Chiefs score 4 unanswered, take Game 1 over Vancouver
Langley, B.C. – The Spokane Chiefs began Round 1 of the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien on the road in Langley on Friday night, taking on the 6-seed Giants. Spokane won all four regular season meetings between the teams, outscoring Vancouver 18-9 in the process.
It was a back and forth first period with both teams struggling to string together offense. The Chiefs managed 18 shots but it was the home team scoring first through a Lipinski tip-in on the power play at 13:44. Spokane was 0/1 on the power play in the first period and went into the break trailing by one.
Spokane’s second line was the difference in the second period as Spokane jumped in front.
Sammy is SLICK 😮💨
Oremba finishes a great feed from Ekström with a beauty of a backhand to tie this one up at 2:00 in the second!#GoChiefsGo | #WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/3wRBUs90bo
— x – Spokane Chiefs (@spokanechiefs) March 29, 2025
Rasmus Ekström picked up the puck and flew down the right side before sliding it across the goal face to Oremba for Spokane’s first playoff goal of 2025. Assanali Sarkenov also tallied an assist on the score.
Later in the period it was another tip-in goal, but this time from the visitors.
Never give up, never surrender 💪
Nathan Mayes stays persistent after a save, firing a laser to the net that's tipped in by Assanali Sarkenov to give us a 2-1 lead!#GoChiefsGo | #WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/VKG89ZzNPu
— x – Spokane Chiefs (@spokanechiefs) March 29, 2025
Spokane would finish the second period with a one goal lead after Assanali Sarkenov came alive with a goal and assist.
Persistence paid off in the third period as the top line in the WHL struck for Spokane’s third of the night.
A goal for the hometown kid 💎
Cristall plays cleanup and pushes us to a 3-1 lead at 6:47 in the third! Catton gets the assist.#GoChiefsGo | #WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/DnQXmpa35q
— x – Spokane Chiefs (@spokanechiefs) March 29, 2025
After a quiet first 40 minutes, Catton and Van Olm combined to set up local B.C. product and WHL regular season scoring leader, Andrew Cristall, with his first playoff goal of 2025.
The Chiefs controlled large portions of the third period, pestering the Vancouver zone and keeping the Giant offense away from Dawson Cowan’s net.
Cristall would finish off the game with an empty net goal at 18:15 and the Chiefs would take Game 1 by a score of 4-1.
Dawson Cowan picked up the win in goal for Spokane, making 25 saves and earned an assist on the empty net goal late in the third period. Spokane’s offense tallied 44 shots, scoring four times while just two total penalties were called throughout the contest. Assanali Sarkenov (1G, 1A) and Shea Van Olm (2A) joined Cristall with two-point efforts.
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