The Portland Winter Hawks defeated the Seattle Thunderbirds 9-1 Friday night at ShoWare Center.
This was the first game of a home-and-home series between the two teams. They meet again Saturday night at Memorial Coliseum at 7 p.m.
The T-Birds remain in sixth place in the Western Conference playoff standings. They are one point behind the Kamloops Blazers with one game in hand.
The T-Birds have clinched a spot in the 2009 WHL Playoffs. The T-Birds will start the playoffs on the road against either the Kelowna Rockets or the Spokane Chiefs. Games 3 and 4 of the first round playoff series will be at ShoWare Center on Tuesday, March 24, and Wednesday, March 25. Both games are at 7:05 p.m.
Portland (19-47-2-2) scored four goals in the first period and five goals in the second period to get their nine.
Seattle got their lone goal at 18:48 of the second period when Charles Wells scored. Wells came in on Portland goalie Ian Curtis all alone and made a low shot. Curtis mad the save but Wells backhanded the rebound past the goalie for his fifth goal of the year. Jim O’Brien had the only assist on the goal.
Seattle (33-32-1-4) outshot Portland 38-34 in the game.
Seattle goalie Calvin Pickard made 25 saves on 34 shots and his record is now 22-16-1-4.
Curtis stopped 37 of 38 shots and his record is now 4- 10-1-0.
After the game against the Winter Hawks on Saturday the T-Birds finish out the weekend against the Everett Silvertips at 5:05 p.m. at ShoWare Center on Sunday.
SCORING SUMMARY
First period – 1, Portland, Schneider 11 (Ross, Ponich), 9:08. 2, Portland, Reddin 13 (Ross, Hutt), 13:09 (pp). 3, Portland, Ross 9 (Gabriel, Ehrhardt), 14:14. 4, Portland, Walker 25, 16:56 (sh). Penalties – Cloud, Sea (kneeing), 12:01. Rutkowski, Por (elbowing), 16:12. Mick, Por (cross checking), 19:24.
Second period – 5, Portland, Francis 21 (Hutt, Ponich), 4:44. 6, Portland, Ridgeway 4 (Mick), 9:32. 7, Portland, Walker 26 (Bobbee, Francis), 11:12 (pp). 8, Portland, Gabriel 5 (Rutkowski, Ross), 12:09. 9, Portland, Mick 7 (Boychuk, Schneider), 18:15. 10, Seattle, Wells 5 (O’Brien), 18:48. Penalties – LeBlanc, Sea (interference), 6:56. Richard, Sea (slashing), 10:16. Ponich, Por (interference), 15:44. Kerr, Por (kneeing), 18:48.
Third period – No scoring. Penalties – Ross, Por (holding), 6:40. Ridgeway, Por (holding), 18:37.
Shots on goal – Seattle 12-10-16 38. Portland 13-11-10 34. Goalies – Seattle, Pickard 34 shots-25 saves (22-16-1-4); Portland, Curtis 38-37 (4- 10-1-0). Power plays – Seattle 0-6; Portland 2- 3. A – 5,701. Referee – Matt Kirk, Ryan Thompson. Linesmen – Chris Sweeting, Kevin Boris.
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