Johnson scores 2, Chiefs stop Blazers

SPOKANE - Former Coeur d'Alene Laker Tyler Johnson and Jared Spurgeon each had two goals and an assist to lead the Spokane Chiefs past the Kamloops Blazers 5-1 in Western Hockey League action in front of 5,751 at the Spokane Arena on Friday night.

"We had struggled at home, so we wanted to turn that around on this homestand," Spokane's Mitch Wahl said. "The win gives us some momentum."

Spokane, which converted on 4 of 8 power plays, had 21 saves from James Reid.

The Chiefs (31-19-3-1, 66 points), who had three assists apiece from Wahl and Kyle Beach, play the Silvertips in Everett, Wash., tonight at 7.

"Tomorrow at Everett is a huge game for us," Johnson said. "We hadn't had a lot of success against them, but beating them Wednesday was huge for us. It's a big four-point game, so we hope to get another one against them."