The Portland Winterhawks played a midweek game against the Prince George Cougars and picked a solid 6-2 win.
It didn’t start well, though, for the Hawks, who outshot the Cougars 59-15. The Cougars snagged a pair of goals within the first eight and a half minutes. The Cougars almost went up by three, but a video review saw that goal as offside.
The Hawks then took control. Two goals in three and a half minutes after the offside wipeout of the Cougars’ third goal, the Hawks took over with solid momentum. Luke Schelter and Dawson Pasternak put the Hawks on an even keel with the Cougars as the first period ended at 2-2
The Hawks scored a late second period goal by Tyson Kozak, giving the Portland boys their first lead.
In the third period, Portland pounded the Cougars with 21 shots to the Cougars three and added goals by Kozak and a pair by Jaydon Dureau. The last one resulted from a penalty shot awarded after he was hauled down while making a shot. The goal gave the Hawks the 6-2 win and caused some stirring up at the end of the game, but only 20 minutes in penalties were handed out. Neither Portland nor Prince George scored on the powerplay, with Portland blanked on three tries, Prince George with their single chance.
The Winterhawks announced their captains with 20-year-old Clay Hanus wearing the C when the Hawks wear Red or Black jerseys and 18-year-old Tyson Kozak getting the nod when the Hawks were white. Assistant Captains will also be divided, with Jonas Brøndberg, Robbie Fromm-Delorme, Jaydon Dureau, Cross Hanas, Gabe Klassen, and Kurtis Smythe being their six alternate captains for the 2021-22 season and will alternate duties for home and away games.
For Dureau, this is his second season as an alternate captain with the Winterhawks. After returning to the squad after a short ATO stint with the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL, Dureau has already picked up five goals.
This weekend will be the Les Schwab KPTV Toy Drive with fans asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate or buy one through Fred Meyer on the concourse at the game. Toys will be given to local area children and other charitable causes. Last year the Hawks fans donated over 3,000 toys to charity at the game.
The following week, the Teddy Bear Toss hots Portland as they face the Spokane Chiefs. When the Hawks get their first goal of the game, the fur will fly on the ice and again be given to many different charities. Last year the Hawks fans sent almost 11 thousand furry friends to the ice, and one year saw over 22 thousand plush items hit the ice; it will be amazing to see how it looks on TV with the bears and other plush flying down on Saturday, December 11.
Games for Saturday’s tilt with Victoria and the December 11 battle with Spokane will start at 6 pm.
The CHL released its top ten rankings as selected by the media and coaches of the CHL. Four WHL teams solidly control the top spots of the poll. Winnipeg ICE, who have lost just once in regulation, control the poll, followed by the Kamloops Blazers, Everett Silvertips, and Edmonton Oil Kings. Three teams from the Ontario Hockey League made the poll, with London Knights at 5th, North Bay Battalion at 8th, and the Hamilton Bulldogs rounding out the top 10. The Quebec Major Hockey League is represented by the Charlottetown Islanders in 6th and Gatineau in 7th spot. The QMJHL sees the Sherbrooke Phoenix in the 9th spot.
