Portland Winterhawks right wing Ty Rattie watched h
is teammates take control of the game during the first 40 minutes. In the last 20, Rattie stole the show.
Rattie recorded a hat trick on three third-period goals to lead Portland to 7-2 win over Spokane in Friday's Game 1 of the WHL Western Conference semifinals at Memorial Coliseum.
For the first two periods I was thinking to myself, Nothing is going right, Rattie said. In the third period, my line stepped up and we got a couple good bounces.
Ratties first score came 47 seconds after intermission. Portland opened the period on a power play, and with the one-man advantage, Rattie stationed himself a few feet in front of the crease. Defenseman Derrick Pouliot got the puck, faked a pass one way and slid it to Rattie, who slashed it past Cheifs goaltender Eric Williams.
About five minutes later, Rattie struck a second time. As the Winterhawks took control, Rattie again went to his spot near the crease. This time, he moved right to the rim of the crease as linemate Brendan Leipsic skipped the puck his way. A light tap was all Rattie needed to beat Williams once more.
Rattie completed the hat trick with another power-play goal at the 3:37 mark. The game had long since been decided, but the crowd of 6,172 still showered the ice with baseball caps.
Hes one of those guys, Portland coach Travis Green said. When you need goals, hes the guy you are going to go to. Anytime you get three goals in a period, its big for your team.
Oliver Bjorkstrand scored two goals for Portland, both in the second period. His second goal, at 14:44, gave Portland the lead for good at 3-2.
Taylor Leier and Derrick Pouliot had one goal each, and Pouliot had three assists, but Ratties three made the biggest splash.
Rattie has nine goals in seven playoff games this season. On Friday, he passed Randy Heath for most playoff points in franchise history.
Its pretty cool when you think of the amount of the players and the amount of championships that have been won, Rattie said. To be at the top of that group is an awesome feat and something Im going to cherish for the rest of my life.
Winterhawks goaltender Mac Carruth saved 38 of 40 shots to make some history of his own in Game 1. His 38 saves earned him his 38th career playoff victory. That ties him with Cam Ward for the WHL record.
Nice for him, Green said. Obviously, he has had a nice career with us. He has taken us far two times now. It is nice to see him get some recognition.
Carruth will go for the record on Saturday night when the Winterhawks and Chiefs face off in Game 2, which starts at 7 p.m. at the Rose Garden.