The Spokane Chiefs have given the Portland Winterhawks fits this season, swallowing up eight points prior to the doubleheader. Those points are pretty close to the difference in the standings between the Hawks and Chiefs. The difference in those games was Carter Ecklar, their goaltender. However, an upper-body injury has sidelined him on a day-to-day basis, so the Chiefs had to use their backup and bring in another goaltender.
In Portland, the first of two games featured both teams using backups, Cruz Chase for the Hawks and Bryce Francisco for the Chiefs. The Hawks took the lead midway through the first period with goals by Jordan Duguay and Kyle McDonough. Ninety seconds later, a power-play goal put the Chiefs within one. The Hawks struck again four minutes later, scoring twice in a span of just over a minute as Trevor Toyne and Sam Spehar connected on back-to-back power plays, giving Portland a 4-1 lead after one.
The second period saw Francisco replaced by Alexander Watren, who had played just two regular-season games in the WHL. The Hawks’ Luke Wilfley welcomed him with a goal just over a minute into the period. The Chiefs came alive just past the 18-minute mark to end the period down by three, with Portland leading 5-2.
You don’t go 12-1 without resiliency when trailing, and the Chiefs showed that by scoring three goals in the first three minutes of the third period to tie the game at 5-5. From there, the Chiefs continued their attack and broke the tie just past the 13-minute mark to seize a stunning 6-5 win over the Hawks. What had looked like a comfortable Portland victory turned into another frustrating loss against Spokane, leaving the Hawks faithful stunned.
The feisty contest saw just seven power plays on the night, with the majority of penalties called in the third period.
Spokane more than doubled the Hawks in shots, 36-17, though Portland led in power-play goals, going 2-for-3 compared to Spokane’s 1-for-4.
After the game, Coach Kyle Gustafson remarked on the strong first and second periods, but not the finish. Chase would probably like a goal or two back, but it was a team effort. Gustafson remarked that the team had started to turn things around, even in a loss at Spokane a short while ago, and in this one, there were more positives to take away.
The second of two games happened the following night. In net were Ondrej Stebetak, who has had some rough nights against Spokane, and Alexander Watren for the Chiefs.
Both goaltenders were tested in the first period, especially Stebetak, who looked in fine form, stymying the Chiefs with tough saves and thwarting them time after time. The scoreless period showed the results.
The second period was going well until a defensive breakdown allowed Tristan Buckley a direct shot on net, and he put the Chiefs up 1-0. After a few kicks at the can, the Hawks finally broke the goose egg with a tip-in by Jordan Duguay. Just over a minute and a half later, Jake Gustafson grabbed the puck off Watren’s pad and stuffed it into the net to put the Hawks up 2-1.
Stebetak once again came up big as Spokane, though outshot, had some quality chances to tie or even win the game. Ondrej had other ideas as he closed the door and preserved the 2-1 victory, giving the Hawks their first win over the Chiefs this season. After spotting Spokane six wins, lucky number seven was for the Hawks. Portland outshot Spokane 31-25, and both teams were fruitless on the power play, with Portland going 0-for-5 and Spokane 0-for-3.
The Hawks will now hit the road for six games as the Eastern Swing gets into full bloom, starting in Brandon and concluding in Swift Current. Portland returns to the States with a home-and-home series against the Everett Silvertips. The Hawks will face a mixed bag on the swing, beginning and ending with the top two teams in the Eastern Division. Max Psenicka is still listed as week-to-week on the injury report.
Turning to the Ontario Hockey League, the Guelph Storm lead the pack at 15-3, having gone 9-1 in their last 10 games. They’re closely chased by the Kingston Frontenacs, who sit just ahead of the Brantford Bulldogs. The Soo Greyhounds and Sudbury Wolves round out the top five teams.
The Barrie Colts are the only team in single digits in the OHL, with nine points after 18 games. Though five other teams have given up more goals than they have, Barrie has scored just 38, which is significantly behind all the other teams.
In the QMJHL, the Val-d’Or Foreurs lost a wild 5-4 game to the Victoriaville Tigres, their runner-up in the division, but then took a 5-3 victory over Gatineau, improving their record to 15-2. Still wallowing in the basement are the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, who have just three wins on the year.
The Top 10 will be out later this week. With both top seeds going 1-1 this weekend, it appears there will be little change at the top.
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