Carter Esler earns first WHL shutout, Spokane Chiefs blank Tri-City 3-0 in home opener
The Spokane Chiefs had an up-and-down opening weekend to the 2025-26 Western Hockey League season, picking up an 8-2 win over Kelowna on Sept. 19 before dropping a 6-4 decision to Kamloops the next night.
But 14 goals over two games is a pretty good way to start, especially considering Chiefs forward Owen Martin and top defensemen Will McIsaac and Nathan Mayes – all veterans who helped the Chiefs reach the WHL championship series last season – were still at NHL training camps and missed the first two games.
Saturday, at newly renamed Numerica Veterans Arena, the Chiefs opened their home slate against perennial rival Tri-City Americans with their leaders returned to the roster. While the score might not show it in obvious terms, the home team dominated play throughout the game.
McIsaac and Mathis Preston scored goals, Carter Esler made 19 saves, and the Chiefs shut out the Americans 3-0 in front of a crowd of 8,032.
It was Esler’s first career WHL shutout. Spokane outshot Tri-City 45-19. Americans goalie Xavier Wendt made 42 saves.
Before the game, Chiefs legends Ray Whitney and Tyler Johnson – the only two players whose jerseys have been retired by the organization and are hanging from the rafters – helped get the season underway by dropping the ceremonial first puck.
The Chiefs (2-1-0-0) got the better of play in the first period, outshooting the Americans 14-3 over the first 13 minutes of play, and Chase Harrington, Preston and Martin all had quality scoring chances turned aside by Wendt.
The Chiefs received the game’s first power play as Tri-City forward Jake Gudelj caught Preston up high with a stick with 2:07 left in the period and was assessed a double-minor penalty. Preston, who led the Chiefs in scoring with two goals and four assists through the first two games, was immediately helped down the tunnel in distress and the game was delayed a couple of minutes to clean up the ice.
The Chiefs had some looks as the period dwindled but did not connect and the period ending in a scoreless tie.
Preston came back out for the second period, and had a quality opportunity early in the remaining time of the power play, but the Chiefs couldn’t get one past Wendt.
Esler made a terrific save 5 minutes into the period on a shot by Ismail Abougouche and it immediately gave the Chiefs momentum. Cohen Harris brought the rebound into the Americans zone and he left it for Gavin Burcar, who tapped it to McIsaac. The Chiefs defenseman drifted to the high slot and snapped a wrist shot short side for his first goal of the season and a 1-0 lead.
Tri-City’s Alexander Laing was whistled for tripping late in the second period, and Preston ripped one off the crossbar early in the power play. Wendt denied Sam Oremba from close-in and the power play, and period, came to an end with the Chiefs retaining a one-goal lead.
Spokane outshot Tri-City (0-2-0-0) 36-11 through two periods.
The Chiefs made it 2-0 with 15:36 left in the third period. Defenseman Owen Schoettler won a puck along the wall in the offensive zone, skated into the slot and found Preston alone below the left-wing dot. Preston slammed a one-timer past Wendt for his third goal of the season.
Tri-City called timeout with 2:25 to go and pulled Wendt for the extra skater with the faceoff in the Spokane zone. Coco Armstrong nearly scored an empty-net goal from the defensive end, but Tri-City got an offensive zone draw with 30 seconds left.
Then, Oremba collected a loose puck and fed Martin in the center of the ice for a tap-in and a 3-0 lead with 20 seconds remaining.
The Chiefs host Prince George for back-to-back games Friday and Saturday at the Arena.