Long layoff dooms Spokane Chiefs in 5-0 loss to Everett

It had been eight days since the Spokane Chiefs played a hockey game and it was evident in the team’s 5-0 drubbing through visiting Everett Silvertips Thursday in the arena.

Hunter Campbell had two goals for the Silvertips and goalkeeper Dustin Wolf stopped all 32 shots he faced. The Chiefs have been goalless on four power play opportunities, including a 4-minute power play in the third period.

The Chiefs’ layoff was due to a positive COVID-19 test on the Tri-City Americans team that wiped out two games last weekend. The Chiefs had a lot of practice time during the discharge, but it was difficult to prepare for a game.

“You have to do your best to push and compete in training, but it’s difficult,” said head coach Adam Maglio. “There is nothing better than game actions.”

The Chiefs were only 2:27 1-0 out in the game when Campbell scored his first goal, but the Chiefs left Everett 12-11 in the first half and were able to counter Everett’s onslaught. Spokane’s Ty Cheveldayoff had a good chance of an outlier, but Wolf was big on the net.

The Silvertips poured it on in the second period. Ryan Hofer made it 2-0 2:01 in the second period and Spokane couldn’t take his chances.

Adam Beckman rang one off the post and Cordel Larson had a bad angle on a puck that Wolf had played badly behind the net. The puck squirted out in front of a gaping net, but Larson’s angle was too tight and he couldn’t take advantage of it.

“You have to take what they give you and you have to be patient to play as close to a clean game as you can against them,” said Maglio. “We have to take advantage of these opportunities. If we get one there early, if one of these comes in, it’s a different game. “

Campbell scored his second goal of the night on power play at 2:11 pm, and Jacob Wright scored a 2-on-1 goal in the second game by 35 seconds. Wright found himself at an advantage after a chief defender fell into the neutral zone.

Giving up a goal in the last minute of a period is bad enough – giving up a goal in the first minute of the safe period makes things worse. That’s what the Chiefs did when Ethan Regnier scored his seventh goal of the season for Everett in just 53 seconds, giving the Silvertips a 5-0 lead.

The Chiefs’ goose egg in the power game didn’t help their cause either. The Chiefs came into play with the seventh best power play unit in the league and used key power play goals to return against Everett and Portland on April 13 and 14.

But Spokane only had a power play in the third phase, when it was already 5-0. The Chiefs’ first power game was a 4-minute variation after Jackson Berezowski was asked to clipping. The Chiefs couldn’t do anything about Everett’s penalty unit, and their subsequent power play opportunities resulted in the same result.

The Chiefs played for the second time this season against 15-year-old Saige Weinstein. Maglio said that Weinstein’s Ice Age will gradually increase as he gains more experience.

“We eased him in the first game against Portland and we’ll increase his minutes if he joins,” said Maglio. “He’s a young player, but he can play. He’ll deserve the minutes he gets. I like what I’ve seen of him in these two games. “

The Chiefs and Silvertips are back in the arena on Friday.