CHIEFS FALL 6-5 IN SHOOTOUT IN PORTLAND
For the third straight game, the Spokane Chiefs and Portland Winterhawks went to extra time to settle things. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, they lost for the second time in those three meetings as Portland outscored Spokane 2-1 in the shootout to secure a 6-5 shootout win Saturday night in Portland, OR. Portland has now won 3 out of the 4 meetings between the teams.
Spokane’s Wyatt Johnson scored on his first shot as a Chief just 29 seconds into the game on a Kailer Yamamoto assist to put the Chiefs ahead 1-0. The point by Yamamoto extended his points scoring streak to 8 straight games. Portland would score three goals in 6:34 early in the first to take a 3-1 lead. Spokane would cut the lead to 3-2 after the first period on Dominic Zwerger’s power play goal from Jason Fram and Matt Sozanski at 10:03 of the stanza. Each team went 1-1 on the power play as Portland out shot Spokane 12-9 in the first.
Keegan Iverson’s goal on a rebound at 6:38 of the second put the Winterhawks up 4-2, but Spokane would answer on Yamamoto’s 16th of the year from Zwerger and Johnson at 10:22 to keep it a one goal game after two. Chiefs starting goalie Matt Berlin would be replaced by Tyson Verhelst midway through the second after giving up 4 goals on 16 shots. Spokane out shot Portland 9-4 in the period as each team failed to score on their one power play opportunity.
Iverson would extend the Portland lead to 5-3 on a breakaway against Verhelst at 8:36 of the third period. The Chiefs would cut the deficit to 5-4 when Keanu Yamamoto scored his 3rd goal in the last 2 games from Evan Fiala at 11:36 of the third. Fiala would then pull the Chiefs even with his 4th goal of the year from Zwerger and Johnson at 17:09 to tie the game at 5 and force overtime. In the OT, Spokane got a two minute power play on a too many men on the ice penalty from Portland, but despite out shooting the Winterhawks 7-0 in the 5 minute period, failed to score and the game would go to a shootout.
In the shootout, Jarret Anderson-Dolan scored in the first round to give the Chiefs a 1-0 lead after one. Portland’s Jack Daugherty and Dominic Turgeon scored in the next two rounds though, and Portland won the shootout 2-1 to take the victory. Spokane did earn a point from the win and are now tied with Seattle for second place in the U.S. Division, three points back of first place Everett. Spokane is back in action Sunday at 5:05pm when they take on the Winterhawks in Portland once again. Mike Boyle will have the call on 1510 KGA starting at 4:30pm.