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Spokane Chiefs

Spokane comes back from three goals down; beats Portland on road 5-4 | WHL hockey

By Dave Nichols daven@spokesman.com(509) 459-5441

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Spokane Chiefs are in a five-team logjam playing a game of musical chairs for the bottom few playoffs spots from the Western Conference, and had a tough road test against one of the other four on Friday. 

It didn’t start well, but the old adage says “it’s how you finish the game” that matters. 

Chase Harrington scored a goal with two assists in his first game since Jan. 24 and the Chiefs erased a three-goal deficit with five unanswered goals and held on to beat the Portland Winterhawks 5-4 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in a Western Hockey League U.S. Division game. 

The Chiefs (26-25-1-0, 53 points) leapfrogged the idle Victoria Royals into eighth place in the conference with 16 games left in the regular season. In the process, they also drew within two points of sixth-place Portland (25-24-4-1). 

Spokane outshot its host 45-29 and won the faceoff battle 44-32. Chiefs goalie Carter Esler made 25 saves. The power play, ranked last in the league, went 0 for 2 while Portland scored on both of their opportunities with the extra skater.

The Chiefs added to their degree of difficulty on the road match by spotting their hosts three first period goals – the first once coming just 1 minute, 26 seconds in. 

But Spokane finished the period with a flourish with three goals in 50 seconds.

Defenseman Rhett Sather started the party with his 10th of the season at the 15:27 mark. Sam Oremba followed 39 seconds later with his 22nd of the campaign then defenseman Nathan Mayes notched his second of the season 11 seconds after that – both assisted by Harrington. 

Harrington added his own name to the goal column at 8:27 of the second period, completing a highlight reel tic-tac-toe play with Dominik Petr and Tyus Sparks, to give the Chiefs a lead they would not surrender.

Defenseman Harry Mattern added an insurance marker 4 1/2 minutes into the third period, his second goal of the season. The Chiefs needed it, as Nathan Brown pulled the Winterhawks within one at 11:48 of the third with his 13th of the season.

Portland pulled its goalie with 1:53 left in the third but Esler made a huge stop late and the Chiefs held on for the critical two points on the road. 

The Chiefs have a home-and-away with 11th-place Wenatchee over the weekend. Saturday’s game is at the Arena at 6:05 p.m. and Sunday’s game in Wenatchee is a 4 p.m. start.