Spokane Chiefs overwhelmed by first-place Everett 5-2; last-ranked power play continues struggles

The Spokane Chiefs and the Everett Silvertips came into Sunday’s game as two of the stingier teams in the Western Hockey League, ranked third and second respectively in fewest goals allowed this season.

But while U.S. Division-leading Everett is in the top 10 in goals scored, the Chiefs are fifth worst, primarily due to their moribund power play – last by far in the league.

The Chiefs offensive woes continued Sunday at the Arena, a 5-2 loss to the Tips, and they fell a little bit farther behind the team they’ll be chasing in the division for the rest of the season.

“Everett’s a really good hockey team. They have been going back years,” Chiefs assistant coach Jake Toporowski said. “They’re well structured, they play the right way, and obviously they’re coming off a big loss last night. We knew they were going to respond tonight.”

The first two shifts of the game were spent exclusively in the Spokane zone, and 41 seconds in Owen Martin lifted the puck off the ice in the defensive end, giving Everett (11-1-1-0, 23 points) the game’s first power play. An outside shot snuck behind goalie Carter Esler and was punched in from the back side by Jaxsin Vaughan for his third goal of the season .

A little more than a minute later the Chiefs (7-6-0-0, 14 points) turned the puck over at their own blue line, giving the Silvertip s a two-on-one, and Lukas Kaplan buried a backhander for his first goal of the season.

The Chiefs got three chances with the man -advantage in the first period but came up empty each time. The Chiefs power play, worst in the league, went 1 for 6 overall and is 4 for 52 (7.6%) for the season.

“Our start needed to be better,” Toporowski said. “I think we settled in OK towards the end of the first…but we just weren’t able to get enough going from there.”

The Chiefs finally broke through at even strength early in the second when Nolan Saunderson’s shot from the point went through a maze of bodies and past LeGall for his first WHL goal in his ninth game.

The celebration didn’t last long, though, as a back-door pass from Cole Temple got through the Chiefs defense to Carter Bear, who got two whacks at it for his third goal of the season. Just 52 seconds later, Texas-born Cameron Dillard scored his first WHL goal in his sixth game to make it 4-1.

“You talk about important parts of the game, and I almost think that those two quick goals after our goal were more impactful than our giving up two off the start,” Toporowski said. “From the start you can rally, you can kind of get going.”

Everett added a power -play goal by Shea Busch midway through the period for a four-goal lead.

The Chiefs were awarded a four-minute advantage due to a high-sticking double minor to Nolan Chastko seven minutes into the period. They made good on the first half, when Rhett Sather’s shot from center point beat LeGall for his second goal of the season.

But there was no third-period rally as the Chiefs were outshot 7-5 in the final frame.

Presumptive 2027 No. 1 draft prospect Landon DuPont missed his third straight game for Everett with an upper body injury.