WHL Playoffs: Rasmus Ekstrom scores in double overtime, Spokane Chiefs down Victoria 4-3 in Game 1 of Western Conference semifinals

The Spokane Chiefs closed out Vancouver in their first-round series in five games on April 5. They’ve been off since, and their Western Conference semifinal series against the Victoria Royals was the last of the four Western Hockey League second-round matchups to start – with some completing two games before the Chiefs and Royals got started.

It’s not like they were waiting for Victoria – the Royals eliminated Tri-City the day before the Chiefs advanced. But with a youth wrestling tournament in the Arena on Friday and Saturday, Game 1 of the best-of-seven series was Sunday evening, and the delayed start compressed the schedule with the first five games of the series scheduled over seven days. 

Even though both teams had a week layoff, there didn’t appear to be any rust. And maybe the extra time off for fresh legs helped – it took two overtime sessions to settle it. 

Rasmus Ekstrom scored a power play goal 10 minutes, 35 seconds into the second overtime and the Chiefs came from two goals down to beat the Royals 4-3. 

Game 2 is Monday at 7:05 p.m. at the Arena.

Coco Armstrong drew the tripping penalty with speed down the right-wing boards. The Chiefs got some good pressure with the extra man, and the puck ended up on Andrew Cristall’s stick in the right-wing corner. He found Ekstrom in the slot and the 20-year-old Swede settled the pass and sent a wrist shot past Victoria goalie Johnny Hicks, who faced 57 Spokane shots. 

It was Ekstrom’s third goal of the playoffs. Cristall had a goal and an assist, and Berkly Catton had two helpers. Chiefs goalie Dawson Cowan made 32 saves.

The first break of the game came to Victoria midway through the first period, when Chiefs captain Berkly Catton got his stick high on a forecheck and was assessed a 4-minute penalty for drawing blood. But the Royals couldn’t make good with their early opportunity as the Chiefs killed the penalty and only allowed one shot to get through to Cowan.

The scoreless tie remained until late in the period. Brayden Crampton missed a check, allowing Victoria to enter the zone on a 2-on-1. Cowan made the save on the original shot, but the puck popped into the air and stayed in the blue paint. Both teams had whacks at it, but Victoria’s Cole Reschny had the last, and it went for his fifth goal of the postseason with just 25 seconds left in the period. 

Early in the second, a Chiefs turnover set Reschny in alone on Cowan, but he wasn’t able to get up enough speed and Cowan brushed aside Reschny’s attempt.

A little later the Chiefs tried to make a change on defense while in the offensive zone but paid for it. A knocked down pass allowed Victoria to go the other way with defenseman Will McIsaac out of position. A 3-on-2 resulted in Reschny converting a pass from Teydon Trembecky for his second of the game. 

Victoria’s Brandon Lisowsky took a tripping penalty with 8:18 left in the second, but the Chiefs power play unit, which ranked tops in the league in the regular season at 28.9%, came up empty. 

But the Chiefs fourth line came on after the power play expired and got the job done.

Brody Gillespie took a pass from Armstrong and carried the puck into the Victoria zone and behind the net. He circled and found Cam Parr camped out in the crease, where he tapped it in to halve the deficit at 2-1 with 5:29 left in the period.

The Chiefs came out with jump in the third and tied it up just 2 minutes, 9 seconds in. Sam Oremba collected a puck in the neutral zone, outmaneuvered a Royals defender and beat Hicks for his second goal of the playoffs. 

It didn’t stay tied long. 

A little more than a minute later Kenta Isogai found Trembecky wide open with a cross-ice pass through the neutral zone. The winger cruised into the high slot and whipped a long-range shot that got past Cowan stick side. It was Trembecky’s third goal of the postseason following 46 in the regular season.

But the Chiefs weren’t done. Cristall won a puck along the boards and chipped it to Catton skating through the slot. Catton avoided a defender then gave it back to Cristall alone at the right-wing faceoff dot. His wrister beat Hicks for his eighth goal of the playoffs to tie it with 7:49 to go.

It stayed tied through regulation. Both teams had quality opportunities in the first overtime, including Catton’s one-timer just before the horn that hit the side of the net.