The Chilliwack Chiefs saw a three game winning streak come to an end Friday night as they fell 5-1 to the Powell River Kings at Prospera Centre.
The Chiefs were the better team through most of the game but ran into a hot goaltender. Powell River’s Mitch Adamyk lowered his already stingy goals-against average (1.80) a notch, stopping 35 shots as his Island division leading Kings improved their record to 8-1-1-0.
Chilliwack failed to reach the .500 mark on the season, falling to 4-6-1-1.
The visitors opened the scoring just 41 seconds into this one, lighting the lamp on their first shot of the game.
Kevin Obssuth fed a lead pass to Ethan Kimball, who split the Chilliwack defence and snapped the puck past Chiefs netminder Mathieu Caron for his fourth of the year.
The Kings netted another at 9:06, scoring on their sixth shot when Mitchell Williams fed a backhand centering pass into the Chilliwack goal-mouth and Hunter Findlater popped it past Caron.
With netminder Daniel Chenard still sidelined by a concussion, the Chiefs had 16 year old Delta Hockey Academy product Georgi Wilson on the bench as Caron’s backup. Putting the kid in net against the high-powered Powell River offence was probably the last thing head coach Jason Tatarnic wanted.
No doubt Coach T breathed a little sigh of relief when his team made it to the first intermission without any more damage.
Adamyk was razor sharp at the other end. Score aside, Chilliwack was the better team in period one and sent 19 shots his way. He robbed Corey Andonovski on a dangerous point-blank chance and thwarted newcomer Jordan Roy on an excellent opportunity off a centering pass from Kaden Pickering.
In the first minute of the middle frame Adamyk came up with another huge save, this time on a blue-chip chance from Brendan O’Reilly.
While he stood on his head at one end his teammates added to their lead on a goal by Jonny Evans.
With Chiefs D-man Luke Albert handed a five minute major and a game misconduct for a blow to the head, the Kings went to the power play. Evans, Powell River’s points leader, beat Caron on a wrist shot from the very high slot, threading the puck through a maze of players camped in the vicinity of the goalie’s crease.
Chilliwack quickly got that back, finally solving Adamyk on a goal by Ryan Miotto. Aggressive forechecking created a turnover for Andonovski, who feathered a pass across the goal-mouth to Miotto. The Ontario native one-timed it past Adamyk for his fourth of the year.
That’s as close at the home team would get.
Adamyk shut the door on the Chiefs in the final frame and a Carter Turnbull snipe put the game out of reach at 4-1.
Tatarnic pulled Caron with around four minutes remaining in a last ditch move to generate a goal or three, but a Kyle Kawamura empty netter sealed the deal.
The three stars were Turnbull (first), Roy (second) and Adamyk (third).
The Fortis B.C. Energy Player of the Game was Jared Turcotte.
Announced attendance was 3,188
Chilliwack returns to action tomorrow (Saturday) night with a 7 p.m. start vs the Coquitlam Express.