Submitted by Fox First at Ten on November 3rd
SPOKANE, Wash. - Red Deer goalie Patrik Bartosak stopped 28 of 29 shots and Turner Elson finished with two points as the Rebels handed the Chiefs their first home loss of the season 3-1 in front of 5,118 fans at the Spokane Arena. Brenden Kichton scored Spokane's lone goal as the Chiefs fell to 7-1-0-0 at home and 11-6-0-0 overall. The first period was filled with missed opportunities for the Chiefs as they outshot the Rebels 12-5 but could only muster the single goal against Bartosak. That score came on a beautiful series of passes from Mike Aviani and Todd Fiddler as they worked the puck up the ice and found an open Kichton who buried one in the back of the net at 4:18. The Rebels nearly tied the game at the 10:10 mark but Conner Bleackley's shot deflected harmlessly off the right post after flying past Chiefs netminder Eric Williams. Red Deer flipped the script in the second after a slow start to the game offensively, racking up 18 shots against only eight for Spokane in the period. The Rebels first goal of the night came at 6:19 on the power play as Elson was credited with a score after the puck glanced off Fiddler's skate and into the net. The visitors took their first lead of the game at the 9:35 mark with Wyatt Johnson beating Williams on a nice backhanded shot. The Chiefs had a chance to knot up the game on the power play starting at 17:55 but again came up empty handed as they headed to the final period trailing 2-1. The third period saw Red Deer continue to control the game as Brady Gaudet pushed the Rebels advantage to 3-1 with a goal at the 5:33 mark. Bartosak thwarted a pair of Spokane power plays in the period and held on late against the Chiefs empty net attack as Red Deer finished 4 for 4 on the penalty kill. Williams finished the night with 27 saves in 30 opportunities. Spokane went 3 for 4 on the penalty kill but 0 for 4 on the power play. The Chiefs continue their six game homestand tomorrow night against U.S. Division rival Everett at 7:05 PM for Washington National Guard Buck Night & CheerStix Giveaway. Hot dogs, popcorn, and Coca-Cola products are just $1 all night long while the first 5,000 fans through the gates will receive CheerStix.
