Spokane Chiefs listless against expansion Penticton, fall 5-1 ahead of three-game road trip

The Penticton Vees are not your typical expansion team – the organization was careful to construct a squad with experienced players in order to be competitive right out of the gate in their first year in the Western Hockey League.

They entered play on Saturday on a roll, winners of eight of their last 10 games. And the Vees are earning it, ranking in the top three in the Western Conference in goals scored, fewest goals against, power play efficiency and penalty kill.

Their inaugural season success continued in their first trip to the Spokane Arena.

Jacob Kvasnicka scored two goals with an assist, Ryken Evers had a goal and two assists, and the Vees handled the Chiefs 5-1.

It didn’t take long for Penticton to take an early lead. Just 3 minutes, 17 seconds into the contest, defenseman Nolan Stevenson held a Chiefs clearing attempt in at the point and his wrist shot made its way through a maze of bodies and was tipped by Cameron Norrie past Chiefs goalie Carter Esler for his second goal of the season.

The Vees (20-9-4-3) added another a little more than seven minutes in. Chiefs defenseman Nathan Mayes whiffed on a pass and lost his balance, leaving the puck in the middle of the ice for Kash Alger-East, who whipped it past Esler for his first career WHL goal in his 13th game.

The Chiefs (19-19-0-0) gained momentary momentum 43 seconds later, with Rhett Sather converting a pass from Brody Gillespie on the rush for his seventh marker of the season.

But Penticton made it 3-1 soon after, with Evers scoring his 22nd of the season off a 2-on-1 pass from Kvasnicka.

The Chiefs were awarded the game’s first power play at 3:15 of the second period, but it was Penticton that scored. Evers beat three Chiefs to the puck below the Spokane goal line, and he fed Kvasnicka alone in the slot for his 16th goal of the season and a 4-1 lead.

Spokane had plenty of opportunities to get back into it late in the second as Penticton suffered back-to-back minor penalties in the last five minutes of the frame. But the league’s lowest-rated power play unit (16 of 143; 11.2%) went unsuccessful with four minutes of man-advantage and the Chiefs trailed by three entering the third period.

There would be no valiant comeback attempt, as Kvasnicka scored his second of the game – assisted by Evers – at 6:52 of the third.

The Chiefs embark on a three-game road trip, starting with a pair in Victoria on Friday and Saturday and ending at conference-leading Everett on Jan. 16.