For the Portland Winterhawks, three big things are needed for the season, and they are all easy to say, but tough to implement at times.
One is to get shots on net. Crazy bounces, weird saves, and odd deflections. Sometimes goals aren’t highlight-reel worthy, but they count just as much.
Two is to limit chances on net in the Hawks’ zone. It’s tough, but the goaltender is the last line before a goal is scored, and their report card is visible to the throngs of people watching the scoreboard. Over the past decade and a bit, the plus/minus stat has crept up on stat sheets. However, the first person people point to is often the goaltender, even when the goals aren’t their fault.
Three is to play a sixty-minute game. You may score lots initially, but that lead can be clawed back by an opposing team. The game is three periods, a sixty-minute ride, and possibly two points at the end.
There’s going to be tough stretches, especially now and over the next couple of weeks. They first have a six-game road trip, broken into two weeks, a five-game homestand, and then the always unforgiving swing. This year is the first year teams can fly to their swing and back. However, bus travel is required between games. The older players are used to the grind, but the younger players are not, and it will be a true test of their mettle.
With that, the Hawks started three of the six games this week in British Columbia. The BC Division is one where the Hawks have to do well. Obviously, the US Division is first and foremost, but at some point in the playoffs, teams will face each other in interdivisional matchups. During the season, they also play up to four games against each team in the division.
They played the Kamloops Blazers, Penticton Vees, and Kelowna Rockets in the first half. The second half will see a return against the Rockets and finally a pair against the Spokane Chiefs.
In Kamloops for an early Canadian Thanksgiving game, it took until near the end of the first period to get a goal. Reed Brown of the Hawks scored off a rebound after a shot from the right faceoff dot by Jake Gustafson went off Kaeden Tate’s pad while on the power play.
Kamloops responded in the second period while on the power play, scoring in almost identical fashion. Ondrej Stebetak made the initial save, only for a rebound to be picked up on the doorstep as the teams reached the midway point of the game.
In the third period, Kamloops took the lead with a roof shot by Vit Zahefsky. Both Stebetak and Tate made top-shelf saves during the frame. Portland tied it up with just 21 seconds left. The Hawks lost the faceoff but kept the puck in the Blazers’ zone, where they fanned out like an umbrella. With Kamloops unable to monitor all the Hawks, Reed Brown was able to get his second of the night off a strong pass from Jordin Duguay.
The teams couldn’t settle anything in overtime. Portland was unable to score on three tries, and the Blazers needed only one in a 3-2 overtime win. Portland outshot Kamloops 39-37 on a night when both goaltenders were stars of the game. Portland went 1-for-2 on the power play versus 1-for-3 for Kamloops.
Two days later, the Hawks went to Penticton. One of the toughest teams to beat last season was Penticton, and the Hawks came in prepared.
Cruz Chase got his first start of the young season. He faced 29 shots and had to be on his toes for those. The Hawks got out of the first period in a scoreless tie after Cruz made a few tough saves. The tie was broken early in the second period as Luke Wilfley fired from the top of the left faceoff dot. The Hawks’ special teams struck with that power-play goal.
Kyle McDonough scored midway through the third period when he shot from the bottom of the right faceoff circle, catching just inside the right post for the 2-0 lead. Despite Penticton pulling its goaltender, the Vees weren’t able to get one past Cruz in the Hawks’ 2-0 win. It was only the second shutout of his career. The Hawks gave up more shots than they took, 29-20, but went 1-for-5 on the power play compared to Penticton’s 0-for-5.
Two days later, it was Kelowna providing the opposition. This was Chase’s second straight start. The game had barely gotten underway when Kelowna tallied its first goal. Just fifteen seconds had elapsed when Portland couldn’t clear the zone. The puck found its way behind the net, and a quick pass found the tape of Ryan Oothoudt, who first bounced the puck off the post but made no mistake with the rebound for the early 1-0 lead.
No other scoring took place in the first. Jake Gustafson got that back just over seven minutes into the second period after Kelowna played it a little too cool, losing the puck to Jordin Duguay, who found Gustafson in front. He made no mistake in tying the game.
Kelowna went back on top with a tip-in redirect by Tomas Poletin right in front of the net. The score remained that way until midway through the third period, when new addition Trevor Toyne took a cross-crease pass from Luke Wilfley and shot into the open net.
In overtime, Kelowna had the puck in the Hawks’ zone. A pass from behind the goal found Tomas Poletin, who got his second of the night and gave his team a 3-2 overtime win. Cruz, making his second straight start, faced a 37-19 shot onslaught by the Rockets as both teams struggled on the man advantage. Portland went 0-for-3, while Kelowna went 0-for-5.
The Hawks, now at home, will head back to Kelowna for a Wednesday game, followed by Friday and Saturday games in Spokane. Portland still lists Max Psenicka as out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. An interesting note is that #46 Finn Spehar isn’t listed on the roster and hasn’t been for quite some time. There is no listing of an injury or deletion on any transaction record.
It turns out that he is currently in the USHL with the Fargo Force as #19. He is listed as not being on the active Portland Winterhawks roster. It’s unusual not to list these things in the transaction records. It may have been an oversight, but whatever the reason, he is currently there.
Over half the teams have yet to play more than 10 games, while a few have played as many as 12 owing to their geographic locations. Things will start to balance out in the coming weeks. The top teams thus far are Spokane in the West and Brandon in the East, though Spokane has the better percentage with fewer losses. The bottom teams in the West, Wenatchee, Seattle, and Prince George, join the Prince Albert Raiders with the lowest point totals at seven.
The OHL sees the Memorial Cup host Guelph Storm leading the way with two losses after 11 games. Sudbury, who we’ll keep an eye on all year long with the 17-pick trade for a player, is 7-2-0-1 atop its division. The lowly teams in the OHL are the Barrie Colts with three points after 11 games, the Brampton Steelheads with four points following 10 games, and the Owen Sound Attack with six points in 11 games.
The QMJHL sees the Val-d’Or Foreurs at an impressive 10-1-1 in their division, with the Newfoundland Regiment at 9-3 leading theirs. The Baie-Comeau Drakkar finally got a win via a 4-3 shootout victory over the Sherbrooke Phoenix, giving them a 1-9-0-1 record for three points, seven back of the second-to-last-place team, which sports a near .500 record.
At least they aren’t winless anymore, as they were the only team in the entire 60-team Canadian Hockey League without a win.
Be the first to comment