Putting all their focus on stopping WHL league-leading scorers Brendan Leipsic and Nicolas Petan, the Victoria Royals neglected the offensive firepower on the Portland Winterhawks’ second line in the first of a two-game series against Portland on Sunday. Center Chase De Leo celebrated his first career hat trick in a Winterhawks sweater, right winger Oliver Bjorkstrand collected another goal and left winger Taylor Leier notched four assists as Portland blew by the Royals in a 5-2 victory.
Winterhawks on top in WHL
Putting all their focus on stopping WHL league-leading scorers Brendan Leipsic and Nicolas Petan, the Victoria Royals neglected the offensive firepower on the Portland Winterhawks’ second line in the first of a two-game series against Portland on Sunday. Center Chase De Leo celebrated his first career hat trick in a Winterhawks sweater, right winger Oliver Bjorkstrand collected another goal and left winger Taylor Leier notched four assists as Portland blew by the Royals in a 5-2 victory.
The win, Portland’s 53rd of the season, earned the Winterhawks the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the top team during the WHL’s regular season. The win also ensured that Portland would have home-ice advantage throughout the WHL playoffs. “Couldn’t be more proud of the fellas for winning the Scotty Munro Trophy,” Winterhawks captain Troy Rutkowski tweeted from the locker room less than a half hour after the game.
Bjorkstrand opened the scoring three-and-a-half minutes into the contest, quickly snapping Leier’s setup past Victoria netminder Coleman Vollrath to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage. Despite getting seven more shots in the first period than the Royals, the Winterhawks would take just a one-goal lead into the locker room at the intermission.
Midway through the second period, De Leo scored the first of his three goals to double the lead. Again it was Leier’s vision setting up the score as he hit the center with a tape-to-tape pass and De Leo finished it off with a deft move to beat the goalie. Defenseman Seth Jones, projected as the top pick in this summer’s NHL draft, made it 3-0 seven minutes before the second intermission.
Brendan Burke, who had seen just 16 shots in net for Portland through the first two periods, lost his shutout bid 7:47 into the third when he let Logan Nelson’s shot past him. De Leo restored the three-goal lead with nine minutes remaining, getting his second goal of the game off Leier’s third assist of the night.
The Royals kept things interesting as time ticked away, pressing forward and getting more shots on Burke. With 1:21 remaining on the clock, Victoria defenseman Joe Hicketts snapped a shot that found its way through the bodies in front of the net and past Burke to cut the advantage to two.
Victoria’s decision to pull Vollrath in favor of an extra attacker backfired in the final minute, giving De Leo the opportunity to complete the hat trick. Leier tapped on to Bjorkstrand, who found De Leo streaking free in the neutral zone. Collecting the pass, De Leo fired into the empty net for his third of the evening to cap the 5-2 victory.
Two days later, the Winterhawks won again in Victoria, 4-1. The Royals scored first, Taylor Crunk beating Mac Carruth in the final minute of the first period to put Victoria up by one. Portland quickly turned the deficit around, however, with four goals in the second period, including a shorthand marker by Taylor Peters. The win, Portland’s 28th of the year on the road, tied the WHL record for road victories in a season with one opportunity remaining to set a new mark.
The Winterhawks finish their schedule this weekend with three games in as many nights. Portland plays a home-and-away series against the Seattle Thunderbirds on Friday and Saturday before facing the Spokane Chiefs at the Rose Garden Arena on Sunday in the regular-season finale.
