Winterhawks Score Big in the Third Period for Fifth Straight Win

The Portland Winterhawks (31-12-2-3) scored three times in the third period as they won their fifth straight with a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Giants (23-17-5-3) Monday at the Moda Center in front of 6,044 fans.

Vancouver’s Cain Franson opened the scoring 7:15 into the game to give the visitors a 1-0 lead, but the Hawks responded at the 12:33 mark when Brendan Leipsic made a behind-the-back pass to Derrick Pouliot in the slot, who went top shelf past Giants netminder Payton Lee to even the game at 1-1.

Late in the period with Portland on a 5-on-3 power play, Pouliot fed Matt Dumba, who fired a blast from the point top corner to give Portland a 2-1 lead heading into the second. It was Dumba’s first goal as a Hawk.

After a scoreless second period, the Hawks took a 3-1 lead 4:36 into the third on a goal from Paul Bittner. Vancouver again got within one when Dalton Sward scored a power play goal to cut it to 3-2.

The Hawks made it 4-2 at the 13:52 mark when Leipsic created a turnover in the Vancouver zone, and fed Nic Petan, who beat Lee for the two-goal advantage. Leipsic added a late empty net goal as the Hawks finished with a 5-2 win.

Leipsic finished with four points, while goaltender Corbin Boes picked up the win in his first start on home ice for the Hawks, stopping 36 of 38 Vancouver shots.

The Hawks return to action Friday when they host the Everett Silvertips at 7 p.m. in the Moda Center.