Joel Hofer padded his hardware with his being announced as the WHL Goaltender of the Week. The three games from Wednesday, Friday and Sunday saw him give up 2 goals in a rout of Swift Current, a shutout as he faced Red Deer 5-0 and a shootout loss to Edmonton 2-1 as he ended the Central Swing. Hofer ended with a 0.97 goals against average in the week of games.
Hofer, with a few days was also announced as one of the goaltenders to Team WHL as they face Russia in the Super Series when the teams collide in November. The games, set for Saskatoon and Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, will take place November 13 and 14. Hofer may miss the November 15 games at home versus Spokane and other events in that timeframe as well.
The Winterhawks also announced to major appearances on October 26 and 29. The 26th will feature between two and three Hawk players at ten Toyota Dealerships from Kelso, Washington to Salem, Oregon with street hockey, enter to win for the Toyota Family of the Year and other events. The event will be one hour between 2 and 3.
Tuesday the 26th, will be a pair of Les Schwab events featuring four players at each event. John Ludvig, Cross Hanas, James Sefan and Jack O’Brien will go to 12110 NE Erin Way with Jake Gricius, Seth Jarvis, Clay Hanus and Seth Jarvis will hit the location at NE 167th and NE Division. This will be the first of three events during the season. The event will run 4:30pm to 6pm at these events.
Portland played one game this week after they returned from the Central Swing. After an overtime win over Seattle, Brandon Wheat Kings came to Portland to face the Hawks, Brandon would face Everett on Sunday in this weekend of three in three for the Kings. Portland didn’t care as they brought their “A” game to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. On a night where fans over 21 could sample independent beers and ciders, the Hawks were full to the gills with enthusiasm. Just 1:48 into the game, Seth Jarvis bagged his fourth of the year to give the Hawks an early lead. It was the other end of the first period as Simon Knak also got his fourth of the year. The second period was Hawks again as Tyson Kozak got his third of the year as the Hawks passed the midway of the period hold Brandon off the scoresheet now wending the second period. The one goal that Brandon got past Joel Hofer early in the third period was a powerplay marker, as the Hawks returned the favor twelve minutes later with the only powerplay goal of the game for the Hawks. Lane Gillis completed the game’s scoring as he notched his third of the season. Portland each scored a powerplay goal on five tries each and Portland nearly doubled the shot clock with an edge of 42-29. The Hawks also took all three stars in the game. With the win, Portland stays three points back of Everett with a game in hand and a point above Tri City as the two teams have played the same number of games.
The Canadian Hockey League released the rankings of teams. Prince Albert captured a top five placing with Edmonton moving up three spots and Medicine Hat claiming its first spot in the 2019 poll in seventh spot. Once again, Oshawa holds down the top spot with a 9-1 record. Since Portland won’t play until Wednesday against a ranked opponent in Prince Albert, chances are that the win over Brandon will not help push the Winterhawks into the poll. Here are the rankings as released this past week:
(1) Oshawa Generals, (2) Sherbrooke Phoenix, (3) Prince Albert Raiders, (4) Quebec Remparts, (5) Chicoutimi Sagueneens, (6) Edmonton Oil Kings, (7) Medicine Hat Tigers, (8) Owen Sound Attack, (9) Charlottetown Islanders, and (10) Ottawa 67’s, with honorable mention to the Kitchener Rangers, Cape Breton Eagles, and Flint Firebirds
Portland will only play at home on October 23, then hit the road for a Friday, October 25 game against Spokane. The Hawks will not play again until November 2. The schedule is still being tinkered with, but it appears that the majority of the games will be played at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Usually the schedule sees a more balanced schedule, but this year seems to be the toughest to set the games.
