Hawks Back on Win Track 6-3 over Everett

The Portland Winterhawks snapped their second longest losing streak of the season Tuesday night, at home,when they pulled out a 6-3 win over the visiting Tips.

The Hawks, after losing a tough one in Everett  on Saturday, responded with a great start to this game, scoring 7:27 in, when Oliver Bjorkstand and Chase De Leo busted out on a 2 on 1 break. De Leo just got the puck under the stick of Everett Goalie Daniel Cotton to open the scoring.

Then the Seth Jones show got started. Jones took a feed from 16 year old Center Dominic Turgeon and drove to the left of Cotton, firing it top shelf and knocking Cotton's water bottle flying.

Then Jones intercepted a pass and fired another one past Cotton on the glove side, this time with only 1 second left in the period. Portland outshot Everett 22-8 in the opening period and their 3-0 lead could have been more.

Everett would cut into the lead in the 2nd, when Defenseman Landon Oslanski blasted home a point shot on the powerplay. The goal was reviewed and it was decided by the officiating staff that the puck deflected off a Winterhawk and past Goalie Mac Carruth and not off the high stick of Forward Reid Petryk, as it appeared on the first viewing.

The Tips appeared to have the Hawks reeling going into the 3rd, until Nic Petan picked up the puck from behind his own net, went coast to coast, then around the Tip's net, before firing it home past Cotton's glove to make it 4-1.

The Tips would again make it  a 2 goal deficit though, when Oslanski again fired a powerplay point shot through traffic and past Carruth to make it 4-2 with 15:29 left in the game.

The 6,157 present were stunned, when with 7:07 left in the game, Ryan Harrison put home his own rebound for his 10th of the season, cutting the Hawks lead to 4-3.

Their collective fears would be abated, however, when Brendan Leipsic found Ty Rattie alone in on Cotton on the back door. Instead of shooting, Rattie wrapped the puck around an out of position Cotton for his 43rd Goal of the season and his 100th point of the year.

Rattie would make it 44 Goals on the year, when he put another Leipsic pass into the Tip's empty net with 3 seconds left, ending the hopes of the visiting squad.

Mac Carruth had 3 saves on 34 shots. Cotton had 37 saves on 42 shots for Everett. Everett was 2 for 8 on the powerplay, while Portland was 0-2.

3 Stars:
#3- Ty Rattie- star honors again for Rattie as his 2 Goals to end the game were the cushion that the Hawks needed.
#2- Landon Oslanski- also had 2 Goals and the entire Tip's powerplay seemed to be funneling through him.

#1- Seth Jones- one of his better games this year. He showed the potential that every NHL team is salivating over. His collection of size, speed, smooth skating and deadly shot were too much for the Tips Tuesday night.

Random Notes:
-De Leo's Goal was the Hawk's 300th team Goal this year. This is their 3rd straight 300 Goal season.
-Both of Oslanski's Goals were reviewed and upheld.
-Leipsic, unselfishly gave up the harder empty net Goal for the Rattie easy one, meaning he is tied with Rattie for 2nd in the WHL with 44 Goals, one back of Petan's 45.
-Leipsic's 2 assists give him 113points on the season, 2 ahead of Petan.
-Derrick Pouliot, in his first game since January 25th, had an assist, several shots on goal and was a +1 overall.
-Everett's Daniel Cotton appeared shaken up after over-extending himself on Rattie's first Goal. Austin Lotz came in for 2:13 and stopped all 3 shots he faced before Cotton came back in.
-Pouliot was called for a boarding penalty with 3 minutes left, the Tyler Wotherspoon, arguing the call was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct.
-This meant the Tips had a full 2 minutes of 5 on 3 and since they pulled Cotton  had over30 seconds of 6 on 3.
-Portland, with the win, is only one point from clinching the Western Conference over Kelowna, who was idle.
-Kamloops shut out Victoria at home 6-0.
-In the NHL: New York Ranger Marc Staal took a slap shot to the eye area. Here's the video: