KENNEWICK -- The Tri-City Americans are nearly unbeatable when leading after two periods.
Friday night, Justin Feser had a hat trick and an assist, and Patrick Holland added a goal and three assists as the Americans improved to 31-1-0-0 when leading after two with a 6-2 victory over the Chilliwack Bruins before a crowd of 5,518 at Toyota Center.
"We don't really pay attention to those stats, but guys get that instinct when you are up after two and you don't want to let them back in," Feser said. "We have done a good job of that."
The Americans (36-15-2-2, 76 points) remain two points behind second-place Spokane in the U.S. Division standings and are within three points of division-leading Portland, which was idle Friday. The Chiefs will be at Toyota Center tonight.
Chilliwack (24-28-202, 52 points), ninth in the Western Conference standings, failed to gain ground in its bid for a playoff spot.
Kamloops, which holds the eighth spot, beat Edmonton on Friday.
The Americans, still a little beat up from their four-game road trip, pieced together a solid game, backed by rookie goalie Chris Driedger, who is 2-0-0-1 since taking over for Drew Owsley, who was injured last Saturday at Spokane.
Driedger finished with 14 saves against the Bruins before affiliate goalie Cam Gorchynski finished the last 14 minutes of the game.
"It's tough to stay in the zone when you are facing five shots a period," Driedger said. "I think all the guys are picking up their defensive game. We are doing better job getting back and there haven't been the odd-man rushes."
In a game that was tight for the better part of two periods, the Americans broke the game open late in the second, with three unanswered goals in the last 3:12 of the period to take a 4-2 lead.
After a 1-all tie after the first period, the Bruins took a 2-1 lead at 15:45 of the second on a goal by Jamie Crooks, but the Americans struck back. Patrick Holland tied the score at 2, taking a pass up ice from Tyler Schmidt and going in alone on Bruins goalie Lucas Gore for his 20th goal of the season.
Feser followed at 18:14 on a pass from Holland, and Connor Rankin finished the period, beating Gore stick side off a nice pass from Holland with 42 seconds remaining.
"We had three trips in a row at the end of the second," Holland said of his line that includes Feser and Rankin. "We had a breakaway and a 2-on-1 and everything seemed to fall into place. Gore is a tough goalie to score on. If you aren't getting the perfect scenario, you aren't going to score on him. The first little bit, we weren't getting those chances."
For Feser, it was his third career hat trick, and first this season.
"I have to give Holly and Ranks all the credit," Feser said. "They created the first two goals and Little Mess (Marcus Messier) the third."
Schmidt opened the third with a goal just 35 seconds in, and Feser completed his hat trick at 5:47, picking up a rebound off a shot by Messier.
The Bruins got on the board first as Ryan Howse redirected a shot from the point by Kevin Sundher at 4:30 on the power play.
The Americans evened the score at 10:05 as Rankin won a battle along the boards with Chilliwack's Emerson Hrynyk and sent the puck out to Holland.
Holland drove the right lane and, at the last second, slid the puck across the top of the crease to Feser, who buried the puck at the left post.
"They came out pretty quick and it showed with them getting a tip in front of our net," Feser said. "We knew what we had to do to get that goal back."
NOTES: Tri-City's leading scorer Adam Hughesman left the game in the second period with an undisclosed injury and did not return. His status for tonight's game is unknown. Jordan Messier suffered a shoulder injury and is expected to miss a couple of games. The Americans have called up Dylan Fluter from the North Battleford Stars of the Saskatchewan AAA Midget Hockey League. He is not expected to play tonight.
