Chiefs get sloppy in loss at Seattle

KENT, Wash. – How quickly the tables can turn. After taking a lead early in the second by taking advantage of a Seattle turnover, the Chiefs turned over several pucks and the host T-birds escaped with a 6-4 Western Hockey League win. Seattle scored 1 minute, 1 second into Tuesday’s game, but less than 30 seconds into the second, Spokane’s Mitch Holmberg forced a turnover in the neutral zone and found room to score his WHL-leading 10th goal of the season to knot the score at 1. After too many turnovers and several momentum swings, Seattle led 4-3 after two and held on to seal the win with an empty-net goal. “We’re going to have to play better and be more responsible Friday,” Chiefs general manager Tim Speltz said following the game. “We’ve got guys we can’t even talk about tonight because they just weren’t a factor in the game – and I’m not talking about our young guys, I’m talking about some of our older guys,” he added. One veteran did have a notable performance. Captain Brenden Kichton, with a pair of assists, became the all-time leader in assists among Chiefs defensemen – passing Frank Evans’ mark of 146. Kichton is also the all-time Chiefs leader among defensemen in career goals and career points. The Chiefs get another shot at Seattle when they host the T-birds on Friday.