The Portland Wintterhawks may have looked to strategy when they slid to third overall in the Western Conference and saw a match with Everett Silvertips.
The Tips came into Portland having a poor record against the Hawks this season.
The Hawks saw Everett get the first goal which appeared to be the puck bouncing off the post following a Tips shot and onto Austin Roest’s tape for the tap-in to lead 1-0. The Hawks got that back just over a minute later, with Robbie Fromm-Delorme cleaning up some grunt work by James Stefan at the side of the goal and gobbling up a rebound to tie the game.
In the second period, Marcus Nguyen scored on the powerplay after Gabe Klassen’s shot was initially stopped. Still, the rebound found Nguyen, who buried its opposite corner to lead the Hawks to 2-1 at the end of two.
A shot from the point appeared to be initially stopped by Jan Spunar, but Everett’s Jackson Berezowski finished the play to tie the game.
The Hawks then scored twice with Marcus Nugyen’s second of the night and from almost the same spot as the first. Portland’s James Stefan pulled the Hawks further ahead with a tap down of a shot by Marek Alscher. At first, the goal was reviewed but given to Stefan for a 4-2 lead. Austin Roest got his second of the evening when Spunar tried to play the puck behind the net. Getting tangled with an Everett player, he shot it straight out and a gift goal to Roest.
Portland shot past the buzzer into the open net but was not credited, but Portland won 4-3 to lead the series 1-0
The next night, Portland had several opportunities denied, but finally, Marcus Nguyen was able to put Portland on the board from the opposite side of the ice from the previous night. as he roofs it past Tyler Palmer. Nguyen would do it again as he found himself in front of Tyler Palmer, redirected the shot into the cage, and gave Portland a 2-0 lead at the end of one.
Portland’s Jack O’Brien scored on the right side of Palmer following a no-look pass from Robbie Fromm-Delorme on the other side of the net. The powerplay goal extended the lead to three.
Jack O’Brien capped off the night with an empty net goal from against the boards in his own zone to give Spunar the shutout and the Hawks a 4-0 win, plus taking a 2-0 series lead as the matchup now heads to Everett for an unusual Monday game. That will be followed by game four on Friday. Should game five be needed, it would be Saturday, April 8, at the VMC.
Jan Spunar has started the first two games for the Hawks, and as he is set to be the top netminder for the team next year, it only stands to reason to get him as much seasoning as possible during the playoffs.
Onto the other brackets, Seattle Thunderbirds took a pair 3-2 and 4-1 from Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers with a shellacking of Vancouver Giants with a couple of solid wins 8-0 and 6-1.
Prince George Cougars and Tri-City Americans are tied at 1. The 6-4 loss to Tri-City is a troublesome one for the Cougars after an initial tying goal at 5 was disallowed when the Tri-City net came off the moorings. PG felt the goaltender had purposely knocked the net off in a flurry and then saw TC with an empty net goal of their own. PG won the next night 2-1 in overtime.
To the East, where Winnipeg Ice lead 2-0 in their series against Medicine Hat Tigers, Moose Jaw Warriors, with a 2-1 win in double overtime followed by a 5-1 win, lead their series vs. Lethbridge Hurricanes 2-0. Regina puts up 12 in two nights vs. Saskatoon Blades first, a 6-1 drubbing and a 6-5 overtime win with Connor Bedard leading the way for the Pats. Calgary Hitmen and Red Deer Rebels split their two games in Red Deer, 3-0 for Red Deer and 2-1 in overtime for Calgary. They will face off Monday for game 3.
Portland has put Hudson Darby and Aiden Sotas on their active roster for the duration of the playoffs. Darby played seven games during the season, Sotas, 20 games, and both with added playoff experience as they went along.
Portland also signed Luke Mayhre to a standard WHL contract. Mayher, a member of Team Rattie during the Memorial Cup, is another lynchpin in the future of the team.
The Hawks will select slot 17 for the first round and #39 for the US Prospects on May 10 and 17th in the WHL Draft being held on May 11. Players not drafted in the first two rounds of the US Prospects are eligible for the WHL Draft the following day or listed after that.
The Saginaw Spirit will host the 2024 Memorial Cup. The announcement is special because the Memorial Cup will travel south of the border to be contested. That hasn’t happened since 1998 in Spokane, where the Portland Winterhawks scored their second Memorial Cup and the last time a US City has hosted.
The centerpiece of the cup is another phenom named Michael Misa, who has been a beaming light for the Spirit this season. Misa will be a major part of the team next season but is already making waves this season.
Will this mean a US city will vie for the WHL in 2026? Time will tell, but certainly, the eyes will watch this one closely next year to see if it is possible.
Many suggest Seattle could host it if the games were played at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, home of the Kraken.
