Spokane Chiefs rally to tie late, Victoria finds game-winner on overtime power play

The shorthanded Spokane Chiefs could have easily quit, falling behind by three goals late in the second period on Saturday. But with their Western Hockey League-leading offense, they’re never really out of a game.

And though it didn’t ultimately result in a win, effort can be its own reward.

The Chiefs fought back to tie the game with a little more than five minutes to go, but defenseman Justin Kipkie’s power-play goal in overtime lifted the Victoria Royals to a 5-4 win in a battle between the current second and third seeds in the Western Conference at the Arena.

Chiefs captain Berkly Catton scored two goals with an assist, giving him six goals in his past two games and 29 on the season. Shea Van Olm added his league-leading 40th on a third-period power-play goal.

The Chiefs (34-16-1-0) played with just 10 forwards – Mathis Preston, Sam Oremba and Smyth Rebman remain out with injuries, while Coco Armstrong was added to the list when he sustained an injury Friday night in an awkward altercation late in the 9-1 win over Seattle.

“Obviously, we had a short bench. We were thin, but I thought we found a way to stay in the game and get back in the game,” Chiefs coach Brad Lauer said. “Our power play scored a big goal at the start of the start of the third period there to get some momentum for us. I really like the way we played for the most part.”

“I thought we had a great push in the third and that was the message in the room in (second) intermission,” Van Olm said. “I think we executed that to get that extra point.”

Just over a minute into overtime, Chiefs forward Owen Martin collided with a Victoria defender entering the Royals’ zone, and Martin was assessed an interference penalty. Goalie Carter Esler made several tough stops, but with six seconds left on the infraction Kipkie made a quick turn in the left wing circle and snapped a wrist shot past Esler for the winner.

“It’s good measuring stick for us,” Lauer said. “Obviously, (Victoria) is a good team over there. They played well … But it’s good to be playing these types of teams, going down the stretch, because, once the playoffs start it’s going to be a whole different season for us.”The Chiefs played from behind all night. Martin was called for slashing at 9:31 of the first – the Chiefs’ second penalty of the period – and Victoria cashed it in, as Teydon Trembecky’s shot from the high slot got through Elser and trickled over the goal line for his 33rd of the season.

The lead didn’t last long as Catton converted the Chiefs’ first power-play with a one-timer from the right wing circle off a cross-ice feed from Brayen Crampton for his 28th goal of the season – and fifth in his past two games.

Early in the second period, the Chiefs were victims of some bad luck when Landon Young’s errant centering pass bounced off backchecking forward Rasmus Ekström’s stick and into an open net for his first goal of the season to put Victoria up 2-1.

The Royals (31-14-3-5) added another at 10:41 of the period when Kipkie’s shot from long distance made it through a maze of bodies up front and Kenta Isogai tipped it past Esler for his 24th goal of the season.

Later in the period, a Chiefs turnover turned into an odd-man rush the other way and Isogai scored on a second-chance shot from the slot after the net had been knocked from its moorings. After review, the goal stood and Victoria led 4-1.

But Catton wasn’t done. Van Olm hit the streaking Catton in the high slot where he deked a defender then beat Victoria goalie Jayden Kraus top shelf for his second of the night and 29th of the season with just more than two minutes left in the second.

A dust-up at the end of the period between Spokane’s Cam Parr and Victoria’s Reggie Newman resulted in an unsportsmanlike penalty for Newman and a power play for the Chiefs to start the third.

“Teams want to take liberties on us, teams want to try and physically handle us,” Lauer said. “We’ve got to be a team, especially going down the stretch. And you’ve got to be smart. You talk about playoff hockey, and you know you’re going to have to take the punch to the head. And when you go into the power play, that’s where you got to make teams pay.”

It took just 39 seconds to make good as Andrew Cristall drew a pair of defenders toward the corner and left the puck for Van Olm, who snapped it past Kraus for his league-leading 40th of the season and a one-goal game.

“Fresh ice with the power play, that’s huge,” Van Olm said. “For us to come out and get one on a set play was awesome.”

The Chiefs evened it up as the recipients of good fortune later in the period, when Brayden Crampton’s long “shot” – essentially a rushed dump from the blue line – slipped past Kraus and to make it 4-4 with 5:49 left.

“Victoria is a good team. They’re just ahead of us (in the conference) and on top of their division,” Van Olm said. “We’re playing high intensity games. We had a good crowd and a good comeback tonight. It’s those character games that really build up the team.”