Spokane, WA – The Spokane Chiefs welcomed the Brandon Wheat Kings to Spokane for a rare matchup with the team from Manitoba. The Chiefs entered action on the back of a tough defeat to the Everett Silvertips on Friday while Brandon won in Tri-City last night.
Saturday night was the annual military appreciation night, with a pre-game ceremony honoring several military dignitaries. Members of the National Guard rappelled from the rafters to provide the game pucks for the ceremonial puck drop and the Honor Guard from nearby Fairchild Airforce Base presented the Nation’s Colors. The Chiefs wore military-themed jerseys which were auctioned off during the game, with a portion of proceeds going to benefit the Washington Fallen Heroes Project.
Chiefs Explode for Four in the First
Spokane jumped out to a hot start, scoring four goals in the first period.
Rhett Sather picked up the puck off a faceoff and let it rip from long range before it trickled through the netminder to get the Chiefs on the board.
Sam Oremba was next on the scoresheet at 10:18, scooping in the rebound from close range.
Tristen Buckley scored less than a minute later after a slick wraparound beat the Brandon goaltender to the far post.
Defensive pairing Owen Schoettler and Nathan Mayes provided the assists.
Logan Wormald added his 17th of the season to make it 4-0 at 14:31.
With the assists going to Marek Howell and Dominik Petr, the entire goal involvement fell to players who joined the Chiefs mid-season.
Vieillard Slams the Door
After a four-goal first period, the rest of the game belonged to Spokane Chiefs goaltender Linus Vieillard.
The German import goaltender made 22 saves including a stunning series of saves to earn his first career WHL shutout.
Combined with Vieillard, the Chiefs defense was outstanding, going 6/6 on the penalty kill.
Spokane would coast the rest of the way, winning 4-0 in front of nearly 8,800 Chiefs fans.
Balanced Scoring and What’s Next for The Spokane Chiefs
The scoring could not have been more balanced, with 11 different skaters each earning a point. Sather (1G, +2) and Wormald (1G, +1) earned 2nd and 3rd Star of the Game after Linus’ performance earned him 1st Star honors.
The Chiefs will be back in action on Wednesday for another TicketsWest Player Magnet Giveaway. The first 1,000 fans will receive a limited edition magnet featuring a Spokane Chiefs player, courtesy of TicketsWest.
Original article: https://chl.ca/whl-chiefs/video/vieillard-chiefs-penalty-kill-shine-in-4-0-shutout-win-over-wheat-kings/