SPOKANE - Five different Chiefs scored goals and 10 registered points in Spokane's 5-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets on Tuesday at the Spokane Arena. Spokane's win, coupled with an Everett loss at Portland, brings the Western Conference race down to the final three games of the regular season, with the Chiefs playing both teams ahead of them in the standings.
Everett and Tri-City are tied atop the conference with 93 points apiece, while the Chiefs now sit just two points back. Spokane will play a home-and-home series with Tri-City beginning at the Spokane Arena on Friday and finishing on Saturday in Kennewick. The Chiefs will then host the Everett Silvertips on Sunday. All three teams have played 69 games.
Kyle Beach, with his league-leading 52nd goal, Levko Koper, Blake Gal, Stefan Ulmer and Kenton Miller all scored for the Chiefs as they went 1-for-2 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill.
Spokane led 1-0 after the first period, as Beach snapped home his third goal in his last two games at 10:59 of the first. Gal and Brett Bartman assisted on the play. Just 27 seconds into the second period, Koper added to his career-high with his 27th goal of the year from Tyler Johnson.
All three of Kelowna's power play opportunities came over an eight minute span in the second period. They took advantage of the first one with their initial goal at 5:39, the first power play tally given up by the Chiefs in four games. Back-to-back Rocket power plays that began at 7:37 were stymied by the Chiefs. Goaltender James Reid made 14 saves in the period and 30 overall.
Gal, who hit double digits with is 10th of the year, made it 3-1 Chiefs at 17:06 of the second and an Ulmer one-timer on the power play pushed the lead to 4-1 through two periods.
Kenton Miller finished the scoring for Spokane at 8:52 of the third, just seven seconds before Kelowna got their second of the game.
Through 69 games, the Chiefs can still finish anywhere from first to fifth in the Conference standings, with the exception being second place. They can still play any of four teams in the first round of the playoffs. Once an opponent is determined, the Chiefs can finalize their first round playoff dates
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Five different Chiefs scored goals and 10 registered points in Spokane's 5-2 victory over the Kelowna Rockets on Tuesday at the Spokane Arena.
