Parr scores first WHL goal, Chiefs fall 6-2 to Portland

Portland, Ore. – The Spokane Chiefs struggled to generate offense against the Portland Winterhawks Tuesday night, losing 6-2 on the road in the last match-up of the season between the two teams.

The Winterhawks wasted no time getting on the board, as Luca Cagnoni snapped his 16th goal home to give Portland a quick 1-0 lead just 38 seconds into the game.

The Chiefs responded a little less than halfway through the period when Berkly Catton found the twine for the 21st time this season to even the score at one a piece. Chase Bertholet and Cade Hayes earned the assists on the play.

Berkly Catton sticks with it and the @spokanechiefs even the score! pic.twitter.com/k9GB0gwa1D

— The WHL (@TheWHL) March 15, 2023

From there, things tilted completely into Portland’s favor as they went on to score three unanswered goals in the second half of the period, first from Luke Schelter at 12:35, then Marcus Nguyen at 17:18 and Cagnoni’s second of the night at 18:26. The Winterhawks carried the 4-1 lead into the first break.

Spokane kept Portland at bay until 9:17 in the second period when James Stefan drove home a power play goal to extend their lead to 5-1.

The Winterhawks padded that to a 6-1 advantage at 17:32 with another power play goal, this time from Josh Zakreski.

The third period got a little chippy with a pair of fights between Cam Parr and Luke Schelter, then Jaren Brinson and Kyle Chyzowski within the first five minutes of play.

The Chiefs scored the only goal of the final frame, as rookie Will Jamieson picked up a bobbled puck from a Portland defender and spun around to feed it to a rushing Cam Parr, who fired it into the left corner of the net for his first Western Hockey League career goal. It was also Jamieson’s first WHL career point. Defenseman Jaren Brinson also earned an assist on the play.

FIRST @TheWHL GOAL FOR CAM PARR 🤝 FIRST WHL POINT FOR WILL JAMIESON 🥹#GoChiefsGo pic.twitter.com/7hYr0E2ZCv

— Spokane Chiefs (@spokanechiefs) March 15, 2023

That would be the eighth and final goal of the game, though, as Spokane fell to Portland 6-2.

The Chiefs went 0-for-6 on the power play and 2-for-4 on the penalty kill. They were outshot by the Winterhawks 48-33.

Cooper Michaluk started in net for Spokane and turned away 42 Portland shots.

Up next, the Chiefs return home to take on the rival Tri-City Americans on Friday, March 17.

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The Chiefs’ next home game is Friday, March 17 against the Tri-City Americans. It is the Miller Lite St. Paddy’s Day Jersey Giveaway. Tickets for March 17 and all regular season games are available online at spokanechiefs.com/tickets. Make sure to use your Flex Pack Tickets and Never-A-Wasted Tickets before the end of the season, as they do not carry over to next season. 

The Spokane Chiefs are a member of the U.S. Division of the Western Hockey League, the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players. Since 1985 the Chiefs have been a pillar in the Spokane community, offering family-friendly entertainment and a winning tradition, which includes: two Memorial Cup Championships in 1991 & 2008, two WHL Championships in 1991 & 2008 and four Western Conference Championships in 1991, 1996, 2000 & 2008. Over 60 alumni have gone on to play in the National Hockey League.