The Portland Winterhawks headed into the weekend to face their Achilles’ heel so far this season. They faced the Spokane Chiefs in back-to-back games, hoping the preseason wasn’t a sign of what’s to come.
Game one showed emotion from the team, but also major defensive breakdowns. The first period was OK for the Hawks, but they gave up a goal just under five minutes in and trailed 1-0 at the end of the period. Spokane scored in the second on the man advantage midway through the game and again near the end of the period. Coming back from 3-0 isn’t easy, but it’s possible. The Chiefs had other plans.
Three goals from the Chiefs with just a few minutes on the clock made fans see a shutout, and an ugly one at that, on the horizon. However, with just over two minutes left in the third, Alessandro Domenichelli finally solved the otherwise perfect Carter Esler to get the Hawks on the board, but no closer, as the Hawks fell 6-1. A common number in the preseason versus the Chiefs, and not something you want to see at home. Spokane outshot Portland 41-27 and went 1-for-4 on the power play versus 0-for-5 for the Hawks, with Ondrej Stebetak in net for the Chiefs’ markers.
Night two saw the boys battle again. Stebetak, looking to even the score from the previous night, faced a newcomer to the WHL for Spokane in Bryce Francisco.
The Hawks and Chiefs traded good looks on net early, but Spokane took the lead late in the first period on the power play with a Brody Gillespie goal. David Hoy, who returned from NHL camp, grabbed a pass bounced off the boards by Steve Grumley and found himself all alone. A wrist shot from the left faceoff dot tied the game. Four minutes later, Gillespie had his second of the night after scooping the puck up from just outside the blue line and, similar to Hoy, firing from near the Hawks’ left faceoff dot and past Stebetak for the 2-1 lead at the end of two.
After a couple of great stops at both ends, Chase Harrington whisked the puck up from his zone and roofed it over Stebetak’s outstretched glove for the 3-1 win. The Hawks outshot the Chiefs 30-29, and Spokane again led on the power play, going 1-for-3 against the 0-for-5 Hawks. Overall, the Hawks were much more composed as a team. Max Psenicka went down early and did not play the rest of the contest. In postgame interviews, coach Kyle Gustafson said Psenicka may not be on the shelf long. However, the Hawks dressed only six defensemen, so it was a long night for the other five.
The long homestand ends Friday as Portland hosts Wenatchee before six on the road. Kamloops, Penticton, and a weird setup with two games against the Kelowna Rockets, with a few days between contests, followed by a pair back-to-back in Spokane versus the Chiefs. The Hawks will have a single early game on Halloween, starting at 3 p.m.
Spokane continued its winning ways, becoming the only unbeaten team in the WHL at 5-0 after its win in Everett. Tri-City is the only WHL team remaining without a win, but has a point via the shootout. They are one of two teams still in single digits for goals for, with Wenatchee being the other.
The OHL still has the Sudbury Wolves as the only unbeaten team at 5-0, but the Brantford Bulldogs have the most wins with a 7-1 record. The Brampton Steelheads have just two points in seven games, earning them in overtime and shootout losses.
In the QMJHL, Rimouski has played seven games, going 5-1-1-0 and leading two other teams by a point in the Eastern Conference, while two teams sit atop the Western Conference early in the season. Baie-Comeau Drakkar remains winless in six games, having scored just 12 goals and allowed 31. However, two teams have allowed more goals against so far.
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