RECAP: Americans drop tight one-goal game in Spokane
Spokane, WA. – Tri-City Americans (0-2-0-1) battled back twice to tie their game against the Spokane Chiefs (2-0-0-0) Saturday night, but couldn’t pull even a third time in a 3-2 loss on the road.
Tri-City went to their first power play of the night just 1:32 after puck drop, but it was the Chiefs capitalizing after it ended. Right as the power play came to an end, an errant pass toward the blue line in the Spokane zone was picked off by Chase Harrington.
The newly appointed Spokane captain took off down the ice on a partial breakaway and was able to barely sneak a shot along the ice and under the pad of Xavier Wendt to open the scoring 3:42 into the first.
Shortly after their second power play of the night the Americans tied the game. A chaotic sequence near the Chiefs crease ended up with Owen Kraft, making his WHL debut, sliding the puck to an open Lukas Lima in the slot who quickly snapped a one timer past Carter Esler to tie the game.
Both teams traded chances for the remainder of the period as the opening 20 minutes ended 1-1.
Spokane came out strong in period two, looking to regain their lead. Tri-City went to a third straight power play, but weren’t able to take their first lead of the season.
Shortly after the man advantage expired the Chiefs took a 2-1 lead. An odd-man rush resulted in Tyus Sparks tapping in a backdoor feed 7:50 into the middle frame.
A few minutes later the Chiefs went to their first power play of the night, but the Americans tied the game. A turnover by Spokane resulted in a two-on-one rush for Tri-City and David Huk skated down the right wing into the Chiefs zone before wiring a shot over the glove of Esler and off the back bar for his first WHL goal.
Late in the second Spokane would take the lead for the third time. Nathan Mayes fired the puck toward the net from the right-wing boards with traffic in front, and it sailed through a pair of bodies and past the glove of Wendt with 1:18 left in the period.
Tri-City had a few high-quality scoring chances in the third with Alex Laing getting denied on a bang-bang play in front of the net, and Ben Oliverio stopped on an odd-man rush as Spokane held their one-goal lead.
The Americans killed off a penalty late in regulation but ran out of time trying to generate offence with Wendt on the bench for the extra attacker as the game ended 3-2.
The Americans are off until next Saturday when they head North to play the Penticton Vees (2-2-0-0).
