For the second night in a row, the Spokane Chiefs entered the third period against the Seattle Thunderbirds, the top team in the entire Canadian Hockey League, with a chance to win. But also for the second night in a row, mistakes and penalties proved costly as Seattle outlasted Spokane, 6-5.

Seattle scored three times in both the first and third periods, and the Chiefs couldn’t quite complete the comeback despite scoring twice in the game’s final three minutes. The Chiefs also erased Seattle’s early 3-0 lead to tie it in the second period.

The Thunderbirds peppered Spokane goaltender Cooper Michaluk with 37 shots on net. Seattle goaltender Spencer Michnik, a 16-year-old making just his second career start, stopped 27 shots. Nico Myatovic paced Seattle with two goals and an assist.

Lucas Ciona and Jared Davidson each had a goal and an assist for Seattle. Tommy De Luca had two goals for Spokane.

“We didn’t play winning hockey in the third period,” Spokane head coach Ryan Smith said. “We’re not willing to do the small things right, and that cost us. (Seattle’s) a very good team, one of the best in the country, so any sliver, any inch you give them they will take advantage.”

The inches Spokane gave Seattle included giving up an odd man rush — a 3-on-1, no less — allowing Seattle to regain the lead in the third period, to taking costly penalties that Seattle turned into goals, including what became the game-winner.

“We’re taking penalties that are unnecessary penalties. Whether they’re right or wrong, you just don’t need to take the penalties,” Smith said. “When you’re tied in a game late in the third period, the penalty should be to stop a goal. The guy’s got an open net, yeah you take him down … Seattle has guys who can put the puck in the back of the net and they picked us apart.”

Grady Lane was called for kneeing that led to a Seattle goal, and Ty Cheveldayoff received a double minor for slew footing.

Seattle scored on its first shot of the game—the fourth game in a row the Thunderbirds have done so—when Ciona put one past Michaluk just 26 seconds into the game.

Davidson gave Seattle a 2-0 lead at 8:40 of the first, and Myatovic followed up at 13:56 to make it 3-0.

The Chiefs got a four-minute power play late in the third when Davidson high-sticked Berkly Catton and drew blood. Catton made him pay when he got Spokane on the board with just under three minutes left in the first.

The Chiefs came out looking like a different team in the second. De Luca, fresh out of the penalty box, got Spokane within one when he scored from the slot 1:08 into the period.

Michael Cicek took a nice feed from Cam Parr and tied the game at 3:57 of the period with his third goal of the season.

Jeremy Hanzel gave Seattle a 4-3 lead at 8:24 of the third when he converted on a 3-on-1. Kyle Crnkovic scored a power play goal at 11:58. The T-Birds added salt to the wound when they made it 6-3 at 13:21 with another power play goal. Ty Cheveldayoff was serving a double minor for slew footing.

De Luca got his second of the game late in the third and Blake Swetlikoff scored with 15 seconds left, but it was too little, too late.

The Thunderbirds were without four players currently competing for Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships: goaltender Thomas Milic, defensemen Nolan Allen and Kevin Korchinski, and forward Reid Schaefer. All but Milic are NHL draft picks. Despite being shorthanded, Seattle still had four other NHL draft picks in the lineup.

The Chiefs are back at the Arena Friday when they welcome the Tri-City Americans.