Completing the comeback they missed out on against the Portland Winterhawks late last week, the Spokane Chiefs have hit their stride as the first half of the season wraps up. After losing their first seven games of the season, the Chiefs have won four of their last five. Two of those wins, as well as the one loss, came against the Winterhawks.
However, there were positives for the home team as Portland came out strong. Simon Knak opened the scoring right out of the gate, scoring his eighth goal of the season just 51 seconds into the first period. The teams proceeded to trade goals for the rest of regulation, with Spokane leaving the ice with the extra point in overtime.
Winterhawks’ milestone moments
The game Wednesday night was Winterhawks’ alternate captain Mason Mannek‘s milestone 200th WHL game. In his final season in the WHL, the forward celebrated his 21st birthday with a 7-6 win over Spokane just four days earlier.
"I’m just a small town kid from Utah and being able to play in 200 WHL games – it’s pretty unheard of.”
Read ?: https://t.co/LtrhqnXH6W pic.twitter.com/aOjuWsZ26g
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) April 14, 2021
With a smooth pass from Seth Jarvis, Tyson Kozak lit the lamp for his first goal of the season.
Drop the knee low, put the puck high. ? pic.twitter.com/0oX2wLkGVm
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) April 15, 2021
Beaupit stands tall for Spokane
Spokane goaltender Mason Beaupit made an impressive 48 saves on the 51 shots the Portland roster sent his way. Including two saves in overtime, Beaupit did a fantastic job making sure the game didn’t quickly become out of reach for the Chiefs. He provided the confidence in net that helped lift his team to their comeback win.
Mas?n Beaupit pic.twitter.com/4Wa63gIM71
— Spokane Chiefs (@spokanechiefs) April 15, 2021
Spokane sees debuts and goals
Rookie defenseman Saige Weinstein made his debut with the Chiefs. At just 15 years old, there is no doubt that fans can expect big things from him throughout his career in Spokane.
Pregame rookie lap for @SaigeWeinstein!#GoChiefsGo pic.twitter.com/o6r2qWrxaV
— Spokane Chiefs (@spokanechiefs) April 15, 2021
Meanwhile, in the last moments of the game, Eli Zummack clinched Spokane’s first overtime win of the season after scoring the game-tying goal with under a minute left in regulation.
Stop me if you've seen this before.#GoChiefsGo | @walottery pic.twitter.com/mCmWDiAKR1
— Spokane Chiefs (@spokanechiefs) April 15, 2021
These two teams are scheduled to meet just once more this season. The game is set for May 8, with the Chiefs traveling to Portland.
