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Spokane Chiefs

Spokane Chiefs battle back late, comeback falls incomplete in 5-4 loss to Seattle

By Dave Nichols daven@spokesman.com(509) 459-5441

From staff reports

KENT, Wash. – Sawyer Mynio scored two goals and the Seattle Thunderbirds held off a late charge and beat the Spokane Chiefs 5-4 in a Western Hockey League game at ShoWare Center on Friday.

The Chiefs maintained an 11-point lead over Tri-City for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference with seven games to play.

Spokane is 3-20-1-1 when trailing after two periods.

The Chiefs trailed 5-2 early in the third period but scored twice in the last 5 minutes to make it close.

Lukáš Král carried behind the net and found Hayden Paupanekis alone in the slot, who scored his 10th of the year to cut the deficit to two with 4:45 left.

The Chiefs went empty net with 2:15 remaining and Chase Bertholet banged home a rebound to make it a one-goal game with 1:31 to go, his 23rd of the season. A goal-mouth scramble in the last 10 seconds did not result in the tying goal.

Seattle (23-36-2-0) scored on the first shot of the game, with Simon Lovsin scoring his 13th goal of the season.

The Chiefs (26-29-5-1) tied it up shortly thereafter. Conner Roulette made a strong move around a defender and his shot was blocked, but Shea Van Olm followed it up and chipped the puck past goalie for his 21st goal of the season.

Chase Harrington gave the visitors a 2-1 lead with another rebound goal, his sixth of the year, completing a 3-on-2 rush.

Seattle tied it with 2:42 left in the period on a soft wrist shot from the point by Mynio, then early in the second the Thunderbirds broke the tie on Jeremy Hanzel’s 14th goal of the season.

The T-birds made it 4-2 with 11 seconds left in the period with Mynio’s second of the night on a one-timer on the power play from the right point.

Seattle’s Nathan Pilling completed a 2-on-1 opportunity with his 16th goal of the season off a feed from Lovsin to make it 5-2.

Pass suspended: Chiefs forward Cam Parr was suspended two games by the WHL, the league announced Friday.

Parr will be eligible to return Tuesday when the Chiefs host the Portland Winterhawks. Parr was called for a check to the head in the Chiefs 6-3 win over Victoria on Tuesday.