Americans Eliminated from Playoff Contention with Loss to Spokane
WHL Tri-City Americans

Americans Eliminated from Playoff Contention with Loss to Spokane

Published on March 14, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release


Kennewick, WA - The Tri-City Americans (26-34-4-1) fell behind just 37 seconds into the game and the Spokane Chiefs (35-29-1-0) never looked back, cruising to a 7-2 final at the Toyota Center Saturday night.

Owen Martin scored the game's opening goal shortly after puck drop as a point shot hit him in the leg and deflected past Ryan Grout.

Five minutes later Spokane struck just six seconds into a power play, doubling their lead to 2-0. The Chiefs then added a second power play goal later in the period, taking a 3-0 advantage into the intermission.

Spokane then scored three goals in 2:48 during the second period, jumping out to a 6-0 lead just past the halfway mark of the game.

Tri-City was able to respond during a four-minute power play in the late stages of the second when Connor Dale fired a shot past the blocker of Carter Esler and in. It was Dale's 25th of the season with Aden Bouchard and Savin Virk drawing assists.

The third period seemed to have a more back-and-forth flow to it as the two teams played a 7:46 seconds stretch without a whistle. The teams traded goals late in regulation with Dominik Petr and Cruz Pavao scoring, bringing the final score to 7-2.

With the loss, combined with the Seattle Thunderbirds win over Portland, the Americans have mathematically been eliminated from playoff contention.

The team returns to action Tuesday evening with a road game against the Penticton Vees (41-14-6-4).

Announced attendance was 5,652.

Check out the Tri-City Americans Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Western Hockey League Stories from March 14, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central