Spokane Chiefs score four goals in third period to beat Seattle Thunderbirds 5-3

The Spokane Chiefs entered the third period Friday night trailing the Seattle Thunderbirds 2-1 in goals and 23-13 in shots on net.

But the Chiefs proved momentum can change on a dime, and thanks to some clutch scoring and even a fight, Spokane came out with a 5-3 come-from-behind victory.

Spokane outscored Seattle 4-1 and outshot the Thunderbirds 15-9 in the final period.

Bear Hughes scored both of his two goals in the third and added an assist for a three-point night. Ty Cheveldayoff played both the role of pest and provider by needling the opposition and finishing with two assists on the offensive side.

Mason Beaupit made 29 saves in the win for Spokane.

The Chiefs managed only three shots in the first period but equaled Seattle in zone time. They were able to keep Seattle from getting away, which set up the crucial third period.

“I think keeping games close for us is important. It gives us belief,” interim head coach Ryan Smith said. “Not that we don’t believe when we start the game, but the longer the game is tight, the better. We’ve had some games that have gotten away from us early, and those are hard to come back from.”

Down 2-1 nearly midway through the third period, the Chiefs set up for a faceoff in the Seattle zone. Hughes won the draw with the puck landing on Chase Bertholet’s stick. Bertholet sniped a quick shot and surprised Seattle goaltender Scott Ratzlaff to tie the game at 2. Hughes followed with a go-ahead goal at 14:04 when he carried the puck through the neutral zone and finessed his way toward the net.

Both goals came shortly after Spokane defenseman Brayden Crampton and Seattle’s Sam Popowich fought in the Spokane zone.

“It builds momentum for us, seeing your teammate stand up for himself and seeing the crowd go crazy,” Hughes said. “I think that might have been the turning point for our team tonight.”

Carter Streek gave Spokane some insurance at 16:29 when he scored off a nice cross-ice pass from Cheveldayoff. Hughes’ second of the night was an empty-netter at 18:53. Seattle’s Jeremy Hanzel scored a power-play goal with 24 seconds left to make it a 5-3 game.

Seattle got goals from Conner Roulette and Reid Schaefer in the second period. Raegan Wiles scored a power-play goal for Spokane in the second period.

Hughes’ three-point night was desperately needed as he’d been held off the scoresheet the previous seven games.

“Bear has struggled a bit, but he’s a great player,” Smith said. “He plays a complete game, but he hasn’t had a lot of puck luck lately. Tonight he seemed to find his way, especially in that third period.”

Hughes was happy to be back on the scoresheet.

“I kind of got the monkey off my back and it’s a sigh of relief,” he said.

Cheveldayoff had his first multipoint game of the season and his first points since Nov. 19. His role as a pest didn’t go away, and he was constantly bothering Seattle’s skaters. He also got some time on the power play, parking in front of Ratzlaff. He proved he could be a playmaker with the two assists and a nice feed on Spokane’s fourth goal.

“He’s a bigger body and hard to move,” Smith said. “He showed some nice patience on that goal to Carter Streek.

“We want to see those guys rewarded for their hard work. Hopefully, now they have something to think about going into the next game.”

The Chiefs are back at the Arena Saturday night to welcome the Tri-City Americans.