Ties are a rare commodity in the BCHL, so rare that the Chilliwack Chiefs had yet to experience one this season.
Each of their 40 games prior had ended with a winner and a loser.
But the Chiefs finally found a game they couldn't settle in 70 minutes Sunday night, battling the Westside Warriors to a 3-3 draw at Prospera Centre.
The Chiefs scored twice in the opening three minutes of this one, getting their first goal just 51 seconds in. David Bondra pounced on a loose puck in the Westside zone and took advantage of some horrific defensive coverage, darting right-to-left across the slot. Warriors netminder Dwayne Rodrigue followed, leaving plenty of space on the glove side.
Bondra's cross-body wrister snuck inside the post, giving the Maryland native 16 goals on the year.
Chilliwack struck again at 2:30 on a goal by Michael Spring.
Mammoth defenceman Anderson White earned the first assist with a foray deep into the Westside zone and a hot shot that Rodrigue couldn't handle. The puck squirted off to the left, where Spring was left with an unguarded cage.
The 20-year-old calmly popped the biscuit in the basket for his fifth of the year and a 2-0 Chilliwack lead.
The Chiefs had all the momentum at that point, but a Spencer Graboski roughing minor at 8:05 gave the visitors a reprieve.
The Warriors didn't score on the power play, but they got some life in their legs.
Less than three minutes later, Westside was on the board on a goal by Manitoba native Dru Morrison. Morrison's wrister from the point caught the top corner behind Chiefs netminder Mitch Gillam.
Shots on goal through 20 minutes favoured the Warriors 13-12.
The Warriors drew even at 4:37 of period two on another long-range bomb. This one came from Westside defenceman Matthew Berry-Lamontagna, who fired from the Coopers Foods ad on the far left wing boards. The long-named one put the puck past Gillam for his first of the year, chasing the keeper from the Chilliwack net.
Backup goaltender Bryton Udy took over and did much better, though he looked a lot like Gillam on the third Westside goal.
The Warriors took the lead at on a strike by defenceman Peter MacIntosh, whose shot from the right point found its way through a partial screen and past Udy at 9:45.
But with the seconds ticking away in the middle frame, newcomer Anderson White came through with a timely tally for the home side. The trade deadline acquisition cranked a shot from the left point that looked to change direction on its way into the Westside net. Derek Huisman and two Warrior defenders were both in the path of the puck, but it was White getting credit for his first of the year.
The last highlight of the second period was a fight in which Chilliwack's Shay Laurent absolutely pummelled Westside's Shawn Hochhausen.
Shots on goal through 40 minutes favoured the Chiefs 29-20.
The third period started with another fight, this one between Thompson and MacIntosh. MacIntosh jumped Thompson after the Chiefs D-man laid out a clean neutral zone hit on Warriors forward Marcus Basara. Somehow MacIntosh avoided getting called for instigating.
Less than two minutes later French was assessed a double-minor for slashing and hooking, but the Chiefs came up empty on the four minute power play.
Neither team scored again before the end of regulation time, setting up sudden-death overtime action. Five minutes of four-on-four went by uneventfully, leaving five minutes of uniquely-BCHL three-on-three hockey.
The Warriors almost ended it in the first minute when a horrible line change left Basara with a breakway from the blueline in. But Udy came up with his biggest save, stretching out his left leg as Basara tried to slip the puck inside the left goal post.
And that was it as the clock ran out with the teams still tied at 3-3.
The three stars were White (first), Spring (second) and Rodrigue (third).
Chilliwack's next home game is Friday night at 7 p.m. versus the Merritt Centennials.
