On Saturday night, for the second night in a row, the Portland Winterhawks won big on the road against Prince George. Just as they did on Friday, the Hawks scored three goals in the first period, though this time were even quicker about it. Oliver
Bjorkstrand found the net just 23 seconds into the contest, and Brendan Leipsic scored twice on the power play before the middle of the period as the Hawks cruised to a 6-1 victory over the Cougars.
Leipsic’s second goal in three minutes prompted the Cougars to pull goalie Brett Zarowny in exchange for Mac Engel. Engel held his own until five minutes into the second period, when Winterhawks rookie Presten Kopeck scored to give Portland a 4-0 lead. Assistant captain Ty Rattie added a goal of his own late in the period before the Cougars could get anything past Hawks goalie Mac Carruth. Prince George left winger Chase Witala then scored on a power play in the final minute of the second, narrowing the Hawks’ lead to 5-1. But Rattie scored again early in the third, and the Hawks picked up their league-leading 51st win of the season.
Antagonism between the two squads, which was present from the game’s outset, boiled over in the final minutes. Roughing penalties escalated into those for checking to the head, which in turn led to two pairs of fighting majors in the final five minutes of play.
Saturday night’s big win can largely be attributed to the usual suspects. The line of Rattie, Leipsic and Nicolas Petan formed like Voltron to combine for four goals and four assists. Carruth was great in goal, saving 32 of 33 he faced, and Bjorkstrand—the league’s leading rookie scorer by a wide margin—continued his stellar aggressive play this season.
With just nine games remaining in the regular season, the Winterhawks will look to build momentum for a WHL championship run. They have won five straight games, outscoring their opponents 27-9 in the process. Portland will square off tonight against the last team to beat them before their current winning streak, division rivals the Tri-City Americans. With their playoff spot already guaranteed, it will be interesting to see how the Winterhawks perform with little more than their pride on the line.