The Portland Winterhawks faced a hot Spokane team bent on climbing the ladder to second and definitely securing their third spot from Tri City. Portland, which had been a solid team, wasn’t prepared for the Chiefs. Spokane was up 4 -0 before the Hawks got on the board and right after that goal, the Chiefs struck again eight minutes later as Portland then closed out the scoring. In the end, Spokane skated away with a 5-2 win and then faced a tough Everett team which they lost 3-1, but did lead at one point during the game. Portland amassed 52 shots to 35 for Spokane, but were unable to gain any traction. Spokane went 2 for 4 on the powerplay while Portland picked up 1 on 6 attempts.
Right after the Spokane game, the team rode the bus to Kelowna, BC, a drive of eight hours. The Rockets had to travel to Langley to face the Vancouver Giant, so both teams were going in tired. It showed in the play, missed passes, shooting from the perimeter and so much more. The fans were treated to a tough game. By the third and into overtime, both teams found their second wind and the goaltenders had to stay sharp during the game. Portland scored early in the first on a seemingly harmless scramble by Jake Gricius and it stayed that way until the third when Kelowna scored with less than five minutes left in regulation. Jaydon Dureau ended for the Hawks just over a minute into overtime and it gave the Hawks a 2-1 overtime win.
The next night, Kelowna was ready. Though Portland outshot the Rockets 3-19 and went 2 for 4 on the powerplay, the Rockets still got one on a pair of chances and seemed to have an answer for Portland’s attempts. Six minutes in, they scored their first and added another just over a minute later and shocked the Hawks. Josh Paterson got the lone goal of the second to make it close. A goal by Kelowna just into the third period, extended the lead with two Portland goals by Jake Gricius and a returning Brendan DeJong, both on the powerplay made the game close. However, just fifteen seconds later, the Rockets bagged another which put them ahead to stay. The Hawks had chances with the goaltender out, but were unable to score and it gave the Kelowna Rockets a regulation win which gave them some breathing room from Kamloops. Mark Liwiski from Kelowna is awaiting his fate from the disciplinary group after he delivered a rough check on Portland’s Seth Jarvis who did not move for several minutes and when taken from the ice, appeared to be in very rough shape. Jarvis did not return.Kelowna take the game 4-3.
The Hawks now have five games left at they play a pair in Prince George, who will not make the playoffs and a pair with Seattle as a home and home and one at home as they face Everett. With a couple days off, the Hawks went to the border of Alberta on some team building exercises and then will travel to Prince George for the back to back games.
Ice Chips: Prince Albert has claimed the Scotty Munro trophy for best overall season record as they collected a shutout win over Swift Current. They were displaced as the top in the CHL after a couple of big losses last week, but still remain a tough team as they get ready for the playoffs.
The current playoff structure has Portland facing Spokane, Everett versus Seattle, Vancouver vs. Tri City, and Kelowna vs. Victoria. In the East, Prince Albert will face Regina, Edmonton will tangle with Brandon, Saskatoon and Moose Jaw will battle, and Lethbridge will face Calgary. The positions may change with a few games left to go.
