Last-Second Goal The Difference As Americans Fall In Portland
WHL Tri-City Americans

Last-Second Goal The Difference As Americans Fall In Portland

Published on March 13, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release


Portland, OR - The Tri-City Americans (26-33-4-1) battled back from a 2-0 deficit after two periods Friday night, but the Portland Winterhawks (29-29-5-1) scored with 4.3 seconds left in regulation to hand the Americans a 3-2 loss.

Despite not scoring, the Americans had an excellent opening 20 minutes. They outshot the Winterhawks 15-12 and generated multiple quality scoring chances.

The back-and-forth nature of the game continued into the early stages of the second period, with Ismail Abougouche and Luke Wilfley dropping the gloves in a spirited tilt 7:04 into the frame.

Shortly after the fight, Portland opened the scoring. Ryan Miller let a shot go off the rush that was denied by Xavier Wendt, but the rebound went right to Jordan Duguay who tapped it into the open net 8:41 into the second period.

After some extended zone time late in the period, Portland extended their lead. Nathan Free gathered a loose puck in the left faceoff circle in the Americans zone before snapping a shot over the blocker shoulder of Wendt. The goal came with 2:13 left in the period and sent the Winterhawks to the intermission with a 2-0 lead.

The Americans got on the board halfway through the third. Gavin Garland fired a shot on net off the rush, and after the puck bounced around near the crease, Garland was able to fire in the loose puck for his 15th of the season. Jesse McKinnon and Connor Dale picked up the assists at 9:17.

Tri-City went to their third power play of the game after an ill-advised penalty by Portland. Grady Martin collided with Winterhawks goaltender Ondrej Stebetak but there was no penalty on the play. Jake Gustafson forced Martin into a fight, giving the Americans a power play.

On the man advantage, Cruz Pavao fired a one timer from the left circle that snuck under the pads of Stebetak, tying the game with 4:34 remaining. The goal was Pavao's 20th of the season, doubling what he had as a rookie last year.

The game seemed destined for overtime until the Winterhawks scored in the final seconds. Alex Weiermair gained the Americans line and shot the puck toward the net. Wendt punched it away with his blocker hand, but it ended up on the tape of Duguay who knocked it into the open net with 4.3 seconds on the clock, winning the game for Portland.

The Americans will look to shake off the loss when they return home and host the Spokane Chiefs (34-29-1-0) Saturday at 6:05.

Check out the Tri-City Americans Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 13, 2026


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