The past two weeks for the Portland Winterhawks have been a tale of two very different stretches.
The first week was a grind. Portland was once again snakebitten by the Wenatchee Wild, falling 3–2 in overtime. Less than 24 hours later, the Hawks traveled to Penticton to face a Vees team sitting comfortably atop the BC Division standings. Portland battled early, skating to a 1–1 tie after the first period, but Penticton pulled away with two goals in the second and two more in the third. The Hawks showed some fight late, scoring twice in the third after falling behind 4–0, but an empty-net goal sealed a 5–3 loss, with Portland adding a final tally with 50 seconds remaining.
Things turned sharply in the opposite direction during the next stop in Kelowna against the Memorial Cup–host Rockets. The Hawks struck first on a Ryan Miller goal off a beautiful feed from Alex Weiermair behind the net. Just 15 seconds into the second period, Will McLaughlin blasted a puck through traffic from the blue line to give Portland a 2–0 lead. Kelowna responded with two goals in the second, including one from Tij Iginla. In the third, Ty Haliburda — recently acquired from Vancouver at the trade deadline — scored, followed by Iginla’s second of the night. Portland refused to fold, tying the game less than a minute later on a blast from Weiermair to force overtime.
After a massive save by Ondrej Štěbeták, Sam Spehar broke free on a mini breakaway and roofed the puck to complete a thrilling 4–3 overtime win. Kelowna held a 45–25 shot advantage, and neither team converted on the power play (Portland 0-for-2, Kelowna 0-for-3).
Back in the U.S., the Hawks traveled south to face I-5 rival Seattle at the accesso ShoWare Center and delivered a statement win. Seven different Portland skaters found the scoresheet, silencing the Seattle crowd. Luke Wilfley and Max Psenicka scored the only goals of the first period.
Seattle pulled within one midway through the second, but the Hawks erupted. Nathan Free scored on the power play just 30 seconds later, Ben Miller followed 16 seconds after that at even strength, and Carsyn Dyck added another goal 15 seconds later, chasing starter Marek Šklenička in favor of Grayson Malinoski. Seattle responded with two goals of its own, but Ryan Miller struck shorthanded late in the period to give Portland a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Reed Brown capped the scoring early in the third, and despite being outshot 36–28 — including a 22-shot second period — Portland skated away with a 7–3 win. The Hawks went 1-for-3 on the power play and killed all seven Seattle man-advantage opportunities.
The two teams met again the following night in Portland, with Seattle looking for revenge. The visitors opened the scoring 1:30 into the game and carried the 1–0 lead through the first period. Jordan Duguay answered just 26 seconds into the second, but Seattle reclaimed the lead six minutes later and took a 2–1 advantage into the third. Ryan Miller tied the game at 4:44, sending it to overtime, where Alex Weiermair wasted little time, scoring his 27th of the season less than a minute into the extra frame on a power play carried over from regulation.
Seattle again outshot Portland, 43–39, but the Hawks converted once on seven power-play chances, while Seattle was held scoreless on the man advantage for the second straight night.
The Hawks now face a three-game week, beginning with a rare Thursday home game against Victoria, followed by a Friday matchup with Spokane and a return trip to Seattle. Portland currently holds seventh place in the conference, tied with Tri-City but having played two more games. Victoria and Spokane remain close behind, while Seattle sits nine points back of the final playoff spot.
Be the first to comment