Shea Van Olm, Owen Martin score two goals apiece; Spokane Chiefs down Seattle 7-2
The promotional giveaways for goals scored at the Arena Saturday night were plentiful – enough to make several meals worth of various fast food items.
If the free food didn’t make the home fans happy, a runaway win sure did.
Shea Van Olm scored two goals with two assists, Owen Martin added a pair of tallies and Berkly Catton had three assists as the Spokane Chiefs scored the first four goals of the game and beat the Seattle Thunderbirds 7-2 in a Western Hockey League game.
The Chiefs won back-to-back home games this weekend by a combined 9-4 over two teams with one win between them.
“I think that’s a huge mindset that we have in our locker room right now,” Van Olm said. “I think that business, professional-like mentality can go a long way in this league with different age groups and different maturity levels. But yeah, we took care of business night. It’s good to get the win.”
“Both games this weekend, really good starts,” Chiefs coach Brad Lauer said. “You know, what was good about tonight was we didn’t change our game. We talked a lot about last game where we got up three goals, and then we had a tendency to play a little individual hockey. … I thought tonight we did the things we talked about – we managed the puck, we played as five, we played the team game that we want to do.”
Goalie Carter Esler made 19 saves for his first WHL career win.
“It feels really good. Feels good to get one under my belt and keep getting more,” Esler said.
“It’s exciting any time a kid, you know, young guy, comes in and gets his first win in the Western Hockey League,” Lauer said. “It’s exciting for them. It’s exciting for their family. It’s just great to see.”
The seven goals set a season high. The U.S. Division first-place Chiefs (5-1-0-0) lead the Western Conference in goals through six games with 27.
Van Olm, one of the Chiefs’ three 20-year-olds on the team, now has seven goals this season. His career high is 24, set last season between the Chiefs and Kamloops.
“My offseason was dialed in,” Van Olm said. “Credit to my trainers back in Calgary and friends and family. I just had a chip on my shoulder coming into this year, 20-year-old year, kind of last kick at the can. So, yeah, I think I just was really prepared and ready to take a big step.”
Van Olm got to work just 40 seconds into the game banging home a rebound out of midair.
Martin made it 2-0 with his second goal of the season less than 2 minutes later with a snipe from the left wing circle after the Chiefs had a long possession in the offensive zone.
Moments later, the Chiefs went to the power play and cashed in as Van Olm found Smyth Rebman slashing through the slot for his second goal of the season and first for Spokane. Rebman was just acquired this week from Edmonton in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick.
Midway through the period Mathis Preston intentionally fired a slap shot from below the goal line off a Seattle defender in front of the net to score his fifth goal of the season and make it 4-0.
Preston drew a penalty with just more than 6 minutes left in the period and on the ensuing advantage it appeared that he scored, beating goalie Jaxson Dikur glove side. After review, the goal was waived off for not crossing the goal line.
The Chiefs outshot Seattle in the first period 13-5.
Just as in the first, the Chiefs started the second period with a quick goal to make it 5-0 less than 2 minutes in when Hayden Paupanekis chipped in a pass from Asanali Sarkenov.
Spokane was then whistled for consecutive minor penalties and faced 1 minute, 50 seconds of five-on-three. Seattle snapped the shutout quickly, with Nathan Pilling scoring his second of the season off a rebound.
Immediately after killing the second infraction, the Chiefs were called for too many players on the ice, but they were successful on the kill and kept it at 5-1.
“I mean, you just kind of gotta stay focused, not letting the refs get in your head,” Esler said. “You just kind of play your game. They’re just penalties – just gotta kill ’em.”
The Chiefs were granted a power play midway through the period, and Martin collected his second goal of the game, converting a nifty pass from Van Olm for a 6-1 lead.
But the whistles continued in the latter stages of the period, and Seattle made it a four-goal game on a five-on-three goal by Sawyer Mynio with 43 seconds left.
Van Olm added his second of the game, another on the power play, off a feed from Catton 6 minutes into the third and the Chiefs cruised to victory.