHL action in Seattle. The two teams play again Wednesday night at the Spokane Arena. Game time is 7 p.m. The battle between the U.S. division foes was the third in the last month between the teams, with the Chiefs winning two of the three, both on Seattle’s home ice. Johnson gave the Chiefs a quick lead with his 24th goal of the season, scoring an unassisted goal at the 19:12 mark of the first period. The Thunderbirds could not come up with an equalizer over the first two periods, despite outshooting Spokane 19-14 over that span. Kuhn then gave the Chiefs some cushion, scoring on an assist from Mort Vanscourt with 9:12 remaining in the match. The shutout was the third of the season for Reid, who also earned his 20th win as the Chiefs’ keeper. Spokane remains in sole possession of second place with 45 points.