PORTLAND — A trio of two-goal efforts from Luca Cagnoni, Kyle Chyzowski and Marcus Nguyen helped the Portland Winterhawks roll past the Seattle Thunderbirds 8-5 in Western Hockey League action Thursday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
The Winterhawks (22-10-1-1) have won back-to-back games this week, as well as three straight against Seattle (12-16-2-0) this season.
Cagnoni started the goal scoring for Portland with a power-play strike 4:58 into the contest.
The Winterhawks responded to a Seattle equalizer at 7:07 with three unanswered before the break.
Chyzowski netted the first two at 10:52 and 15:35 — both set up by Josh Zakreski — before Nguyen scored his first at 18:10 on a shorthanded breakaway.
Two more goals in the first five minutes of the second period pushed Portland’s lead to five.
Coming off a two-goal game in Kennewick on Wednesday, Diego Buttazzoni tipped home a Nguyen shot at 1:41 for his 16th of the season. Three minutes later, Nguyen was again at the center of things as he tapped a rebound out of mid-air into the net for a 6-1 lead early in the second period.
A run of three consecutive Seattle goals bookended the second intermission, with Braeden Cootes scoring twice and Simon Lovsin adding another to put a dent in the Hawks’ lead and make it 6-4 for the majority of the third.
A pair of Portland empty-netters from Cagnoni and Ryan Miller helped put the game out of reach, even as Colten Gerrior grabbed his first WHL goal for Seattle.
Nick Avakyan made 34 saves on 39 shots for Portland).
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The Winterhawks host the Vancouver Giants in their annual New Year’s Eve game at 5 p.m. Sunday.
There will be a post-game fan fest with activities, music and prizes in the Georgia Pacific Room; fans can skate with the team ($20 skate rentals or bring your own); and there will also be a car giveaway from team sponsor Toyota. Also, stay until the 9 p.m. balloon drop for some cash prize opportunities.
