Young stars shine on Championship Sunday to close out 2023 Spokane Chiefs Training Camp
Spokane, Wash. — The Spokane Chiefs closed out their 2023-24 training camp in style on Sunday with two games to determine the winner of the Chiefs Cup. With 84 players invited to camp and split into four teams, games were played on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in a round-robin format. The four teams were named after illustrious Spokane Chiefs alumni who each won a gold medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup during their time in Spokane, (Jared Cowen, Ty Smith, Hugh Hamilton, and Brandin Cote). Current Chiefs players Berkly Catton (2023) and Saige Weinstein (2022) have each won gold at the prestigious youth tournament for Team Canada.
Team Cowen entered championship Sunday in first place with a 5-1 record, 10 points and 18 goals scored while Team Smith earned second place with a 3-3 record, six points, and 12 goals scored.
Team Hamilton led by Chiefs 20-year-old Chase Bertholet battled newcomer Conner Roulette and Team Cote in the early game on Sunday to determine who would finish the week in third place. It was 3-0 Hamilton after the first period with a pair of goals from Chiefs 2023 sixth-round WHL draft selection, Wyatt Dyck. European import Lukas Král forced the turnover and found Dyck out front for his first goal, with Jaden Mah driving the right wing and passing across net-front from his knees to find Dyck for the third goal of the period.
Grey gets another! It’s Dyck again with his second goal of the day to make it 3-0
— Spokane Chiefs (@spokanechiefs) September 3, 2023
Chiefs returner Cole Wadsworth scored the middle goal of the frame on a nice feed from Cohen Harris. On the other end Owen Schoettler of Team Cote had a penalty saved, keeping the score a definitive 3-0 after one.
Both teams came out of the locker room ready to attack in the second. Cordoviz found the net twice for Team Hamilton, with Mah on the board as well. Team Cote scored a massive six goals in the period including a hat trick from Roulette and a slick penalty shot from Buckley. Seymour and Glavina also found the net for Team Cote in the period.
The game headed to overtime tied at 6-6 after nine total goals scored in the period. Less than a minute into play Chase Bertholet made his mark. He drove the blue line and stopped on a dime before spinning and finding Jack Wideman one-on-one with goaltender Ryan Denes. Wideman flicked the puck into the net to take home third place for Team Hamilton.
The Championship Game featured Team Cowen in Red versus Team Smith in Blue, pitting the likes of Berkly Catton and Cooper Michaluk against Ty Cheveldayoff and Dawson Cowan. It was a physical first period with Chase Harrington ripping home a quick snap shot and Saige Weinstein scoring on a penalty to give Team Smith a 2-0 lead.
Saigerrrr!!! Weinstein makes it a 2-0 lead for Smith with a penalty shot goal
— Spokane Chiefs (@spokanechiefs) September 3, 2023
Marks was on the board first for Team Cowen after he snagged a loose puck out front. Catton was credited with an assist on the play before taking matters into his own hands and scoring late in the period at the near post to make it 2-2. An action-packed second period saw Nathan Chorlton, Chiefs 24th-overall selection in the ’23 U.S. Priority Draft, turn star man. The player of the game scored two including the eventual overtime game-winning goal, plus added an assist on a slick tic-tac-toe passing exchange that Sidney Armstrong put away. For Team Smith it was Chase Harrington who put on a burst of speed, flying down the left wing before sliding it across to Owen Martin for the finish. Saige Weinstein smashed a huge slapshot to tie the game late but it wasn’t enough as Chorlton and Team Cowen took home the coveted Chiefs Cup Trophy.
Nathan Chorlton finds the net for Team Cowen to win the Chiefs Cup!! pic.twitter.com/4RJpHaINiH
— Spokane Chiefs (@spokanechiefs) September 3, 2023
Sunday’s action brought the Spokane Chiefs 2023 training camp to a close. The team will trim from 84 players down to roughly 25-30 between now and Wednesday’s closed-door exhibition game against the Wenatchee Wild. The Chiefs will next be in action on September 14 against the Portland Winterhawks in the only home preseason action open to the public with a 6:05 p.m. puck drop. You can get tickets to the preseason game, regular season home opener on September 30 versus Tri-City and a commemorative 23-24 game puck here.
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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 in 1991 & 2008, two WHL Championships in 1991 & 2008 and four Western Conference Championships in 1991, 1996, 2000 & 2008. Over 60 alumni have gone on to play in the National Hockey League.
