Chiefs get even: It’s a best-of-3

The Spokane Chiefs and Portland Winterhawks have a best-of-3 showdown for the Western Hockey League’s Western Conference title, starting tonight in the Rose Garden in Portland.

That short, desperate series was set up when the teams split the first four games, the latest the Spokane Chiefs’ 8-3 romp Friday night before 8,412 fans at the Arena.

Levko Koper had a hat trick and an assist; Collin Valcourt had a goal and three assists; and Tyler Johnson had a goal and two assists in the only blowout after the series opened with three one-goal games, the last two Portland victories.

“I didn’t see that coming,” Koper said. “Usually it’s a low-scoring-type game. We just played hard and got some good bounces. We had our backs against the wall a little bit. This was a must win for us. Every line stepped up and played their best.”

Eighty-seven games into the season and postseason and the Chiefs have not had a three-game losing streak.

“I’m not sure why, but I thought there were people doubting whether we could do it or not,” Spokane coach Don Nachbaur said. “We had to do what we did. Every game’s been a tight game. We could have won that third game and been in the driver’s seat. We didn’t, but that’s playoff hockey. We needed to respond tonight and we did in a big way.”

The Chiefs started their fourth line – Matt Marantz between Darren Kramer and Valcourt – and it paid immediate dividends, with all three credited with a point on Marantz’s fourth playoff goal 10 seconds into the game.

“We were just put out there to get the forecheck going, establish the body,” Valcourt said. “We got a little lucky there off the faceoff and Matty put that in the empty net.”

“I know what they’re going to give me,” Nachbaur said. “They’re going to deliver a lot of energy and they’re going to deliver the body. … They did it for us. The bonus is a goal.”

Valcourt scored early in the second period, squeezing it in on a tough angle off Corbin Baldwin’s feed. Anthony Bardaro was on the line later and he pounced on a rebound of a backhand by Kramer, a play that was started by Valcourt. With Nachbaur mixing up the bottom two lines, Mitch Holmberg scored the final goal on an assist from Valcourt.

“We were just throwing pucks on the net and we got fortunate with a couple of bounces,” Valcourt said. “ ‘Baldy’ gave me that one pass and I just fired it there. I got lucky when it hit his glove. The rebounds, any goalie that gives up rebounds, it’s going to be tough for them.”

The Chiefs continued to struggle on the power play, their drought reaching 0 for 19 dating back to the second period of the first game before Koper’s third goal at 6:47 of the third period. It was their eighth of 10 power play opportunities on the night.

Johnson, who led the league with 53 goals in the regular season, scored in the first period on a feed from Koper to put the Chiefs up for good at 2-1. Koper’s first goal made it 5-2 after two periods.

Koper added two goals in the first seven minutes of the third period, He cleaned up a rebound of a Johnson breakaway and scored on a power play on a Johnson feed.

“It was exciting but no highs, no lows,” Valcourt said. “They’re a great team and they’re going to come back just as hard (tonight).”

The Winterhawks pulled goalie Mac Carruth, who made 22 saves on 28 shots, after Koper’s second goal, in favor of Keith Hamilton, who faced 13 shots.

Spokane’s James Reid made 28 saves before being replaced by Mac Engel, who allowed a late power-play goal to Ryan Johansen, who’s scored in every game.

Portland got a power-play goal – with 2 seconds left in the advantage – to tie the game at 1 midway through the first period, Joe Morrow letting fly from the top of the right circle after initially hesitating until he heard the crowd counting down the final seconds.

Midway through the second period, a rare mistake by Jared Cowen gave the Winterhawks an opportunity to notch their second short-handed goal of the series, this one by Tyler Wotherspoon.

“We knew what we had to do tonight to score goals,” Nachbaur said. “I thought our guys did that. We didn’t do it in three and we didn’t do it in two. They’re a proud team, they’ll come back hard. I don’t expect they’ll roll over because they lost one game. It’s one game.”