Getting through the second round of the WHL playoffs proved to be a much smoother ride for the Portland Winterhawks than it was in their opening series against Everett. Much of the thanks is owed to the elder statesman of the club, goaltender Mac Carruth, who stopped 30 shots on Wednesday for his fifth career playoff shutout, extending his franchise record as Portland won 5-0 over the Spokane Chiefs to wrap up the sweep in the Western Conference semifinals.
Other than the two losses in the first round, where Carruth was not outmatched by the Silvertips skaters so much as outplayed by Everett netminder Austin Lotz, the 21-year-old WHL veteran has been stellar in his final postseason before moving on to the pros. Through two rounds of play, Carruth is averaging 1.74 goals against per game and sports a .925 save percentage, starting in all 10 games for Portland and building an 8-2 record in the Winterhawks’ journey to the Western Conference finals.
In back-to-back contests in Spokane, the Winterhawks resumed the offensive onslaught that typified their ventures away from Portland in the previous round. In Game 3 on Tuesday, right winger Ty Rattie scored his 10th goal of the 2013 postseason and added two assists as the Winterhawks prevailed 3-1 in Spokane. Other than a power-play tally by the Chiefs’ Blake Gal late in the second period, the defense proved stout and Carruth pushed aside 25 of the 26 attempts sent his way.
With Game 4’s opening faceoff coming 24 hours after the preceding game’s start, fatigue threatened to be a factor for both clubs. But Chase De Leo scored midway through the first period and Taylor Peters added a shorthanded marker two minutes later to put the Winterhawks ahead 2-0 at the first intermission.
Less than two minutes after the second period commenced, Rattie netted his 11th goal of the playoffs on the power play to give Portland an extra buffer. Spokane would put 10 shots on net in the period, but the Winterhawks headed to the second intermission with their three-goal lead intact.
The home side had the majority of the opportunities in the final frame, but it was the Winterhawks who managed to cash in on their opportunities. Joey Baker, one of the less-heralded wingers on a squad full of snipers, made it 4-0 for Portland with 9:05 remaining, and Taylor Leier notched his fifth goal of the playoffs with 3:29 to play to complete the rout.
Next up for the Winterhawks is a matchup with the Kamloops Blazers, who came away with their own sweep in the second round over Kelowna on Wednesday. The WHL Western Conference Championship begins at Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Friday at 7 p.m. Stay tuned for a preview of the series in Thursday’s issue of the Vanguard.