SASKATOON, Saskatchewan — Even keel. Thriving on adversity. Both describe the way the Portland Winterhawks have met challenges this hockey season.
Rebounding from a disappointing first game at the Memorial Cup, and responding when the London Knights erased a three-goal Portland lead, the Winterhawks on Monday showed those traits again and scored an important 6-3 win at Credit Union Centre.
Ty Rattie had two goals and an assist, Taylor Leier had a three-point game, and Derrick Pouliot scored the game-winner with 14 minutes left. The result leaves all four teams in the tournament at 1-1, meaning the pecking order for the elimination phase of the tournament will be determined with the final round-robin matchups on Tuesday and Wednesday.
If Western Hockey League champion Portland beats host Saskatoon on Wednesday, the Winterhawks will at least advance to Friday’s semifinal game. If Ontario Hockey League champion London (Ontario) defeats Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Halifax (Nova Scotia) on Tuesday and Portland wins on Wednesday, the Winterhawks would get the free pass into Sunday’s championship game.
If Saskatoon beats Portland, the Winterhawks will need wins Thursday, Friday and Sunday nights to earn the Memorial Cup trophy.
Portland appeared to be cruising to victory on Monday in front of 7,575 fans. Rattie scored a goal 10:23 into the second period that duplicated his highlight-reel play from Saturday’s loss, putting the Hawks up 3-0. For the second time in the tournament, Rattie raced into the zone, cleverly skated past defenders in front of the goal and found the open side of the goal.
But the Knights scored twice in the next two minutes, the second of those set up by a fancy between-the-legs pass by Max Domi to Bo Horvat.
“It wasn’t like all of a sudden we were playing bad,” acting Winterhawks coach Travis Green said. “They got a couple goals. That’s going to happen in a hockey game.”
When Alex Broadhurst scored from in close 1:48 into the third period, it was 3-all and London was skating with confidence.
The outcome turned on goals 23 seconds apart.
Pouliot scored from near the right circle just over a minute into a Portland power play, after shots by Rattie and Brendan Leipsic missed the target. Seconds later, Chase De Leo made it 5-3, taking a short pass from Oliver Bjorkstrand and weaving to the middle of the slot to beat goalie Anthony Stolarz.
Rattie’s empty-net goal with 55 seconds left sealed the victory. Rattie has three goals and three assists in two Memorial Cup games.
The line of Leier, Bjorkstrand and De Leo was big all night. Leier, the hometown Saskatoon Hawk, scored the only goal of the first period by deflecting a Tyler Wotherspoon sharp-angle shot into the net. Bjorkstrand made it 2-0 2:17 into the second period.
Winterhawks goalie Mac Carruth rebounded from Saturday’s shaky performance in the loss to Halifax with a strong outing. Carruth made 25 saves, including several timely stops. In the opening seconds of the third period, he fought off a collision in front to stretch his leg across the goal mouth for one of his more dramatic saves.
Green said his team did a good job of not letting the Knights have sustained possession in the attacking zone.
“I liked the way we played down low,” Green said. “They’re a good cycle team. They’re good at getting pucks to the net from the point. I really like the way we played and how we defended.”
