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Spokane Chiefs

Chiefs Come out Hot against Wenatchee, Win 6-4 Tuesday Night

February 21, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Spokane Chiefs News Release


Wenatchee, Wash. - The Spokane Chiefs got off to a hot start and didn't let off the brakes as they skated to a 6-4 victory over the Wenatchee Wild on the road Tuesday night.

The Chiefs got the party started early, as Conner Roulette slid the puck over to Berkly Catton, who was speeding up center ice. At first, the puck slipped past Catton, but he wrangled it in and poked it past Wenatchee's netminder just over a minute into the game to give Spokane an early 1-0 lead.

The Wild were quick to answer, though, as Ty Fraser found the equalizer a minute and a half later.

Undeterred, Spokane's top line connected once again at 4:26 - this time with Chase Bertholet finding the twine for the 21st time this season. Catton and Roulette were credited with the helpers as the Chiefs took a 2-1 lead less than five minutes into play. The goal marks Bertholet's 199th career WHL point.

An even battle throughout the rest of the frame kept it a 2-1 game going into the first intermission. Spokane would ultimately hold a lead over Wenatchee for the rest of the game.

Spokane was once again first on the board in the second period. Defenseman Will McIsaac managed to get the puck from the right wing boards out to Shea Van Olm in the slot, who wound up and slapped it into the net to pad the Chiefs' lead to 3-1 at 6:36. Ty Cheveldayoff also earned an assist on the play.

Wenatchee pulled one back at 13:02 when Josh Fluker scored his third goal of the year with help from Steven Arp and Landon Young to bring the Wild within one.

In the final minute of the middle frame, Carter Streek made a physical play in the corner to loosen up the puck, which was picked up by Rasmus Ekström below the red line. He fired the sharp-angle shot on net and the biscuit made its way over the red line with 30 seconds left in the period to push Spokane's lead to 4-2.

The third period kicked off with a fight between Cam Parr and Karter Prosofsky at the 3:32 mark that sent them both to the box for five minutes.

It was a goalie battle until 11:52, when Jonas Woo netted the Wild's third goal of the game with help from former-Chief-turned-Wild-Captain Graham Sward and Miles Cooper.

With just over two minutes left in the game, Cheveldayoff won a puck on the left boards and got it out to Ekström at the left circle, who fired it on net but it was blocked by a Wenatchee skater before it even left the circle. It bounced into the air and McIsaac snatched it down and chipped through Noah Stenvig for what would end up being the game-winning goal and the 17-year-old blueliner's fifth of the season.

Only 38 seconds later, Van Olm scored an empty netter to seal the deal, despite a late goal from Sam ward at 19:47, and the Chiefs came away with a 6-4 victory. It's their third win over their new divisional foes in six match-ups so far this season. The teams will play each other twice more before the end of the regular season.

Spokane outshot Wenatchee 40-35, with Dawson Cowan stopping 31 shots faced. The Chiefs couldn't capitalize on either of their two power plays, but went a perfect 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.

Spokane is now 23-26-4-1 and holds the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They're six points ahead of the Tri-City Americans and two points behind the seventh-place Kelowna Rockets and are 6-3-0-1 in their last ten games.

Up next, the Chiefs return home to take on the Regina Pats Friday at Spokane Arena.

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