From Tri-City Americans
Kennewick, WA- Tri-City had the daunting task of
taking on the best team in the league coming off of the winter break.
In a valiant effort, the Tri-City Americans (20-13-1-2, 43
pts) came up just short, as the Portland Winterhawks (30-5-1-0, 61
pts) earned their third victory of the season in front of 5,335 at the
Toyota Center.
Portland has won nine of ten in the month of December and is
on a seven game winning streak. The Americans dropped their fourth straight game
at home.
The first period was even with Tri-City outshooting Portland
in the first part of the period. The first opportunity came 10:40 into the first
as Brandan Leipsic got tripped on a breakaway, and was awarded a penalty shot.
Eric Comrie stood strong in the net and stopped Leipsic with the blocker to keep
the game scoreless. Portland would get on the board first though, as Taylor
Peters bounced a puck off of a defender into the Americans net on the power play
to make it 1-0. The lead would increase to two as Kirill Vorobev would score his
first WHL goal by putting home a rebound late in the period. Tri-City outshot
Portland 17-13 in the period, but it was the Winterhawks that capitalized on
their chances in the first.
The Americans came out and scored early in the second period
as Connor Rankin picked up a rebound and scored to make it 2-1. But an Americans
turnover off the faceoff allowed Taylor Leier to flip a backhand into the
Americans goal 10 seconds later to make the lead two again. Portland would
capitalize on a power play later in the period as Oliver Bjorkstrand would score
on the power play to make it 4-1 Winterhawks. Justin Feser would cut into the
lead late in the period by deflecting a Mitch Topping shot into the net on the
power play. Portland outshot Tri-City 15-13 in the period and carried the lead
into the third.
The Americans fought to get back into the game in the third
period, with Comrie making some big saves to keep the Americans in the game.
Tri-City would finally breakthrough in the period as Justin Feser would put home
a rebound chance for his second power play goal of the game to cut the lead to
4-3 with 3:14 left in the game. Tri-City ferociously tried to tie the game, but
Brendan Burke held strong in his crease and allowed the Winterhawks to escape
with a 4-3 win.
With two goals tonight, Feser passed Brendan Shinnimin and
tied Brian Sakic for fifth on the Americans all-time goals list with 132. He
also tied Kruise Reddick for seventh on the Americans all-time games played list
with 315.
Comrie made 34 saves in the loss, while Burke made 43 saves
in the win.
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