CHIEFS DROP TIGHTLY CONTESTED GAME 1, 5-3 IN VICTORIA
VICTORIA, B.C. – The Spokane Chiefs tied the game twice but couldn’t find the lead, dropping game one of their Round One WHL Playoffs series versus the Victoria Royals, 5-3 on the road on Friday night.
The Royals opened the scoring in the first period with a highlight reel goal from CHL Player of the Week Tyler Soy. Soy took the puck down the right wing and to the net, kicking it to himself before beating Spokane goaltender Lasse Petersen over the glove to give Victoria a 1-0 lead. The goal, assisted by Vladimir Bobylev and Ryan Gagnon, came at the 14:51 mark of the first period.
Keanu Yamamoto tied it up for the Chiefs at the 5:24 mark of the second period with his first career playoff goal. Ethan McIndoe, who earned his first career playoff point with the assist, found Yamamoto in the high slot, where the 19-year-old Spokane native slapped a shot in to make it 1-1.
Victoria captain and Western Conference Player of the Year Joe Hicketts gave the home team their second lead of the game at the 9:16 mark of the second. He started the offensive chance with a rush down the left side before finding the puck later in the shift to fire a slapshot past Petersen’s blocker.
Hudson Elynuik tied the game at 2-2 with his first playoff goal just 44 seconds into the third period, punching in a rebound opportunity off a Keanu Yamamoto shot on the power play. Team captain Jason Fram earned an assist on the play in his 33rd career playoff game.
The Royals stormed back to take the lead again just minutes later as Logan Fisher deflected a Hicketts slapshot just inside the post at the 5:58 mark, with Jared Dmytriw also earning an assist.
Victoria took control with a 4-2 lead after a Dante Hannoun power play goal with 8:01 left in regulation. The goal, assisted by Hicketts and Scott Walford, turned out to be the game-winner.
Soy tacked on his second of the night on an empty net to make it 5-2 with 2:30 left before Chiefs’ rookie Hayden Ostir scored a late goal, bouncing the puck off Victoria goalie Coleman Vollrath’s back to earn the first career playoff point for himself, defenseman Jordan Henderson and forward Curtis Miske.
Both teams finished 1-for-3 on the power play. Petersen stopped 26 of 30 shots while Vollrath turned aside 24 of 27. Keanu Yamamoto earned second star honors.
The Chiefs have an opportunity for a rematch tomorrow night in game two of the best-of-seven series, again in Victoria at 7:05 p.m. They return home for games three and four at Spokane Arena on Tuesday, March 29 and Wednesday, March 30. Tickets for both games are available now via TicketsWest online at www.ticketswest.com and via the Chiefs’ Ticket Office in-person and over-the-phone at 509-535-PUCK.
