Chiefs bounce back with strong 6-3 win over Wenatchee Friday afternoon
Kennewick, Wash. — The Spokane Chiefs bounced back from Thursday’s overtime loss with an impressive 6-3 win over the Wenatchee Wild Friday afternoon. The contest saw five Spokane rookies put points on the scoresheet (Harrington – 2A, Paupanekis – 1A, Král – 1G-1A, Martin – 2G and Gillespie – 1A). The game also featured two goals apiece from second-year forward Cole Wadsworth and rookie centerman Owen Martin.
The Chiefs were first to the twine at 3:36 after 17-year-old forward Wadsworth capitalized on the man advantage and potted his first goal of the pre-season. Rookie Chase Harrington and defenseman Brayden Crampton earned assists on the play.
Spokane followed that up with another power play goal at 6:41 — this one from Carter Streek to give the Chiefs a 2-0 lead they’d carry into the first break. Rookies Hayden Paupanekis and Lukáš Král were credited with the assists.
Wenatchee narrowed the gap with a goal from Ashton Brown at 8:36 in the second period, but Spokane pulled away to a 4-1 lead after back-to-back goals from Martin at 11:24 (from Berkly Catton and Jaren Brinson) and 15:51 (from Harrington and Crampton). Martin leads the team so far in goals this pre-season with four.
The Wild made it a 4-2 game at 3:36 in the third with a power play goal by Kenta Isogai before Wadsworth netted his second of the game at 13:16 with help from rookie Brody Gillespie and defenseman Will McIsaac.
Wenatchee bounced back with another power play goal at 16:03 to make it 5-3, but it wasn’t enough as Czech forward Král once again put the Chiefs up by three at 19:00. Catton earned his second assist of the day — and his eighth of the pre-season — on the play. Spokane held on for the final minute of play to skate to a strong 6-3 victory, bringing their exhibition record to 3-2-1-0.
Overall, the Chiefs went 3-for-6 on the power play and 3-for-5 on the penalty kill. Spokane was outshot 35-27. Dawson Cowan played all 60 minutes in net, turning aside 32 shots faced. He currently sits at a 2.82 GAA and .924 SV%.
The Chiefs are set to close out their exhibition slate Saturday afternoon as they take on the Portland Winterhawks for a third and final time this pre-season at 2:05 p.m. in Kennewick.
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Don’t miss out on tickets to the Chiefs home opener, September 30th against the Tri-City Americans at a new 6:05 PM Saturday night puck drop. Ticket packages, Chiefs gear, theme night swag, and the latest news are all available at spokanechiefs.com. The Spokane Chiefs are a member of the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League, the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players. Since 1985 the Chiefs have been a pillar in the Spokane community, offering family-friendly entertainment and a winning tradition, which includes: two Memorial Cup Championships.
