The Portland Winterhawks’ otherwise excellent road trip comes to a tragic finish as they lose 10-1 against the Swift Current Broncos.
According to a cursory review of the past, the Winterhawks’ most recent 9-goal loss occurred on February 9, 2007, versus the Prince George Cougars. Additionally, it appears to be the worst loss since the Winterhawks’ 11-1 defeat at Kamloops on September 23, 1994, the opening game of 1994–95, which is frequently seen as a pivotal occasion for some of the team’s core members and the 1998 Memorial Cup winners. (I hope I didn’t overlook a loss in the Winterhawks media guide; thanks to it).
Anyone would have made the journey to the Eastern Division 4-2, which they complete.
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Game preview
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Game thread with game updates and postgame reaction.
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The off day forum
Scoring summary
| 1st 4:28 SC Sawyer Dingman (Marek Ro k, Rylan Gould) 0-1 |
| 1st 16:54 SC Luke Mistelbacher (Clarke Caswell, Jace McFaul) 0-2 |
| 1st 17:47 SC Hunter Mayo (Carlin Dezainde, Trae Wilke) 0-3 |
| 2nd 1:16 SC Luke Mistelbacher (Clarke Caswell, Brady Birnie) 0-4 |
| 2nd 3:06 SC Rylan Gould (Trae Wilke) 0-5 |
| 2nd 4:08 SC (PP) Brady Birnie (Luke Mistelbacher, Clarke Caswell) 0-6 |
| 2nd 6:46 SC (PP) Carlin Dezainde (Jaxen Gauchier, Trae Wilke) 0-7 |
| 3rd 3:33 SC Kurt Rookes (Clarke Caswell, Sawyer Dingman) 0-8 |
| 3rd 13:00 POR (PP) Josh Zakreski (Kyle Chyzowski, Tyson Jugnauth) 1-8 |
| 3rd 15:36 SC Jaxen Gauchier (Daxon Yerex, Connor Gabriel) 1-9 |
| 3rd 18:12 SC Rylan Gould (Parker Rondeau, Jaxen Gauchier) 1-10 |
| Portland leads by 2+ | 0:00 |
| Portland leads by 1 | 0:00 |
| Tied | 4:28 |
| Portland trails by 1 | 12:26 |
| Portland trails by 2+ | 43:06 |
Narratives
Pregame: The Winterhawks were playing in what is frequently a team’s weakest game—the last game of the tour. However, Swift Current faced some special difficulties of their own: they had suffered a significant defeat to the Prince Albert Raiders the previous evening, and they were in the middle of a three-in-three, so they would need to conserve their energy for Sunday. Additionally, their nighttime journey took four hours, but the Winterhawks’ trip from Moose Jaw took only one hour.
All Swift Current during the first period. They scored three goals and outshot Portland 14-5. The Winterhawks went eight minutes without making a shot.
Second period: The Broncos were ahead 7-0 before the game was 27 minutes old. Garbage time for the remainder. which, although it brought Portland closer in the shots, was that.
Third period: Portland broke the shutout with more garbage time, bringing the shots even closer. However, in the final five minutes, the Broncos blew the score out even farther.
How the Broncos won: 1) They scored 10 goals on 38 shots. You could only blame the goalie for two or three of them; Swift Current generated the remaining good chances.
2) Fifteen of the eighteen Broncos have at least one point.
Crucial stretch/moment: Late in the first half, two goals in 53 seconds made it 3-0. That put the game on track, even though Portland was losing the game at that moment.
Unexpectedly, Portland had six shots on goal (outshot 24-6) at one time, while the Broncos were 7-0. That would have been a greater surprise, but Portland did recover in the shots from there and went close to the Broncos.
Not surprisingly, the Winterhawks get a goalie hooked for the fourth time in ten games. Following Swift Current’s sixth goal, Ondrej t bet k departed.
Despite being a controversial game, there were none.
Yes, the best squad prevailed.
No suspensions or injuries.
The players
| Top 10 | Stat line | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Trae Wilke | SC | 3 assists | Probably got first star because he was a newcomer, coming over from Red Deer, but oh well. The first 3-point game of his career. |
| Clarke Caswell | SC | 4 assists | A huge game for the captain. |
| Luke Mistelbacher | SC | 2 goals, 1 assist | A huge game for the leading scorer. 3-game point streak. |
| Marek Ro k | SC | 1 assist | A +5 game. |
| Reid Dyck | SC | 34 saves-35 shots | Portland got decent quality for their 35 shots once they got shots, but he was on his game. Will he start a 3rd game in 3 nights on Sunday? |
| Rylan Gould | SC | 2 goals, 1 assist | 3-game point streak. |
| Jaxen Gauchier | SC | 1 goal, 2 assists | First multi-point game of his career. |
| Hunter Mayo | SC | 1 goal | +4 and a goal. 3-game point streak. |
| Brady Birnie | SC | 1 goal, 1 assist | |
| Sawyer Dingman | SC | 1 goal, 1 assist | Opened the scoring. |
| Other notables | Stat line | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Marek Schlenker | POR | 15 saves-20 shots | Neither goalie had much help, but he probably had a tougher game than t bet k. |
| Tyson Jugnauth | POR | 1 assist | 8-game point streak. Portland s best player. |
| Ondrej t bet k | POR | 13 saves-18 shots | A struggling month of January. |
| Kyle Chyzowski | POR | 1 assist | 6-game point streak. Was -5. |
| Alex Weiermair | POR | 5-game point streak snapped. |
Postgame
| Winterhawks | Broncos | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 25-16-2-1 (.602) |
21-18-1-1 (.537) |
| Goals/game | 4.0 |
3.8 |
| Goals allowed/game | 4.0 |
3.7 |
| Team shooting % | .114 |
.120 |
| Team save % | .882 |
.887 |
| Power play | 26.2% |
26.0% |
| Penalty kill | 77.6% |
75.9% |
| Power plays for/game |
4.2 |
3.7 |
| Power plays against/game |
3.8 |
3.2 |
| Outshooting opponents | 19-23-2 |
15-25-1 |
| After 1 period | 13-19-12 |
14-17-10 |
| After 2 periods | 16-22-6 |
19-15-7 |
| Score, last 10 games | 44-48 (-4) |
36-33 (+3) |
| Score, last 20 games | 86-83 (+3) |
71-78 (-7) |
The Portland Winterhawks
This most likely won’t be a turning point for a squad that wins the Memorial Cup.
They have to flush one. Many of their numbers, which have been gradually increasing over the last few months, will be destroyed. However, the trip was enjoyable. Additionally, they remain ahead of the Prince George Cougars in the league, tied for fourth place.
The Broncos’ Swift Current
A fantastic outcome in a challenging situation. When they return to the road on Sunday, they will seek to support it against Saskatoon, the division leader but weakest team.
Next games
Tri-City on Friday, January 24, at 7 p.m. PST
Wenatchee, Saturday, 1/25, 6 p.m. PST
Considering the future:Medicine Hat on Friday, 1/31, 7 p.m. PST
Swift Current’s next game: Perhaps even in Portland next season.
