Winterhawks Edge Americans, 4-3

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WHL Tri-City Americans

Winterhawks Edge Americans, 4-3

December 29, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Tri-City Americans News Release


Kennewick, WA - The Tri-City Americans (19-10-2-1) dominated the entirety of the third period Saturday night but couldn't solve Portland Winterhawks (20-12-2-0) goaltender Merek Schlenker who turned aside all 15 shots he saw over the final 20, giving the Winterhawks a 4-3 win at the Toyota Center.

Portland opened the scoring when Reed Brown found some soft ice in the Americans zone. He took a pass from the left-wing boards and was alone in front of the goal, pulling the puck to his backhand and sliding it past the left pad of Nathan Preston 5:26 into the game.

Tri-City answered back quickly however, with a milestone goal for Jake Sloan. After Jordan Gavin gained the Portland line and swung the puck across the ice to Jackson Smith, Sloan went to the front of the goal and knocked in a rebound for his 200th career WHL point. He became the 25th player in franchise history to record 200 points, and the first since Morgan Geekie in the 2017-18 season.

The game was tied 1-1 through 20 minutes with the Winterhawks outshooting Tri-City 13-9.

The score remained 1-1 until nine minutes into the second period when Josh Zakreski beat Preston on the blocker side off the rush with his 20th goal of the season. Once again, the Americans answered quickly.

Max Curran lost the puck in the Winterhawks zone before stripping it from the defenseman looking to exit the zone. Curran skated toward the net and slipped a backhand shot through the five hole of Schlenker, tying the game just 1:12 after Portland took the lead.

After Portland regained the lead on a goal by Alex Weiermair, Curran pulled Tri-City even for a third time. He skated over the Portland line before firing a shot past Schlenker from the right circle 1:11 after Weiermair's goal.

The score didn't remain even for long however, as Kyle Chyzowski restored Portland's lead by jamming a shot under the glove of Preston from in tight, giving the Winterhawks a 4-3 lead heading into the third.

Tri-City ramped up their offense in third, peppering Schlenker with grade-A scoring chances throughout the entire 20 minutes. The Winterhawks rookie goaltender stood his ground, denying every puck sent his way to keep Portland in the lead.

The Americans pulled Preston for the extra attacker late but weren't able to tie the game for a fourth time, as they dropped a 4-3 game, their fourth loss in a row.

Tri-City now turns their attention to the annual New Years Eve clash with the Spokane Chiefs (23-12-0-0) with a 6:05 puck drop on Tuesday.

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