Though it’s technically fall, crowds don’t really get going until after baseball, but a healthy crowd showed up to welcome the Hawks home, and the boys delivered them happiness!
The Hawks first welcomed back Max Psenicka, who was really on the bubble as to whether he’d go pro or not. In the end, Utah decided to send him and another European player back to their respective junior squads. The familiar number 77 didn’t score, but went plus-5 on the night, meaning he was on the ice for all of Portland’s goals. Nathan Brown, one of the Hawks’ twenty-year-old players, made sure he was well seen as Ben Miller remains out of a Hawks uniform, leading to more speculation that his days as a Winterhawks player are numbered as the roster freeze date looms.
Kyle McDonough remains out of the lineup with a listed upper-body injury and is week-to-week. A postgame conference with coach Kyle Gustafson highlighted that this will be a slower recovery from an injury that occurred during the Everett game last week. The schedule being drawn out by a week was also brought up. Similar to what Mike Johnston has stated in previous seasons, it’s tough to get a full read on players with limited games, plus the players coming back from NHL camps, learning the Hawks’ style, going to the NHL team to learn theirs, and then relearning the junior team’s system if they return.
The Blazers scored first on the power play as the Hawks couldn’t clear the zone, allowing one shot to get through, followed by a rebound, which Kamloops used as a direct shot into an open net. With Kamloops leading 1-0 early in the first period, there was hope for the Hawks after getting 18 shots in that first stanza that they would strike gold. That, they did. With a goal-mouth scramble in front of Logan Edmonstone, Reed Brown finally connected for the tie at the end of one.
From there, Ondrej Stebetak made some tough saves, and despite having just nine shots in the second period, the Hawks struck twice in just over fifteen seconds, with Reed Brown’s second of the night and a Finn Spehar tally from the side of the net before Kamloops made it a one-goal game. Another Brown, this one Nathan Brown, sailed in across the blue line and fired a five-hole shot, fooling Edmonstone, and the Hawks went up by two. Kamloops rallied back with just over three minutes left in the game, and the Hawks had to dig in.
In the dying seconds, the Hawks forced the puck out of the zone. Jordan Duguay, the lead man, was being draped by a Kamloops defenceman when he found Reed Brown in front of the open cage, fed him the puck, and the Hawks won 5-3, with Reed Brown bagging the first hat trick of the Hawks’ season.
Shots were 36-35 in favor of Kamloops. The Hawks went 0-for-2 on the man advantage, with Kamloops going 1-for-3 on theirs. Next up for the Hawks are back-to-back home games Friday and Saturday versus the Spokane Chiefs. The Chiefs had the Hawks’ number during the preseason, which is now a distant memory. They are also coming in at 2-0, though they had a tough run with Tri-City, winning both games 3-2, with one of those coming via shootout.
The Hawks have developed a new partnership with Warner Pacific University. As the Hawks push hard in education, players graduating high school will attend Warner Pacific University. The players will travel weekly to WPU, take part in learning alongside other undergraduates, participate in other WPU activities, and attend WPU sporting events.
This marks the first time that players from the Hawks are attending an actual institute of higher learning. The WPU group will, of course, be encouraged to attend Winterhawks games and events, which is a major feat for both institutions. It will mark a detachment from the online learning that has been the norm for decades, allowing the players to get a better sense of education and its directives.
So far in the early season, Calgary has the best win-loss record at 3-0, with Saskatoon and Medicine Hat at 3-1, while Lethbridge has the worst at 0-3. Both Tri-City and Wenatchee are winless but have gained a point, as Tri-City earned theirs via a shootout and Wenatchee in overtime.
In the injury department, the Penticton Vees have four players out, with all but one listed as week-to-week. The other is month-to-month. The Swift Current Broncos have five players out, two month-to-month and three week-to-week, which is devastating for any team, especially with four forwards and one goaltender sidelined.
The OHL featured its first double-digit game of the season as the Sarnia Sting put up 10 versus the Ottawa 67’s three. The other major player, the Sudbury Wolves, who were involved in the monster trade of 17 picks for one player, continue undefeated at 4-0. The Brantford Bulldogs clock in at 5-0 so far, with the London Knights at 3-0.
The QMJHL has Moncton atop the Q at 4-0, with three teams at 3-0. In the basement are Drummondville and Baie-Comeau at 0-4. Tough for the Drakkar, as they had a rough season last year, going 15-42. Drummondville has fallen the hardest, as last year they went 40-18.
Such is life in junior hockey.
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