SPOKANE — The Spokane Arena curse continues for the Everett Silvertips.
Everett lost its 15th straight road game against the Spokane Chiefs, falling 4-2 Friday night.
Everett hasn’t won in Spokane since a 2-1 victory on Feb. 24, 2010. The Tips earned just one point in those 15 defeats.
Mitch Holmberg continued his high-scoring ways for Western Conference-leading Spokane (10-2-0-0), scoring twice to lead the way for the Chiefs. The 20-year-old winger has 16 goals in 12 games.
Jacob Cardiff and Adam Hascic also scored for Spokane, which took full advantage of Everett turnovers in the defensive zone. Eric Williams earned the win in goal, making 17 saves.
Patrick Bajkov and Manraj Hayer scored for Everett (6-2-2-0). For Bajkov it was his first career WHL goal. Austin Lotz made 25 saves in net for the Tips.
Everett tied the score 2-2 early in the third period, but Spokane struck right back. Just 2 minutes, 23 seconds later Cardiff found a loose puck and fired it past Lotz to restore Spokane’s lead at 3:58. Then Hascic netted the backbreaker at 10:43. A turnover in the defensive zone presented the puck right to Hascic, who wired a shot past Lotz to give the Chiefs a two-goal lead they maintained the rest of the way.
No one has been able to contain Holmberg this season, and he hit the scoresheet just 7:31 into the game. The Chiefs were on a five-on-three power play when Holmberg put a shot through traffic and past Lotz to make it 1-0.
The Tips temporarily tied it up at 13:24. Everett broke two-on-one with Matt Fonteyne getting the puck in front where Bajkov was just able to push the puck over goal line to knot it at 1-1.
But Holmberg struck again to restore Spokane’s lead, firing a shot past Lotz with just 25 seconds remaining in the period to give Spokane a 2-1 lead.
Holmberg had a golden opportunity for his hat trick early in the second period when he had a short-handed breakaway, but he scuffed his shot attempt. Then later in the period he rapped the crossbar as it remained 2-1 going into the third.
Everett tied it again 1:35 into the third when Logan Aasman found Hayer alone out front, and Hayer scored past Williams to make it 2-2. But the tie was short-lived.
Chiefs 4, Silvertips 2
Everett 1 0 1 — 2
Spokane 2 0 2 — 4
First Period—1, Spokane, Holmberg 15 (Fram, Gow), 7:31 (pp). 2, Everett, Bajkov 1 (Fonteyne, MacDonald), 13:24. 3, Spokane, Holmberg 16 (Gow), 19:35. Penalties—Low, Everett (hooking), 6:31; Everett bench (too many men, served by Nikolishin), 7:18; Chartier, Spokane (hooking), 10:41.
Second Period—no goals. Penalties—MacDonald, Everett (fighting), 2:31; Proft, Spokane (holding-fighting), 2:31; Aviani, Spokane (charging), 15:58; Fram, Spokane (tripping), 17:09; Winquist, Everett (unsportsmanlike conduct), 17:44; Holmberg, Spokane (goaltender interference), 19:13.
Third Period—4, Everett, Hayer 4 (Aasman), 1:35. 5, Spokane, Cardiff 1, 3:58. 6, Spokane, Hascic 1, 10:43. Penalties—Wedman, Spokane (elbowing), 18:33.
Shots on goal—Everett 6-7-6—19. Spokane 11-10-8—29. Power-play opportunities—Everett 0 of 5. Spokane 1 of 3.
Goalies—Everett, Lotz 5-2-1-0 (29 shots, 25 saves). Spokane, Williams 8-1-0-0 (19 shots, 17 saves).
A—4,759.
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