Spokane Chiefs draw within one late, can’t find equalizer in 3-2 loss to Wenatchee | WHL hockey

With just 16 games remaining in the Western Hockey League regular season, every game takes on added significance to teams fighting for a playoff spot. That, of course, includes the Spokane Chiefs.

Entering play Saturday at the Arena, just 10 points separated sixth through 11th place, with five of the six in action. Two of those, the Chiefs and the Wenatchee Wild, met at the Arena for the first of a home-and-home between the U.S. Division foes.

By virtue of their win over Portland on Friday, the Chiefs came in holding on to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. But they also narrowed the gap between themselves and the sixth-place Winterhawks to just two points.

After a 3-2 loss, it’ll stay that way.

Alexandre Andre’s insurance goal with 26.7 seconds left in the second period stood up, and the Chiefs lost a chance to make up more ground.

Spokane is 2-3 five games into an 11-game stretch against teams in the bottom half of the conference standings. Seventh-place Tri-City and ninth-place Victoria both lost on Saturday, so the standings remain as they were before play started.

“We’re banging our heads against the wall trying to figure it out,” Chiefs coach Brad Lauer said. “We had some chances, but I don’t think we get to the ‘inside ice’ enough to score goals consistently enough. We’re selective when we do it, and you can’t do that. (Wenatchee) is a team that forces you to play inside hockey and we didn’t really do it.

“We do it at times, but it’s not automatic.”

The Chiefs broke the scoreless tie with just more than 9 minutes left in the first period when Coco Armstrong chipped a rebound of a Nolan Saunderson shot from behind the goal line off Wenatchee goalie Cal Conway’s back and into the net for his 19th goal of the season.

Wenatchee tied it up with 2:52 left in the period. After an offensive zone draw, Wild defenseman Josh Toll’s shot bounced off Chiefs goalie Linus Vieillard and Levi Benson corralled the loose puck and stuffed it backhanded around a prone Vieillard for his 10th goal of the season.

It stayed that way until 8:44 left in the second period when the Chiefs couldn’t clear their zone and Wenatchee forward Mason Kraft got behind the Spokane defense and banged home a rebound for his 11th goal of the campaign.

With less than 30 seconds left in the period, the Wild dumped in into the left wing corner where they dug it out to the point. Aiden Grossklaus’ long shot was knocked down, but Andre outbattled two Chiefs in front of the goal and knocked the puck past Vieillard for just his second goal in 43 games this season.

“That’s just a compete battle,” Lauer said. “It’s just a simple play that you get pucks to the net and win your battles. We had two guys there. We lost our guy in the corner on the second (goal), the third one we lost our man in front of the net. For me, it’s just effort. Guys not working, not committed to finishing their shift. When you don’t do that, it’s in the back of your net.”

The Chiefs made it a one-goal game with exactly 12 minutes to go. Chase Harrington carried down the left wing, went behind the net, back up the right wing boards then flung a shot from the point that went through a maze of bodies and sneaked past Conway for his 19th goal of the season.

Lauer pulled Vieillard with 1:50 left in the game in favor of an extra skater, and Wenatchee took a delay of game penalty six seconds later. But despite several good looks, the Chiefs did not find the equalizer.

The Chiefs travel to Wenatchee to complete the home-and-home series on Sunday.

“We just gotta get back at it,” Lauer said. “You can’t sit and mope, can’t complain about anything. You gotta get back to work. It’s a short turnaround, just gotta put this one behind you tomorrow and that’s what we’ve got to focus on.”