Seattle 5 Spokane 4
The Spokane Chiefs (19-14-1-2) and Seattle Thunderbirds (16-14-4-1) have played only two types of games over their first four meetings this year. They have exchanged blowout wins and played one tightly contested affair leading into their game in Kent, Washington on Friday night.
Friday’s game looked well on its way to the former type of game after Spokane scored four times in the second to take a 4-2 advantage with 20 minutes to play. Two of the Chiefs goals game in the last 1:35 of the second.
Instead, Seattle rebounded with three straight goals in the third period, despite being outshot 12-11 in the frame and stole the game 5-4.
Dillon Hamaliuk and Donovan Neuls both had two assists for the Thunderbirds and Noah Philp had a goal and an assist.
The Chiefs were led by three point nights from Riley Woods and Jaret Anderson-Dolan.
Seattle opened the scoring on just their second shot of the game 11:21 in. Rookie defenseman Luke Gallagher coughed the puck up under pressure from Blake Bargar and Matthew Wedman quickly got the puck to Nolan Volcan whose quick shot fooled Spokane goalie Donovan Buskey.
Spokane finally got on the board 2:08 into the second period on a goal from Woods. With Ethan McIndoe screening in front, Woods fired a slap shot by Seattle goalie Matt Berlin, tying the game at one.
Anderson-Dolan then gave the Chiefs their first lead with a marker with 2:26 left in the frame. Woods corralled a bouncing puck and found Anderson-Dolan in behind the defense. He beat Berlin on the breakaway for his 18th this year.
The T-birds answered just 27 seconds later as Philp was twice pushed into the Spokane net and then Austin Strand’s shot from the point banked off Philp, who was standing above Buskey in the crease. After a lengthy review, the play was ruled a goal.
Woods got his second of the night to take the lead back again just 22 seconds later. Tyson Helgesen threw the puck towards the front of the net and Woods tipped it by Berlin.
It seemed like Seattle would have a great chance to tie the game again before the second was over, but it was Spokane who scored instead, with what seemed like the type of goal that could take the wind out of Seattle’s sails. Strand lost an edge and Eli Zummack burst the other way and beat Berlin with 35 seconds left in the middle frame.
Instead of having a negative impact, the goal seemed to spark Seattle in the third period. Nikita Malukhin scored 1:41 into the third to make it 4-3. Philp found him in the high slot and the Russian import scored his third this year, all against Spokane.
The T-birds were able to tie the game before the midway point in the game as Reece Harsch’s shot was tipped home by a fresh-off-the-bench Zack Andrusiak.
Turner Ottenbreit then finished off the comeback with 8:11 left. He led a two-on-one rush with Andrusiak and beat Buskey on his glove side for his fifth this year.
Berlin held off the Spokane rally, stopping all 12 third-period shots and 29 of 33. Buskey turned away 21 of 26.
Seattle will host Portland Saturday night, while Spokane will head home and host Tri-City.
Vancouver 2 @Everett 1
While it may not have felt like true revenge for being humiliated on home ice Wednesday to the tune of and 11-0 loss to the Everett Silvertips(22-14-1-1), the visiting Vancouver Giants (19-14-2-2) do have to feel good in that these two points matter just as much as those Everett got Wednesday. They were also able to win on the road thanks to goals from Dawson Holt and Tyler Benson and 34 saves on 35 shots by goalie David Tendeck.
Patrick Bajkov found Matt Fonteyne to open the scoring for Everett early in the second, but the Giants got that one right back thanks to Holt.
Benson added another marker in the middle frame and Tendeck made sure the 2-1 advantage would hold.
Everett goalie Dustin Wolf, who was making his sixth straight start, stopped 23 of 25.
Both teams could not score on the power play, with Everett having three chances and Vancouver two.
The Giants will host the Prince George Cougars Saturday, while the Silvertips will entertain the Kamloops Blazers.
With Portland winning in Kennewick, Everett’s lead for tops in the U.S. Division dwindles to one point with Portland having three games in hand. Tri-City sits four points back with five games in hand.
