Seattle Thunderbirds send Spokane Chiefs to sixth straight loss

At the start of the season, the Spokane Chiefs looked at the December portion of their schedule – with eight out of 10 games at home – as a potential ramp-up to a playoff chase in the Western Hockey League second half.

But the complete opposite has happened.

Entering play Wednesday, the Chiefs had lost five in a row, seven of their last nine and found themselves mired in last place in the U.S. Division and 10th in the 11-team Western Conference.

Add one more loss to each.

Seattle’s Sawyer Mynio scored two goals and added an assist and the Spokane Chiefs lost to the Thunderbirds – the team directly ahead of them in the division – 5-3 in a penalty-filled game at the Arena.

Mynio’s goals gave him seven for the season, topping his career-best five from last year. Seattle’s first four goals all came on the power play while the Chiefs went 0 for 6 with the advantage.

There were 14 combined minor penalties in the game, seven in the first period alone.

“(Seattle) won the special teams battle tonight and obviously that gave them the game,” Chiefs coach Ryan Smith said. “Our penalty kill and power play have both been very good, particularly lately, and tonight it just didn’t go our way.”

The Chiefs still play the next three out of four games at home before hitting the road for a season-long seven-game road trip though Saskatchewan and Alberta. 

“We’re not winning at home and I’m not quite sure why,” Smith said. “You’re supposed to have home ice advantage and we’re just not playing well enough as a group. We have individuals that have good games, but not a team effort. 

“We need 60 minutes from 20 guys and right now, we’re not quite getting that.”

Ty Cheveldayoff drew a penalty on the game’s first shift, giving the Chiefs (10-16-2-0) a power play just 33 seconds in. But the best chance during the advantage came on a breakaway by Seattle. The original shot and subsequent rebound attempt were both turned away by Dawson Cowan (43 saves).

The Thunderbirds (11-14-1-0) were awarded a power play later in the period when defenseman Will MacIsaac was called for boarding and they made good on it immediately, as Sam Popowich deflected Mynio’s shot pass at the far post past Cowan to make it 1-0 as the infraction was being announced.

Late in the period, Chiefs forward Rasmus Ekstrom was called for interference as a T-birds penalty expired, and Gracyn Sawchyn scored on a wrap-around goal with 3.2 seconds left for a 2-0 lead at the end of the period.

The second period started off better for Spokane. Just 1:52 in, Berkly Catton took a pass from Cheveldayoff at the left point, skated into the circle and sent a wrister past Michnik for his 20th goal of the season to halve the deficit.

Seattle made it 3-1 with 3:20 left in the period on a power play goal by Mynio, his second of the game, with Cheveldayoff in the box for cross-checking.

But the Chiefs answered that with 38.5 seconds left in period, as defenseman Saige Weinstein collected a loose puck in the high slot and sent it through a maze of bodies and past Michnik to make it 3-2 after two.

The momentum didn’t carry, as Mynio’s blast from the right circle beat Cowan 1:59 into the third period – with Carter Streek serving 2 minutes for holding.

Hayden Paupanekis made it a one-goal game with 4:21 to go. Sticking with the theme of the night, the Chiefs were awarded yet another power play moments later but did not find the tying goal.

Popowich added the exclamation mark with a breakaway goal with 90 seconds to go.

Smith addressed his squad about not getting down on themselves as the losses pile up.

“We just talked to the group about a lack of confidence and it only, you know, grows a little bit when you keep losing,” he said. “Hockey is hard. We’re disappointed in the losses; we are wearing those losses. We’re not hiding from them. We’re not playing well enough.

“We’re not physical enough. We’re not fast enough. We’re not getting goals when we need them. We’re not stopping them. It’s all the things combined. It’s not one specific thing. We’re just not playing great hockey right now.”