Everett goes OT for first win over Chiefs

EVERETT – One night after falling to 0-7 against the Portland Winterhawks, the Spokane Chiefs came up just short of improving to 7-0 against the Everett Silvertips.

Ivan Nikolishin scored a power-play goal with 36 seconds left in overtime Saturday to give the Silvertips (26-19-7-1, 60 points) a 5-4 Western Hockey League win over the Chiefs (31-16-3-2, 67) at Comcast Arena.

The Chiefs had been 6-0 against Everett this season, with two overtime wins and one regulation win decided by one goal.

Nikolishin’s second goal of the game came 1:26 after Spokane’s Adam Helewka was whistled for high sticking.

The Chiefs forced OT when WHL goals leader Mitch Holmberg recorded his 47th, on an unassisted play, with 11:26 left.

Colton Bobyk had his top offensive night with Spokane, scoring twice to give him four goals for the season, and hitting the crossbar during an OT power play. His first-period goal, assisted by Holmberg, opened the scoring, and his power-play goal early in the second gave the Chiefs a 3-2 lead.

Spokane is 9-3-3-0 in its last 15 games. The Chiefs moved within two points of Seattle (69) for fourth place in the Western Conference. Seattle visits the Arena on Wednesday.

Spokane finished its four-games-in-five days road trip 2-1-1-0.