The Portland Winterhawks named their 51st captain, and like the others, it will be a one-and-done. Prior to the Kelowna game, the Hawks announced their leadership group. At the head will be Nathan Brown as captain. The alternate captains are Kyle McDonough (19), Luke Wilfley (18), Jordin Duguay (18), and Avery Laliberte (20). The alternates will play all season with the “A” on their sweaters, unlike previous seasons when the alternates switched midseason.
Three games were on tap for the Hawks as they played the other half of the road series with the Kelowna Rockets. Like the previous game, this was a defensive battle.
Jordin Duguay started things off for the Hawks as he received a great pass from the wall and was all alone in the slot to put the Hawks up. The lead was nullified just under a minute and a half later while Kelowna was on the power play. Again, a shot from the slot, this time through traffic by Jacob Henderson, tied the game at one. Chase Cruz had to leave the game briefly when his skate blade became detached, and the equipment manager was unable to repair it quickly. The nearly five-minute gap was handled by Ondrej Stebetak, and Cruz reclaimed his spot once the necessary repairs were made. Heading to the showers, the teams were tied at one. Kelowna had a shooting gallery with 18 shots in the period and only one goal to show for it.
Several top-notch saves by Chase Cruz kept the Hawks from falling behind. The lone goal in the second period came on a Hawks power play, with Trevor Toyne doing the honors as he tipped in a shot from the blue line to put the Hawks ahead. Both Chase and Kelowna’s Linden Slobocan stood on their heads during the second frame, with the Hawks outshooting Kelowna.
The third saw Kelowna tie it up as Jacob Henderson got his second of the night, sending the puck high over the glove of Cruz as the game was winding down.
The teams, unable to score during overtime, had to go to a shootout. After five players on each team had their turn, Portland was able to skate away with a 3-2 shootout win. Kelowna outshot Portland 39-34, with Kelowna going 1-for-7 on the power play and the Hawks 1-for-5.
The Hawks then headed to Spokane for the first time this season, hoping for a reversal of fortune on the scoreboard.
Ondrej Stebetak started in net for Portland, hoping to reclaim superiority against Spokane, which had lit up the netminder in previous games. Things started off rough for Portland as Spokane scored on a backhand shot through traffic.
Will McLaughlin countered three minutes later after the Hawks created mayhem in front of the Spokane net, and he was able to corral the puck and send it past a bewildered goaltender. Tied after one, Spokane was able to regain the lead by keeping the puck in the Hawks’ zone. Finally, a shot over the shoulder of Stebetak in the final quarter of the period put the Chiefs ahead.
The Hawks would have had a better chance in the third. However, Avery Laliberte was nailed for a double minor for slew-footing, five minutes for fighting (a one-man fight), and a game misconduct. The Chiefs were able to thwart any potential comeback with a very extended power play of nine minutes. Though the Hawks were able to withstand the barrage of shots, getting outshot 16-4, they could not score. The Winterhawks attempted a couple of times with the goaltender pulled, but weren’t able to close the gap, falling 2-1. The Chiefs had a commanding 40-19 shot advantage, but both teams’ special teams were stymied, as the Hawks went 0-for-5 and the Chiefs 0-for-9.
Game two with the Chiefs saw Chase Cruz get the start to see if putting someone new in net would change things. Avery Laliberte was serving a one-game suspension for the situation the night before. Spokane took until midway through the first period to solve Cruz, but the Hawks’ Alessandro Domenichelli brought Portland to life. Spokane was able to pop in two quick ones before the three-minute mark of the second, before Jake Gustafson was able to hit pay dirt on the power play just over two minutes later. With just over four minutes left in regulation, Spokane struck again, but the Hawks felt they wouldn’t be denied. Trevor Toyne scored with three and a half minutes left. Chase Cruz was pulled for the extra attacker, but to no avail, as the Chiefs retained their perfect streak against the Hawks with a 4-3 win. Portland outshot Spokane 31-25 and scored twice on the power play over five attempts, while preventing Spokane from scoring on any of its three tries.
Ozzie Ware of the Hawks has been returned to his high school for the remainder of the regular campaign, which leaves 23 players on the Hawks’ roster. No doubt some players will return at Christmas time.
Over the next two weeks, the Hawks will play games at home, twice this week and three times the following week, before they head out on the Eastern Swing. The Hawks are currently nine points behind Spokane and one point back of the resurgent Tri-City Americans. Four teams remain in single digits in points after 11 games.
The Ontario Hockey League tightened up somewhat this week, as only two teams, the Brampton Steelheads and Barrie Colts, are tied with just six points after 13 and 14 games, respectively. The Flint Firebirds, at 8-2-1-0, are the lone team with two regulation losses, as the others have three or more. The competition heats up as the teams round the quarter mark of the season. The same squads that were strong in the standings before continue to hold their positions, but they’re seeing the standings around them get just a bit tighter as the heavy workload of 11-plus games a month has kicked in.
The QMJHL sees the Val-d’Or Foreurs on an eight-game heater as they continue to set the pace in the standings. The Baie-Comeau Drakkar continue to wallow at the bottom after a home-and-home series versus Chicoutimi, where each team won a game in its respective home barn.
The Top 10 rankings currently have the Guelph Storm atop the poll, with the London Knights in second and Quebec Remparts in third. The WHL finally gets recognized as Spokane slots in at fourth. Surprisingly, Val-d’Or only gets the fifth spot, though they are 12-1. Next in order are the Ottawa 67’s, Victoria Royals, Brandon Wheat Kings, Medicine Hat Tigers, and Newfoundland Regiment.
Will there be changes made with the release of the latest rankings later this week? Val-d’Or certainly hopes so.
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