The Portland Winterhawks put on a rebounding demonstration to remember on Wednesday.
Scambling back from a three-goal deficit with three rebound goals, Portland advanced to the second round of the Western Hockey League playoffs with a 5-4 win in overtime, beating the Spokane Chiefs in their own rink for the eighth time this season.
Ty Rattie scored the series-winner with 2:31 left in the first overtime period, giving the Winterhawks the 5-4 win and a spot in the second round of the Western Hockey League playoffs. Portland was 8-0 in Spokane this season, and 4-0 in this series on the road.
“I like winning anytime. But any time you win Game 7 in overtime, it’s phenomenal,” Portland coach Mike Johnston said.
Portland will host the Vancouver Giants in Game 1 at 7 p.m. on Saturday and Game 2 at 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Defenseman Taylor Aronson set up the winner, rushing up ice while Spokane was changing lines.
Aronson beat a Chiefs player along the right boards, circled behind the goal and sent the puck to Rattie, who did not miss from the high slot.
“It was a great play by Aaronson,” Rattie, a 16-year-old, said. He added that the defenseman had “great eyes” to find him at the end of an end-to-end rush.
The Winterhawks trailed 3-0 early in the second period and were in a two-goal hole midway through the third period.
But Riley Boychuk converted a bobble by Spokane goalie James Reid 9:45 into the third period. Then with 6:36 remaining, Luke Walker followed his own shot for the tying goal.
Spokane’s big guns made sure that Portland faced an uphill battle.
Mitch Wahl had two goals and one assist and Kyle Beach had a goal and assist as the Chief’s top line carried them to a big lead early.
“They’re just a phenomenal line,” Johnston said. “I thought they took it to us early.”
Falling into a 3-0 hole was not the formula Portland coaches were hoping to follow.
But the Winterhawks did not wilt.
In fact, it was the Chiefs’ go-to guys who might have worn down as the game went along.
“I really think the key to the game is they played their top line a lot early in the game and they wore out as the game went along,” Johnston said. “And I think we tood advantage of that.”
Goals by Nino Niederreiter and Ryan Johansen trimmed the hill to one goal entering the final 20 minutes.
Niedereitter scored off the rush, set up by a spin-around pass from Brad Ross.That tally came less than four minutes after Mitch Wahl’s second goal of the night put the Chiefs on top 3-0 early in the second period.
Johansen finished off a goal-mouth scramble after Spokane goalie James Reid swept the puck off the goal line.
The play stsrted with Ross winning a faceoff and Luca Sbisa firing a shot that found its way behind the Chiefs’ goalie but not across the line.
Spokane was opportunistic on the first goal.
Tyler Johnson beat Carruth off a feed from Brady Brassart, who picked off a Portland pass behind the net and shuffled it to Johnson in front.
Wahl’s individual effort made it 2-0 11:03 into the game.
Wahl beat Portland defenseman Taylor Aronson inside the blue line to create an odd-man rush, then fired a shot that beat Carruth glove side.
Spokane’s Johnson created a pair of scorinhg chances for himself midway through the overtime period, but Carruth was up to the challenge.
This is the second consecutive Game 7 road win for the Portland franchise.
In 2006, its last playoff appearance, Portland also rallied from an early 3-0 deficit in Game 7 and defeated Seattle in overtime.
