The Portland Winterhawks lost to the Spokane Chiefs Friday night 6-5 capped off by a four goal Chiefs comeback. This was the fifth of eight meetings between Portland and Spokane this season. The Winterhawks entered the contest 0-4 against the Chiefs this season. The last time Portland defeated Spokane was January 2nd, 2025. The Chiefs were starting a short road stretch of four straight away games. With the results, Spokane is now 7-0 on the road this season and holds firm control of the number one seed in the Western Conference.
Portland got off to another strong start at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, scoring a goal just 1:14 into the match. A pass from the boards by Nathan Brown would find Kyle McDonough low in the left hand faceoff circle. From there, McDonough would fire a wrist shot that would ping off the crossbar and far post. Spokane goaltender, Bryce Francisco was still turning to look for the puck when the rebound bounced right back to McDonough. From low in the zone, McDonough shoveled another wrist shot on net. This time the shot would beat the unsuspecting Francisco five hole, and the Winterhawks would take an early 1-0 lead.
Portland’s strong start continued with a second goal just before the halfway mark of the period. After recieving a pass at center ice from Will McLaughlin, Jordan Duguay would skate to his left along the penalty box boards. Duguay then entered the offensive zone, and stayed close to the boards. As Duguay reached the low end of the faceoff circle, he sent a near side wrist shot on net. The puck would beat Francisco far side, and Duguay would put the Winterhawks up 2-0 with 10:30 left in the first.
Spokane then answered back just 1:58 later. After a tripping call put Spokane on the four on three power-play, the Chiefs would hold puck possession in the offensive zone. Cameron Jacobson would have a chance to clear the puck from Portland’s defensive corner, but Chase Harrington would stop the puck high in the zone for the Chiefs. Now with space, Harrington would drift down into the slot and cross the top of the near faceoff circle. Once Harrington had an inside shooting lane, he would rip a wrist shot that would be deflected in front by Gavin Burcar. The puck would fly over the glove of Portland goaltender, Cruz Chase, and into the back of the net. Burcar’s fourth goal of the year would make the score 2-1 Portland.
The Winterhawks then responded with a power-play goal of their own. With 5:42 remaining in the period, Will McLaughlin would keep possession in the offensive zone for Portland at the blue line. Controlling the puck, McLaughlin then worked a pass down to Trevor Toyne along the boards. Toyne then turned, and skated into the open space left for him in the faceoff circle. Once he reached the faceoff dot, Toyne lifted a wrist shot high over the right shoulder of Francisco. Toyne’s fifth goal of the season gave the Winterhawks a 3-1 lead.
Portland kept the pressure on with another goal just 1:21 later. The play would start with Spokane winning a defensive zone faceoff back towards the corner. The puck would then kick out hard off the boards and ricochet towards the front of the net. Unfortunately for Spokane, the puck would jump the stick of Nathan Mayes and fall into the left leg pad of Francisco in the crease. However, Francisco lost track of the puck and was unaware it was up against his pad. This allowed Sam Spehar to drag the puck out to his forehand, and tap the puck five hole on Francisco. Spehar’s goal would be the last of the period, and the Winterhawks would head into the first intermission with a 4-1 lead.
In the second period, the Winterhawks kept the momentum with an early goal. A stretch pass from Spokane would be intercepted by David Hoy in the neutral zone. Shielding himself from check, Hoy battled along the boards and kept the puck moving forward for Portland. Hoy was then cut off at the offensive blue line, but managed to chip the puck around encroaching Chiefs defender, Nolan Saunderson. With speed, Luke Wilfley was able to skate over and snatch up Hoy’s pass, creating a short two-on-one opportunity. With Kyle McDonough to his left in the slot, Wilfley glided down into the faceoff circle. After giving McDonough a look, Wilfley decided to fire a wrist shot short side on newly substituted goaltender, Alexander Watren. The shot would sneak under the glove of Watren, and extend Portland’s lead to 5-1, just 1:07 into the second frame.
Spokane would not go quietly into the second intermission. With 1:34 left, the Chiefs won an offenseive zone draw to keep Portland hemmed in their defensive zone. Cohen Harris then cycled the puck from the boards down low for Brody Gillespie behind the net. The puck would bounce off a well guarded Gillespie, and slide loose for Parker Colmer. Colmer then passed the puck up to Harris in the high slot. Harris reeled back and fired a wrist shot that would find a line low past the blocker of Chase. Harris’s third goal of the year would make the score 5-2 Portland heading into the third period.
Momentum from the last goal carried over for Spokane into the final frame. Only 26 seconds into the third period, the Chiefs cut into Portland’s lead again. After a shot from the point was blocked by Chase, the rebound would be poked and jammed back to the point for Marek Howell. From the top of the zone, Howell then sent another wrist shot back on net. This time, Howell’s shot would find a way through a crowd of bodies, and slide under the legs of Chase to make the score 5-3 Portland.
Spokane was making the most of their new found energy, finding another goal with 17:36 left in the third period. Off an icing call on Portland, the Chiefs would win another offensive zone faceoff back to Marek Howell. Howell would send another wrist shot high towards the goal, and Matěj Tománek would tip the puck from the slot. The redirect would push the puck past the right arm of Chase, and send the puck bouncing into the back of the net. Tománek’s third goal of the year would cut Portland’s lead down to 5-4.
Then, 30 seconds later, and Spokane found an equalizer. Another tie up in the middle of Portland’s defensive zone allowed Tománek to gather possession in the slot. With multiple bodies in front of the net, Tománek would pass the puck back for Luca Jarvis high in the bench side faceoff circle. Jarvis then whipped a wrist shot that would knuckle off a Portland defenseman in front, and trickle past a sliding Cruz Chase. In just under three minutes, the Chiefs had tied the game at 5-5.
After a timeout by Portland, the game settled, until the game winning goal was scored late in regulation. Marek Howell would block a dump in for Portland, and send a pass back up the neutral zone for Spokane. Recieving Howell’s pass was Chase Harrington, who then skated through the neutral zone and crossed over the offensive blue line. Shifting from right to left, Harrington then passed the puck over to his left for Tyus Sparks. Sparks wasted no time firing another shot on net from the top of the faceoff circle. The puck would race over the blocker side of Chase, and the Chiefs would steal the lead back with 6:54 left in regulation.
Unfortunately for Portland, their offense could only muster one shot on goal in the final frame, and it wasn’t enough. Spokane kept the Winterhawks on defense for the majority of the period, and Watren made the save he needed to close out the 6-5 win for the Chiefs.
After the game, when asked about the comparison between the start and end of the game for the Winterhawks coach Kyle Gustafson said he thought his team was playing on its toes and did great things in the offensive zone.
“The big thing for us tonight was, how early can we get to their net,” Gustafson said. “I thought obviously we were putting pucks on net from the corners, from the slot. Did a really good job getting rewarded that way.”
He said the key moment was probably on Harris’ goal.
“I thought it was a great shot,” Gustafson said. “We missed coverage there a little bit. But it gave them a lot of momentum going into the third period. That was just a key situation for us. We talked about it in between periods.”
Gustafson said the Chiefs are a good team and one of the best in the CHL by ranking right now.
“They’re a deep team, they’re experienced, if they smell blood, they’re going to come after us,” Gustafson said. “So again, it was disappointing in the end. It was another one that we let slip away to a very good team. We probably want that two and a half minutes back, just like we talked about in the Medicine Hat game.”
Portland’s last home game against Spokane this season is 6 p.m. Saturday at the VMC.
