Solid start for the Winterhawks

The Portland Winterhawks opened the WHL Western Conference Finals against the Kamloops Blazers with two physical contests at Veterans Memorial Coliseum over the weekend. Picking up right where they left off in their sweep of Spokane in the previous round, the Winterhawks took control and won both games as Mac Carruth and Ty Rattie made their way through the record books and led the team to a 2-0 series advantage.

Game 1

The rivals opened the Western Conference finals on Friday with a tense, contentious matchup that featured 85 minutes in penalties. Continually goaded by Kamloops, the Winterhawks managed to fight off an early deficit to take a 4-1 win in a crucial Game 1.

Joe Kornelsen, who had just three goals during the regular season, opened the scoring two minutes into the contest. As the Winterhawks got sloppy on defense and a scrum broke out in front of Carruth’s goal, Kornelsen managed to tap the loose puck off the referee’s skate and into the net to give the Blazers a 1-0 lead.

By the close of the first period, however, Portland had reversed their fortunes to take a lead they would not relinquish. With 4:57 left in the period, Taylor Leier tipped Chase De Leo’s shot past Kamloops goalie Cole Cheveldave to tie the game. Less than two minutes later, the Blazers fell asleep on the power play, and Rattie streaked clear into the attacking zone on a shorthanded breakaway. Kamloops defenseman Joel Edmundson slashed Rattie, preventing the winger from getting off a shot, and the officials pointed for a penalty shot. Corralling the puck, Rattie sent his attempt over Cheveldave’s shoulder for his 12th goal of the postseason. The goal tied Rattie with former NHL star Reg Leach for second all-time in WHL playoff scoring.

After a scoreless middle frame, team captain Troy Rutkowski added a power-play tally early in the third period, and Brendan Leipsic completed the scoring six minutes from the final buzzer.

Game 2

Rattie was nearly suspended after incurring a game misconduct penalty at the end of Game 1. But he was allowed to dress for Game 2, and the winger notched three more playoff points in a 4-0 Portland win, moving him up to second all-time on the WHL playoff points list behind former Kamloops Blazer and NHL journeyman Rob Brown. Carruth stopped 27 shots for his sixth career postseason shutout, extending his franchise record as Portland won their seventh straight postseason matchup.

Seth Jones, one of the top prospects in this year’s NHL draft, scored the first goal for Portland on a wraparound that beat Cheveldale 4 1/2 minutes before intermission. Rattie added his 13th goal of the playoffs near the end of the second period, taking a pass from Brendan Leipsic and firing high over Cheveldale for the insurance marker.

Just 45 seconds into the third period, the Winterhawks added a third when Nicolas Petan completed a cycle on the power play that befuddled the Blazers defense. Leipsic scored a goal of his own—his seventh of the playoffs—midway through the third to complete the scoring.

The series now heads across the border for the next two games, as the Blazers host Portland tonight and tomorrow in Kamloops. “I don’t know if [Kamloops will] play a lot better or be any different—obviously that’s up to them,” said acting head coach Travis Green. “But with them being down two, we’ll probably see their best game.”