Chase Harrington, Owen Martin score two goals apiece; Spokane Chiefs win penalty-filled game over Vancouver 6-1 | WHL hockey

The Spokane Chiefs came into Friday’s home game against Vancouver 12 points and six standings spots higher than the Giants. But that didn’t stop the game from turning into a hot-contested, penalty-filled affair. 

The Chiefs ended up with the last laugh regardless. 

Clinging to a 3-1 lead late in the game and facing two minutes of 3-on-5, the Chiefs scored three unanswered short-handed goals and beat the Giants 6-1 in a Western Hockey League Western Conference game at the Arena. 

Spokane (28-26-1-0) solidified its hold on sixth place in the conference as Portland lost in overtime to Seattle. Last-place Vancouver fell to 20-33-1-2.

Goalie Carter Esler made 24 saves and picked up his 15th win of the season. Spokane’s penalty kill went 5-for-5. The teams combined for 69 minutes of penalties on 17 infractions. 

The Chiefs led 3-1 entering the third period and with 4 minutes, 38 second left in the game Coco Armstrong was assessed a 5-minute fighting major – and game misconduct – and Owen Martin received two minutes for roughing, but Vancouver’s Will Sharpe only got two for charging. 

Less than two minutes into Armstrong’s major, Assanali Sarkenov was called for tripping, setting up the 3-on-5. 

Vancouver pulled its goalie with a little more than two minutes to go, but Martin outraced a defender to a loose puck in the Vancouver end and dumped it in the empty net for a 4-1 lead. He did the same from outside the blue line about a minute later and Sarkenov made up for his infraction by hustling out of the box and adding another shorty with 31 seconds left in the game.

Logan Wormald (19) and Harrington (21, 22) staked the the Chiefs to a 3-0 lead through five minutes of the second period. 

The Chiefs are back in action Saturday in Kennewick against Tri-City at 6:05 p.m.