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View Full Version : Winterhawks take series lead with OT win



Malc
04-28-2011, 02:05 PM
By John Blanchette

What goes around actually does come around.

It was in the third weekend of the WHL season that the Portland Winterhawks stole back-to-back one-goal wins by blanking Spokane on 17 consecutive power-play chances.

The Winterhawks' penalty kill is still sharp -- they weathered nine short-handed crises Wednesday night -- and their sense of theater even sharper. Down a goal, Portland scored with barely two minutes remaining on Ryan Johansen's rebound shot and beat Spokane 3-2 on a goal from Brendan Leipsic 7:44 into overtime.

The U.S. Division champions take a 2-1 lead into Game 4 of the best-of-seven Western Conference finals at Spokane Friday night.

The late clutch goals overshadowed a bizarre and frustrating opening two periods for the Winterhawks, who played 15 of the game's first 42 minutes a man down, and yet didn't give up a power-play goal.

"The first thing is, you don't want to take that many penalties," Portland coach Mike Johnston said. "I thought we were undisciplined on a couple and I thought the refs were off on a few of the calls. There were about three calls I couldn't even see when I watched them on video later.

"But you have to deal with it, and we hung in there."

Spokane took a 1-0 lead not quite five minutes into the game when Jared Cowen's slap shot from a couple of strides inside the blue line got just past goaltender Mac Carruth's right leg.

Barely a minute later, Portland's Nino Niederreiter took a tripping penalty in the defensive zone. But within seconds, Taylor Peters took the puck away from Spokane's Cory Baldwin and set off toward the goal, fending off Davis Vandane long enough to get a shot. Spokane goalie James Reid initially blocked it, but the puck dribbled off his leg as he staggered backward to tie the game.

From that point, the Winterhawks seemed perpetually on the penalty kill, though Spokane didn't get that many quality shots even with a 43-32 advantage.

Spokane took its lead during a 4-on-4 sequence midway through the third period, Levko Koper popping in a rebound of a Cowen shot.

"But as soon as they scored, I just knew we were coming back," Carruth said. "There wasn't a doubt in my mind. Our guys were getting shots on net and I tightened it up, and I knew we weren't going to lose that game even as close as it got at the end."

Johansen's game-tying goal came after Reid kicked a shot by Niederreiter out in front of the net. In overtime, Leipsic got loose on a 2-on-1 with Peters after Riley Boychuk chipped the puck out of the defensive zone and buried the shot to Reid's right side.

"We won the last game and to continue the momentum is critical in the series," said Johnston. "Their backs are against the wall a little bit."

Portland, which won all four away games in the playoff series last year, has now won four of six encounters in the Spokane Arena this season.

http://www.oregonlive.com/hawks/index.ssf/2011/04/portland_3_spokane_2_winterhaw.html