ORLAND PARK, Ill. — The Central Texas Blackhawks hung around for a little while but couldn’t overcome the Billings Bulls’ strong second period as they lost 4-0 on Thursday at the North American Hockey League’s four-day Windy City Showcase Tournament.

After a scoreless first period, the Bulls (25-6-1 for 51 points) used consecutive goals in the second by Aaron Irvin at the 4:03 mark and Mike Mayra at 12:03 to take the momentum and cruise to victory.

The Blackhawks (12-16-3, 27 points) have lost seven consecutive league games and nine straight overall.

The NAHL West Division-leading Bulls outshot the South Division’s Hawks 58-25, including a 22-7 advantage in the third period.

Mathias Lange picked up the win in goal for Billings, while Central Texas’ Tyler Chestnut took the loss despite saving 54 shots.

The Blackhawks’ hope for a third-period comeback was single-handedly struck down by Billings’ Brett Watson.

Watson put the puck past Chestnut at 9:15 to distance the Bulls’ lead to 3-0. Not even three minutes later, Watson took advantage of a Bulls power play to complete the scoring and seal the win.