Haws Alone in First After 6-4 Win in Tri-Cities
The Portland Winterhawks (45-15-3-1) stand alone in first in the WHL after a 6-4 road win over the Tri-City Americans (45-16-1-2) Friday night.
The Hawks (94 points) leapfrogged the Americans (93 points) in the standings, and now hold the best record in the WHL. The win was Portland’s fourth straight over the Americans, and snapped Tri-Cities’ seven-game winning streak. The two teams meet again Sunday at the Rose Garden at 5 p.m.
Portland opened the scoring at the 12:26 mark of the first when Brad Ross tallied his 37th goal of the season to make it 1-0. Later in the period the Americans got two goals 1:24 apart from Justin Feser to take a 2-1 lead into the second period.
The Hawks responded with three straight goals in the second period. Early in the frame Chase De Leo and Sven Bartschi scored just 1:25 apart to put the Hawks up 3-2. Bartschi’s goal, his 27th of the season, came on a power play. Then Ross notched his second of the game at the 11:37 mark to extend the lead to 4-2.
But less than a minute later the Americans got back within one when Adam Hughesman scored to cut Portland’s lead to 4-3, then got a goal from Zach Yuen at the 15:42 mark to tie the game at 4-4 going into the third period.
The Hawks regained the lead 3:23 into the third with a goal from Taylor Leier to take a 5-4 lead. They held the one-goal lead through most of the third, and with under a minute to go and Tri-Cities netminder Ty Rimmer on the bench for an extra attacker, Leier sealed the win with an empty net goal to give Portland the 6-4 victory.
Mac Carruth added to his franchise record with his 40th win of the season in net, making 22 saves on 26 shots. Rimmer had 33 saves on 38 Portland shots.
Portland was 1-3 on the power play and a perfect 4-4 on the penalty kill.
The Hawks are back in action tomorrow when they host the Seattle Thunderbirds at 3 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Hawks then have a rematch with the Americans Sunday at the Rose Garden at 5 p.m.
