Keith Dwiggins

Seth Jarvis scores hat trick en route to Winterhawks Victory

The Portland Winterhawks started Saturday night’s game with a bang, tallying two goals (Simon Knak and Ryan McCleary – later changed to Kyle Chyzowski ) less than two minutes into the game. They went on to beat the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 6-3, with both teams having big goals.

Kurtis Smythe and Sam Popowich drop the gloves (Photo – Portland Winterhawks/Keith Dwiggins)

It wouldn’t be a game between these two rivals without some feisty plays outside of just what shows up in points. Coming out for the second period, gloves were dropped, and the two teams decided to remind people that the I-5 rivalry is alive and well.

Reasons to celebrate

16-year-old Sam Oremba scored the first goal of his career to finish the first-period scoring. His goal brought the Thunderbirds to within one, helping to keep the game within reach.

However, for the Winterhawks, Carolina Hurricanes prospect Seth Jarvis scored his first hat trick of the season. The final three goals for Portland came off of his stick. He now has 10 goals and 17 points in 15 games in the WHL this season. After starting the year red hot with the Chicago Wolves in the AHL, this is the Jarvis that fans were hoping to see back in Portland. Of his three goals, the final two came on the man advantage as the home team found success on three of their four power-play opportunities.

Seth Jarvis (Photo – Portland Winterhawks/Keith Dwiggins)

Goaltending

Seattle’s Jackson Berry got the start in net, making 27 saves on the 33 pucks that were sent his way. Meanwhile, Portland’s Dante Giannuzzi stopped 23 shots on his way to claiming the win for his team. Both netminders showed up to win, but the Winterhawks’ offense was not to be contained.

Portland now leads the season series with its fourth regulation win over Seattle, winning the last three in a row. The Winterhawks have a three-point lead over the Thunderbirds with each team having played 17 games.

The two teams face each other just two more times, the next scheduled for Sunday, April 25 at 5 pm. One week later, the Winterhawks travel to Kent to face the Thunderbirds one last time before the season concludes.