WHL Playoffs: Spokane Chiefs set tone early, trounce Portland 10-4 in Game 1 of Western Conference Finals

There are plenty of ways to set the tone for a seven-game playoff series. But usually, so many of them don’t all happen in one game.

Nothing rallies a team in the playoffs more than a questionable open-ice hit to their high-scoring captain, especially when the referees fail to make a call. But when the lower seed opens up a series getting blown out on the road early, it might try different tactics in order to stem the momentum.

Friday at the Arena, the Spokane Chiefs’ offense came out on a dizzying pace with a dazzling array of goals, building an 8-3 lead with more than nine minutes left in the second period.

But Kyle Chyzowski’s high hit on Berkly Catton a few moments after the Chiefs’ seventh goal could have repercussions beyond the single goal Portland scored on the ensuing four-minute power play.

Either way, it was the Chiefs’ scoring prowess that set the tone early and made the biggest statement.

The Chiefs scored twice in the first 2:44 of the game, Catton and Shea Van Olm each had a goal and three assists, and the Chiefs beat the Portland Winterhawks 10-4 in Game 1 of the Western Hockey League Western Conference finals.

“That’s the urgency that we wanted to have to come out and be ready to be on our toes,” Chiefs coach Brad Lauer said of the fast start.

Assanali Sarkenov added two goals, including a short-handed marker.

“It was good to see the boys come out with some firepower from the start,” Van Olm said. “We’re just trying to score as much as we can and play our way.”

“We came out really hot, and just kind of started to build off that,” Catton said. “We’ve been struggling some in this playoffs with our starts. So, we really prioritized that. Came out good, and I think it followed the rest of the game.”

Leading by four goals midway through the second period, Catton was blindsided by Chyzowski with no call, and Van Olm retaliated. He was assessed two minutes for slashing and two more for cross-checking, and Chyzowski didn’t take the bait, setting the Winterhawks up with four minutes of power play.

“I never want to put the boys in jeopardy,” Van Olm said about the long penalty kill. “They’re going to be blocking shots and laying out. You know, four minutes, I probably didn’t need to do the extra one there, but you live and you learn. But, yeah, it was Game 1. So just thought maybe I’d set the tone a bit.”

“He’s a team-first guy; always has been,” Catton said of Van Olm. “He was just trying to protect me. I think maybe got a little emotional. We don’t always need that, but he’s just trying to stick up for me and be a good teammate, a good friend.”

The long kill didn’t matter, as Sarkenov scored his second of the game on a short-handed breakaway to make it 8-3.

“I thought (Sarkenov) played heavy,” Lauer said. “I thought he played the type of game that we need him to play – power forward, strong on the puck, established a forecheck, finished his checks when they needed to be finished. And he did a good job on the penalty kill for us.”

Nine players had goals for the Chiefs.

“It’s awesome to see everyone kind of chip in,” Van Olm said. “Our depth has been huge for us all playoffs long. So, they’ve got to keep going and keep buzzing when they’re out there.”

“We have the big three guys up front for sure, and everyone talks about them,” Lauer said. “But in our room we always say it’s not a one-man team or a three-man team. It’s everybody.”

The Chiefs didn’t waste any time setting the tone.

Just 34 seconds into the game, Andrew Cristall found Catton on the left wing with speed. The captain carried the puck deep and from a sharp angle sent a laser past Portland goalie Ondrej Štěbeták for his eighth goal of the postseason.

Two minutes later, they made it 2-0.

Owen Martin won a puck behind the goal line and fed Sam Oremba in the slot and the big winger powered it past Štěbeták for his third of the playoffs.

Portland got one back a few minutes later as Tyson Jugnauth dangled to pull the Spokane defense out of position and whipped a wrist shot past Chiefs goalie Dawson Cowan.

But as the announcer was reading Jugnauth’s goal, the Chiefs scored again when Chase Harrington banged home his rebound in a goal-mouth scrum for his fourth of the postseason.

Again, Portland returned serve as a Chiefs turnover in the offensive zone allowed Diego Buttazzoni to skate up the left wing and score an unassisted goal to make it 3-2.

A few minutes later the Chiefs set off the goal horn again, with Catton feeding Van Olm in the slot for the 20-year-old’s 10th goal of the playoffs.

After the Chiefs’ fourth goal on eight shots, Portland coach Kyle Gustafson lifted Štěbeták, replacing him with Marek Schlenker.

The change didn’t give Portland any momentum. With just more than four minutes left in the period, Saige Weinstein’s shot from the top of the left wing circle rebounded right to Assanali Sarkenov, who used himself as a screen and sent a backhander past Schlenker for his third of the playoffs and a 5-2 lead.

The Winterhawks got one back before the end of the period as Buttazzoni threaded the needle through the Chiefs defense to Josh Zakreski, who chipped it past Cowan for his seventh of the postseason.

With 46 seconds left, Van Olm was called for interference, but the Chiefs got out of the period unscathed.

The combined eight goals set the mark for the highest-scoring period in this year’s playoffs.

Mathis Preston made it 6-3 early in the second, when his wrister from close range on the rush went in and out of Schlenker’s glove. Just 36 seconds later, Cristall hammered one in from the right-wing circle for his playoff-leading 14th goal to put the Chiefs up 7-3.

After Sarkenov’s short-handed goal, the Chiefs were assessed another penalty as Rasmus Ekström was sent off for high-sticking, giving Portland 1:22 of 5-on-3. With 17 seconds left on the two-man advantage, Buttazzoni scored to make it a four-goal game.

Portland’s Max Pšenička was sent off with 55 seconds left in the second for charging, and Catton’s shot at the horn was brushed aside.

The rest of the power play was exhausted without incident at the start of the third. But not long after it expired, Brody Gillespie tipped Will McIsaac’s wrist shot from the point past Schlenker for his first goal of the playoffs and a 9-4 lead.

Martin added a power-play goal on a rebound with 9:56 to go to hit double digits.

“It’s just one win,” Lauer said. “We’ve got to focus and get ready for the next one.”