The Portland Winterhawks are in the middle of a key homestand before heading to Wenatchee on November 7. The stretch includes two games against the Prince George Cougars, who opened the season against Portland when several Hawks were still away at NHL camps. With the full roster back, the team has since looked sharper, more cohesive, and their record shows it.
Halloween Dominance Against Prince George
After topping Saskatoon and falling narrowly to Victoria, Portland hosted Prince George on Halloween night — and treated fans to a 6–2 victory featuring six different goal scorers and stellar goaltending from Ondrej Stebatek.
Nathan Free opened the scoring on a power play blast from the left faceoff dot. Stebatek made several close-range stops early to hold the lead. Carter Southern added another power-play goal from the right circle, and Finn Spehar made it 3–0 with 15 seconds left in the first period off a crisp feed from behind the net.
Early in the second, Jake Gustafson extended the lead to 4–0. The Cougars fought back with two goals — one on the power play and another rebound chance — to close the gap to 4–2 heading into the third. But Portland sealed it with Reed Brown’s net-front goal and Alex Weiermair’s late deflection, chasing Cougars goalie Joshua Ravensbergen from the crease. Despite being outshot 35–34, the Hawks finished strong and went 2-for-4 on the power play.
Shootout Thriller vs. Kamloops
Next up, the Hawks faced the Kamloops Blazers — and this one was a roller coaster. Reed Brown scored early on the power play, followed by goals from Will McLaughlin and Alex Weiermair to make it 3–0 and force a Kamloops goalie change. The Blazers battled back with two goals, including one on a 2-on-1 rush, cutting the deficit to 3–2.
Sam Spehar appeared to give Portland the lead late in regulation, but his deflection was ruled a high stick. Moments later, former Hawk Kaye Reudig tied it up for Kamloops, sending the game to overtime and eventually a marathon 11-round shootout. Finally, Kyle McDonough and Spehar scored to secure a 6–5 Winterhawks win. Kamloops held a 46–31 shot advantage, but Stebatek was again the difference.
Around the WHL: Trade Season Begins
As the Winterhawks wrap their homestand against Prince George before traveling to Wenatchee, trade activity across the WHL is heating up. Swift Current appears to be stockpiling draft picks, trading Payton Kettles to Kelowna for Jackson Gillespie and five draft picks spanning 2026–2029. The Broncos also dealt Ryan Gould to Everett for Damen Vanderberg and a first-rounder in 2026.
Elsewhere, Red Deer moved goaltender Chase Wutzke — recently signed by the Minnesota Wild — to Moose Jaw for a haul of future picks. Moose Jaw then flipped goaltender Matthew Hutchison to another club for a 2028 sixth-round pick.
Kelowna, meanwhile, sits at .500 hockey and in 10th place, despite a recent two-game win streak. The question is whether giving up so many picks for one player will pay off. With the Memorial Cup in mind, more aggressive moves could follow.
CHL Snapshot
Wenatchee (7 points in 12 games) and Lethbridge (9 points in 17) round out the WHL’s lower tier. In the OHL, Brantford remains unbeaten in regulation at 12-0-2-1, ahead of Windsor and Kitchener. Over in the QMJHL, Charlottetown leads with an 11-3-1-3 mark, followed closely by Baie-Comeau and Rouyn-Noranda.
The CHL’s Top 10 rankings feature three WHL teams: Everett at No. 3, Edmonton at No. 8, and Prince Albert at No. 9. Brantford holds the top spot for the third straight week.
Be the first to comment