Media Update
Release date: Monday, May 1, 2017
Photo credit: Cherie Morgan Photography
Game No. Four
By: Fraser Rodgers
PENTICTON, B.C- Jordan Kawaguchi is dangerous, even if the numbers aren’t in his favour. The Chilliwack Chiefs Captain scored the game-winner, short-handed, late in the second period, as the Chiefs edged the Portage Terriers 2-1 Monday night at the 2017 Western Canada Cup in Penticton.
Tied 1-1, Chilliwack’s Will Calverley chipped the puck to Kawaguchi, who slipped behind the Terriers’ defensemen, before ripping a wrist-shot up and over Kurtis Chapman with less than three-minutes left in the middle stanza. It was Kawaguchi’s first of the tournament and the game-winner, as the Chiefs won their first ever game at Western Canada Cup.
After a scoreless and quiet first period, Chilliwack opened the scoring five-minutes into the second, as it was Tommy Lee scoring in his return to the Chiefs’ line up. In his first game since April 15th, Lee finished off a two-on-one rush, scoring five-hole on Chapman after a nicely timed cross-ice pass from Justin Dixson.
Portage responded seven-minutes later, scoring on a pretty passing play from their top-line. James Isaac was the last one to touch the puck, redirecting a quick one-touch pass from Chase Brakel underneath the goalie’s pas at 12:18. Jeremy Leipsic started the play, racing down the left-wing before firing a rink-wide pass to Brakel, who spotted Isaac at the back post on the blocker-side.
On the game-winner, during a Portage power-play, it was Will Calverley, the Chiefs’ Player of the Game, taking he puck off a Portage player just outside their zone before feeding Kawaguchi in the middle who quickly went upstairs over Chapman’s blocker.
The Terriers, down 2-1 in the third, tried to pressure in the final minutes but in a strange twist, they didn’t pull their goalie for the extra-skater until the final 20-seconds of the third period.
Final: 2-1 Chilliwack
The Chiefs win creates a log-jam in the standings, as they’re tied with both the Terriers (1-1-0) and the Penticton Vees (1-0-1) for third, as all three sit on three points. Chilliwack and Penticton face-off tomorrow in the second of two games on Day 4 of the Western Canada Cup. Portage is off Tuesday, before facing the Brooks Bandits on Wednesday. All Western Canada Cup contests are streamed live online, or on demand, at HockeyTV.com.
