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Spokane Chiefs

Andrew Cristall scores twice, Spokane Chiefs knock off feisty Kamloops 4-2 in road day game

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

KAMLOOPS, B.C. –Even though they were north of the border, the Spokane Chiefs participated in a rare day game on President’s Day.

Andrew Cristall scored two goals and the Chiefs beat the Kamloops Blazers 4-2 in a contentious Western Hockey League game at Sandman Centre on Monday.

The Chiefs (37-16-1-1) clinched a playoff spot with the win and have won seven of their last nine games. Spokane is nine points behind U.S. Division and Western Conference-leading Everett (39-10-4-3) with 13 games to go.

Spokane outshot Kamloops 44-25. They went 0 for 3 on the power play and 1 for 2 on the kill. Rookie goalie Carter Esler made 23 saves for his seventh win of the season.

It didn’t take long for Kamloops (20-30-4-0) to claim the lead. Just 48 seconds into the game Vit Zahejsky circled behind the net, drawing two defenders, and found Beau Courtney alone in the slot. Courtney went to the backhand and chipped it past Carter Esler for his seventh goal of the season.

With 6 1/2 minutes left in the first period, Chiefs captain Berkly Catton was called for slashing. The Blazers made good on the power play, with Nathan Behm tapping in a cross-crease pass from Tommy Lafreniere for his 27th goal of the season.

It stayed that way until midway through the second period, when Chase Harrington’s short-side stuff attempt climbed up Blazers goalie Logan Edmonstone’s blocker arm and trickled though for his 16th goal of the season.

At 13:05 of the period Harrington guided a puck to top of the crease and Mathis Preston slipped behind the defense and knocked it in for his 17th goal of the season to tie it at 2-2.

The Chiefs took their first lead of the afternoon with 4 1/2 minutes left in the period. Berkly Catton’s shot from close was stuffed by he gathered the rebound. From behind the net, he found Andrew Cristall on the left post, who banged it in for his 38th goal of the season.

The Chiefs outshot Kamloops 27-6 in the second.

The first half of the third period got chippy, with several roughing penalties doled out along with a pair of fighting majors to Spokane’s Coco Armstrong and Kamloops’ Conner Radke. The Blazers generated a couple of quality scoring chances after the teams went back to full strength, hitting the post twice in the span of a minute.

Behm sent one across the goal line with 90 seconds left and Kamloops pulled its goalie with a minute left. The move backfired when Cristall scored into the empty net with 48 seconds to go.