Kit Sitterley scored twice to help lead the Chiefs to a 6-4 win over the visiting Salmon Arm Silverbacks Satuday night at Prospera Centre. With the win, the Chiefs improve to 2-0-0-0 on the season.
Salmon Arm's lethal power play took 84 seconds to open the scoring in this one, with Saskatchewan native Bryce Gervais pulling the trigger. Morgan Zulinick started the play on the left-wing boards, passing the puck to Brett Knowles below the left faceoff dot. Knowles went cross-ice to Gervais, and Chilliwack goaltender Bryton Udy couldn't get post-to-post fast enough to keep Gervais from netting his first of the season.
Chilliwack answered at 6:02 on a goal by Shay Laurent. The Chiefs controlled play for the duration of a two minute Matt Brown tripping minor, and scored two seconds after the penalty elapsed. With a mob gathered in front of the Salmon Arm net, Chilliwack captain Ty Miller wristed a hope-for-a-rebound shot towards the goal.
Laurent snuck down from the left point, grabbed the loose puck as it squirted out of the crowd and potted his first of the year.
Trevor Hills gave Chilliwack the lead with 6:48 remaining in period one, scoring on a shorthanded breakaway.
The New York native forced a turnover at the Chiefs blueline and was off like a shot. With a Silverback defender in hot pursuit, Hills' first shot was stopped, but the rebound went off his skate and into the net. Salmon Arm netminder Kurt Williams was livid, but the officials deemed it unintentional and a good goal.
Hills second of the season gave Chilliwack a 2-1 lead through 20 minutes.
The goals came quick in period two as the Chiefs broke a close game wide open with three strikes in two minutes and five seconds.
Sixteen-year-old rookie Garrett Forster got the first at 6:09, chipping a rebound past Williams after Jeremy Gossard took the puck hard to the net.
Sitterley scored on a power play at 7:42 and Gould finished off a three-on-one feed from Stefan Gonzales at 8:14.
Penalty woes helped the Silverbacks come roaring back in the final minutes of period two. Laurent picked up two minutes for instigating at 17:29 after pummeling Salmon Arm's Jeff Kennedy, and Spencer Graboski got two minutes for kneeing at 18:43 to put Chilliwack two men down.
The Silverbacks took 17 seconds to cash in on a goal by Knowles, who roofed a wrist shot from 10 feed out.
Gervais sniped his second of the game 25 seconds later to make it 5-3 heading to the third.
Shots on goal through 40 minutes favoured Chilliwack 23-21.
The Silverbacks got within one late in period three on yet another power play goal. With David Thompson serving a weak two-minute tripping minor, Silverback blueliner Klay Kachur uncorked a point shot that hit the end boards and bounced out the other side. Zulinick collected the puck and slid a sharp-angle backhander past Udy for his third of the year.
But the Chiefs had the last laugh with 5:14 left as Sitterley blasted a slap-shot past Williams, restoring the two-goal lead with his second of the game.
The three stars were Jeremy Gossard (first), Sitterley (second) and Gervais (third).
Attendance was 2,059.
The Chiefs are on the road next weekend, returning home Oct. 14 to face the Vernon Vipers at Prospera Centre (7 p.m. puck drop).
