Spokane Chiefs start fast in record-breaking 9-2 rout of Victoria Royals

VICTORIA, B.C. – The Spokane Chiefs wasted little time getting rolling on Friday night. Once they got started, there was little stopping them.

Berkly Catton and Andrew Cristall scored two goals apiece and the Chiefs trounced the Victoria Royals 9-2 at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena on Friday.

The Chiefs (42-18-1-1) will play the Royals (36-16-3-6), the top team in the B.C. Division, again on Saturday. Spokane is seven points behind U.S. and Western Conference leading Everett with six games to play.

Spokane set multiple records in the process. The first came just 11 seconds into the game when Swedish forward Rasmus Ekström scored the fastest game-opening goal in Chiefs history.

Washington Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall added on at 10:34 when he logged his first of five points on the night with his 43rd goal of the season.

After that, Spokane broke another franchise record as Will McIsaac (13:44), Brayden Crampton (14:04) and Berkly Catton (14:13) scored a flurry of goals within 29 seconds of each other. The previous record for three in a row was 51 seconds apart, set back in 1986.

Catton scored a power play goal early in the third period assisted by Cristall, marking Cristall’s 400th career WHL point. He becomes the first WHL player of the 21st century to reach the milestone and the 33rd ever.

Nathan Mayes and Chase Harrington added goals later in the third period, and Cristall scored his second of the night with just under 3 minutes to go.

Goalie Dawson Cowan turned aside 28 of Victoria’s 30 shots, while the Chiefs went 2 for 5 on the power play and 4 for 5 on the penalty kill.