Chiefs battling for top spot in Mainland Division

The Chilliwack Chiefs took over the top spot in the Mainland Division heading into the Oct. 11-12 weekend with two wins and a shootout loss after two straight wins during the BCHL Showcase Festival.

First up was the Surrey Eagles on October 5th. The Chiefs started Mathieu Caron and the Eagles started Thomas Scarfone. The Eagles got on the board first on a goal from Cristophe Tellier – his fifth of the season from Hudson Schandor and Cade Alami. The Chiefs tied the game on Ethan Bowen’s seventh of the year from Tyler Christall and Joey Larson. The Chiefs took the lead late in the first when Brett Rylance notched his third of the year from Nathan Kelly.

The second period saw the Eagles tie the game at two when Brandon Santa Jauna tallied his third goal of the season on the power play from Tellier and Brett Bliss. The Chiefs got the game-winner from Christall. It was his second of the year, from Bowen and Joey Larson.

Caron stopped 25 of 27 for his fourth victory of the year.

Sunday, October 6th saw the Chiefs head to Langley to play the Rivermen. It was the first meeting since the season opener for the Chiefs back at the start of September. Caron got the start in back to back games for the Chiefs.

The first period saw the Chiefs take a 3-0 lead, starting with an unassisted goal by Cooper Moore. Rylance got his fourth to make it 2-0 from Hudson Thornton and Brett Willits on the power play. Willits scored to make it 3-0 with his fourth of the season from Kyle Penney and Kelly.

The second saw the Riverman get on the board when Brandon Budy scored his fourth of the season from Stephan Sielsky and Jake Livingstone on the power play. The Chiefs added to their lead when Willits tallied his second of the game and fifth of the season from Penney and Peter Reynolds. Xavier Henry got his first of the season to put the Chiefs up 5-1, but Budy scored his second of the game and fifth of the season to cut the lead to three, with Kalen Szeto and Joseph Musa drawing the assists.

The third saw the Chiefs fall apart and give up the three goal lead. It started with Devin Leduc scoring his fifth of the season from Tristan Fraser and Sean Bunting. Then Tanner Komzak got his first of the year from Budy and Musa to make it 5-4. Budy got the hat trick and tied the game with his sixth of the year from Szeto and Musa. Overtime solved nothing and set up the Chiefs’ first shootout of the season. Chilliwack sent Nikita Nesterenko, Wilkie and Reynolds out but they couldn’t put one past Rivermen goalie Braedon Fleming. The hero for the Rivermen was the red hot Budy, who scored the only goal of the shootout to give Langley the win. Caron stopped 38 of 43 shots for the Chiefs in the loss.

The Chiefs then played the Vernon Vipers on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at the Chilliwack Coliseum. Caron got the start again and the Chiefs opened the scoring on a goal from Nesterenko. It was his second of the season with assists going to Larson and Bowen. The Chiefs took a 2-0 lead in the second on Penney’s fifth of the season from Reynolds and Brody Gagno. Caron stopped 22 shots for his first shutout of the season.

Chiefs hit the road this past weekend with games against the surging Salmon Arm Silverbacks and for the second time in three days – the Vernon Vipers.