If there was any team in the conference that gave the Portland WinterHawks trouble throughout the season, it was their division foes, the Tri-City Americans. Every game between the two was a violent, and at times, a chippy affair. The Americans won more head-to-head games during the regular season, 5 to 4. Those are two numbers that will haunt the Americans after the first two games of the Western Conference Finals.
The WinterHawks went into the Toyota Center and won Games One and Two, both by an overtime score of 5-4, giving them a 2-0 series lead coming back to Portland.
In Game One, the Americans were determined to beat the Hawks at their own game, piling on the shots and controlling the offensive zone. That plan went a tad awry when Brendan Leipsic scored with just 20 seconds left in the first for a 1-0 Hawks lead.
Early in the second, with Brad Ross, who has been on fire in these playoffs, in the box on a somewhat questionable interference penalty, Americans center Brendan Shimminin scored to even the game. The WinterHawks took the momentum right back two minutes later with Sven Bartschi beating Americans goaltender Ty Rimmer.
A goal by Cam Reid made it 3-1, but the wheels nearly came off when the line of Adam Hughesman, Justin Feser, and Patrick Holland scored back-to-back power-play goals to even the score. Joe Morrow was not about to let that happen, scoring on the power-play to retake the lead. But under the massive onslaught of shots coming his way, Carruth gave up a rebound goal to Mitch Topping to send the game to overtime. In overtime, it was Marcel Noebels catching Ty Rimmer leaning towards his passing lane, and scoring to take Game One.
Carruth saved 43 of 47 shots, and weathered a tough Americans storm, a shooting condition that the Hawks are not normally accustomed to. Credit also goes to coach Mike Johnston, who had Noebels serve a penalty for Mac Carruth in overtime. When the power-play ended, Noebels was right there to start the odd man rush, and finish the game.
Game Two went almost the opposite of Game One, but resulted in the same outcome. This time, it was the Americans who built the early lead, scoring twice early. Ty Rattie made it 2-1, but Patrick Holland continued to pester the Hawks, giving the Americans a 3-1 lead.
The home team led 4-2 with ten minutes left in the third when Joey Baker picked an excellent time for his first goal of the playoffs, cutting the lead in half. However, the Hawks remained one down, and seemed in danger of losing, when Tri-City checking line enforcer Nathan MacMaster got sent to the box for a boarding call on a hit on Taylor Peters. That was all the opening Ty Rattie needed, beating Rimmer to send the game to overtime.
In overtime, the WinterHawks found themselves in trouble. The Americans to this point in the series were 5-for-11 on the power-play, and Derrick Pouliot was in the box. Rattie did not care, taking a tremendous feed from Troy Rutkowski and getting his hat trick short-handed to win 5-4.
While the Hawks have done an amazing job for taking home ice advantage away from the Americans, they are allowing too many goals on the power-play. This will need to improve in the Hawks want to put away this series in Portland.
Game Three is Wednesday night at the Rose Garden.
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