While coming onto the ice in front of a glitzy red hue, Marcus Nguyen picked a good time to run wild.
The 19-year-old forward from Calgary owned the Prince George Cougars Cougars on Monday night potting a hat-trick in a convincing 4-1 victory for the Portland Winterhawks in front of 5,608 fans at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Nate Danielson finds Marcus Nguyen.
Where have we heard that before?@pdxwinterhawks | @DetroitRedWings | #WHLPlayoffs | #LGRW https://t.co/zAcc800Jrx pic.twitter.com/stImklrL8q
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 30, 2024
Portland leads the best-of-seven Western Conference Final 2-1 with Game Four set for Wednesday in the Rose City (7pm).
For the second game in a row, the Cougars alarm clock failed to go off on time as they found themselves in a 3-0 hole at the halfway point of the opening period.
The seven o’clock puck drop was no issue for Nguyen however, as he beat Cougars goaltender Josh Ravensbergen twice in the first seven minutes.
Off a crafty wrap-around sequence by Nate Danielson, Nguyen caught the Cougars napping on the near side and had a gaping net to shoot at following the back-door feed.
The @pdxwinterhawks entered tonight's game boasting a record of 6-0 at the 2024 #WHLPlayoffs when Nate Danielson gets a point…
The @DetroitRedWings prospect gets the primary assist on Marcus Nguyen's icebreaker.#LGRW | #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/Zwep7DT19K
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 30, 2024
Danielson again showed off his passing prowess that got him selected in the first round by the Detroit Red Wings, drawing three Cougars into the corner before finding Nguyen alone in the slot, beating Ravensbergen through the five-hole.
Marek Alscher put the exclamation mark on a dominant 20 minutes blasting a wrist shot from inside the face off circle getting past the glove side, ending Ravensbergen’s night who allowed three goals on 10 shots.
The bad blood spilled over between the two sides in the middle period as seven penalties were called including a fight between Winterhawks blueliner Josh Mori and Cats forward Carlin Dezainde.
Earlier in the frame, Nguyen continued to be public enemy number one as he took a charging major that knocked out standout rookie Terik Parascak who didn’t return for the third period.
Nguyen completed his hat-trick at 1:47 of the third, accepting a Jack O’Brien pass, outlasting a sprawled-out Ty Young who nearly made an eye-popping save. Danielson also ended his night with a second straight three assist performance.
It's a hat-trick for Marcus Nguyen!🎩@pdxwinterhawks | #WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/lxOFN6cocp
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 30, 2024
PG finally solved Jan Spunar and the offensive ineptitude at the 15:56 mark when Borya Valis beat the Czechia-born goaltender short side to trim the deficit to three.
After a flat opening two periods, the Cougars found their skating legs and outshot the Winterhawks 17-6 in the third period, resulting in a 31-30 edge overall.
Portland went 1-for-7 on the power-play while the Cougars were 1-for-4.
Spunar stopped 30 Cougar pucks directed onto the Winterhawk goal while Ty Young stopped 19 of 20 shots in relief for the visitors.
Both teams have the day off tomorrow (Tuesday) before Games Four and Five set for Wednesday and Thursday from the VMC.
Game Six, if needed, would be played on Monday, May 6th at CN Centre.
You can catch all the action on 94.3 The Goat as well as the WHL Live video stream that is being shown at several bars and restaurants in the city.
This includes the Canadian Brewhouse, which is hosting the official Cougar watch parties as well as the Westwood Pub among others.
In addition, the CN Centre is opening the arena for fans to watch the remaining road playoff games.
Everything's coming up Portland!@pdxwinterhawks | #WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingtheFuture pic.twitter.com/Qx2FjF60lZ
— The WHL (@TheWHL) April 30, 2024