KENNEWICK -- Adam Hughesman can't tell you why he racks up such great statistics against the Kelowna Rockets.
He doesn't think about it. He just does it.
In 15 career games against the Rockets, Hughesman had five goals and eight assists heading into Friday night's matchup at Toyota Center.
The 20-year-old from Winnipeg picked up right where he left off during the Tri-City Americans' 5-2 win over Kelowna, picking up two more goals and an assist to snap the Americans' two-game losing streak in front of 3,794 fans.
"I think my teammates get the credit for that," Hughesman said. "I'm really surprised to have those numbers against a great team."
The Ams (4-2-0-0, 8 points) also handed the Rockets (3-1-0-0, 6) their first loss -- dropping them out of first place in the B.C. Division -- and slid past Portland (3-3-0-0, 6) to grab the U.S. Division lead.
Hughesman, a 5-foot-11 left winger, assisted on Tri-City's first goal, a Connor Rankin wrister past Kelowna goaltender Adam Brown that tied the score at 1 with 13:24 left in the first period.
Before that, the Ams had come close to goals on several occasions but couldn't get the timing just right.
"It feels like we've been like that all year. A foot off here, a half-second slow there," Hughesman said. "You just have to stick to it and get a few greasy ones."
Hughesman then added two of the Americans' three second-period goals -- the first on a power play -- that essentially put the game out of reach.
His second goal was a thing of beauty, as Brendan Shinnimin glided in from the left circle, patiently waiting for Hughesman to skate to the right post. Once Hughesman hit his mark, Shinnimin put the puck right on his teammates' stick for the easy tap-in to make it 4-1.
"Those two have played together a long time," said Ams coach Jim Hiller. "I was happy with the whole game. We came out the way we wanted, and everybody contributed up and down the lineup."
While Hughesman and Rankin -- who added two more assists -- attacked on offense, several players shared the load offensively, with nine players getting at least one assist.
"That group of forwards is as good as any in the league. I don't think we had an answer for them," Kelowna coach Ryan Huska said. "Our goaltender can only make so many saves."
The Rockets had beaten the Americans 4-3 in Kelowna on Wednesday. To beat Kelowna in Kennewick, Tri-City was looking for a high-energy performance at home.
It helped that left winger Lukas Walter provided some grittiness midway through the first period, making a couple of big hits at center ice and getting into a fight with Rockets enforcer Jessey Astles.
Both players got in some good swings in a evenly matched tussle, but the scrap gave the Ams a much-needed boost of energy.
"I have to give Walter the credit. It was a great fight, and it showed the character of this team," Rankin said. "It got us going for sure. (Fights) can be a turning point in a game."
Jordan Messier and Mitch Topping also added goals for Tri-City, while Zach Yuen had two assists.
Americans goalie Eric Comrie faced 29 shots, stopping 27 of them. Brown stopped 33 of 38 shots.
Notes: Tri-City and Kelowna will meet two more times this season -- on Nov. 30 at Prospera Place in British Columbia, and on Dec. 29 in Kennewick. ... Brown moved into a tie with Jeff Calvert for second place on the Rockets' all-time games played list for goalies at 152. Kevin Swanson is Kelowna's all-time leader with 167 in 1998-2001.
