Portland defeats Spokane 5-2 after two goals in 26 seconds in the second period give them the lead. Rookie Jordan Duguay scores his first two goals of the game.
Portland defeats the team with the second-best record two nights after losing to Everett, the team with the second-best record in the Western Hockey League. However, without Berkly Catton, who recently concluded his World Junior competition, Spokane is far from the league’s second-best club.
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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
| 2nd 5:38 POR Jordan Duguay (Alex Weiermair, Kyle Chyzowski) 1-0 |
| 2nd 8:10 SPO Cameron Parr (Shea Van Olm, Hayden Paupanekis) 1-1 |
| 2nd 9:18 POR Jordan Duguay (Alex Weiermair, Kyle Chyzowski) 2-1 |
| 2nd 9:44 POR Joel Plante (Kayd Ruedig, Diego Buttazzoni) 3-1 |
| 3rd 6:56 POR Kyle Chyzowski (Jordan Duguay, Carter Sotheran) 4-1 |
| 3rd 8:35 POR Diego Buttazzoni (Josh Zakreski, Joel Plante) 5-1 |
| 3rd 12:04 SPO (PP) Smyth Rebman (Rasmus Ekstr m, Brayden Crampton) 5-2 |
| Portland leads by 2+ | 30:16 |
| Portland leads by 1 | 2:58 |
| Tied | 26:46 |
| Portland trails by 1 | 0:00 |
| Portland trails by 2+ | 0:00 |
Narratives
Pregame: The Coliseum will host Portland and Spokane in 2025. In the middle of a 4-in-5 run, Portland starts a 3-in-3. Just as Tyson Yaremko leaves the lineup due to an ailment that should not keep him out of 17 games, Ryan Miller returns to the lineup after missing 17. After 20 minutes on Tuesday, Ondrej T. Bet K. returns to goal after becoming hooked.
Portland had six shots on a rapid power play in the first period, but they were unfortunate not to score. It was a game of spurts after that, with Portland having more and marginally superior ones. Dawson Cowan had several rebound problems despite stopping 16 shots. On the rush, winterhawks appeared to be dangerous.
Second period: Portland scored three goals on really good finishes with no rebounds, two of which were scored by Jordan Duguay and one by Joel Plante, who scored his first WHL goal, in a game that had many rebounds that didn’t find sticks. Spokane put up a strong fight after Portland made it 3-1, but I bet K played well in the final ten minutes, making a number of crucial stops.
Third Period: An odd time. It appeared that Portland’s 4-1 advantage would be sufficient. After that, the game was unclear for a few minutes due to the two controversial goals we had—one for each team. In the last minutes, Spokane applied some pressure, but they were unable to go any closer, and Portland won.
How it was won: 1) Goaltending or finishing, depending on your point of view. Only two (or one) of the many rebounds that both goalies gave up in the game ended up as goals, and Portland’s strong finishing was what earned them the victory. Ondrej Stebetak, meanwhile, produced a number of excellent stops. Like Cowan, he struggled with rebounding, but it didn’t bother him enough. It takes precedence to stop shootings.
2) Related: Portland’s top line had a fantastic game after adding Jordan Duguay to Kyle Chyzowski and Alex Weiermair. They scored three goals and, with a few more bounces, could have scored six or more.
Important stretch/moment: Portland scores two goals in 28 seconds to take a 3-1 lead, one minute after Spokane knotted the score.
It ended 37-37, which is remarkable for any tie-in shots. Portland is also winning the game despite losing the special teams. In connection with that surprise, Portland prevailed despite Tyson Jugnauth, their power play specialist, losing his 10-game point streak.
Not shocking: Nothing is really noteworthy.
Controversies: The third period saw two controversial goals. Brayden Crampton had to leave the ice when Tyson Jugnauth high-sticked him, giving Portland a 4-1 lead. Diego Buttazzoni scored with the extra man, but the high stick was not called. After what seemed like an eternity of deliberation, the officials went to the replay booth and decided that the goal did count, although Jugnauth received a 4-minute double minor for high sticking. If their interpretation of the rule is correct, then it must be changed because it is the only possible conclusion. Giving the goal instead of calling the high stick is not an option, particularly if the high stick directly led to the goal. It must be repaired.
Smyth Rebman may have pushed the puck over the line with his pad, but Spokane scored a goal with Portland ahead 5-1. This one was also issued after yet another protracted delay.
Best team won? Spokane may have won with a few bounces. However, Portland could have blasted them away as well with a few bounces.
No suspensions or injuries.
The players
| Top 10 | Stat line | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Duguay | POR | 2 goals, 1 assist | With Yaremko going out, they moved him to the top line, and he had a breakout game. It s his first 2-goal game and his first 3-point game. He broke a 13-game goalless streak; he had only 3 points in those 13 games, which he matched in this one. |
| Kyle Chyzowski | POR | 1 goal, 2 assists | With some bounces he could have had a hat trick. With all the other teams off, his 3-point games moves him up to 2nd in the league in scoring. 6-game point streak. |
| Ondrej t bet k | POR | 35 saves-37 shots | With the rebounds he gave up, he could have given up 5 or 6 goals, but Spokane didn t get to the rebounds like Everett did. We he did very well was stop shots. Especially in the last half of the 2nd period. |
| Alex Weiermair | POR | 2 assists | Bounced back from a poor game on Tuesday. |
| Joel Plante | POR | 1 goal, 1 assist | First WHL goal. |
| Shea Van Olm | SPO | 1 assist | 8 shots, t bet k got him good a couple of times. |
| Brayden Crampton | SPO | 1 assist | |
| Diego Buttazzoni | POR | 1 goal, 1 assist | 11-game point streak. |
| Kayd Ruedig | POR | 1 assist | |
| Cameron Parr | SPO | 1 goal |
| Other notables | Stat line | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dawson Cowan | SPO | 32 saves-37 shots | Had a good 1st period, then victimized by three good finishes in the 2nd. Also had rebound control issues. |
| Sam Oremba | SPO | 3-game point streak snapped. | |
| Kyle McDonough | POR | 3-game point streak snapped. | |
| Josh Zakreski | POR | 1 assist | 3-game point streak. |
| Tyson Jugnauth | POR | 10-game point streak snapped. | |
| Chase Harrington | SPO | 3-game point streak snapped. |
Postgame
| Portland | Spokane | |
|---|---|---|
| Record |
21-13-2 (.611) |
24-13 (.649) |
| Goals/game |
3.9 |
3.7 |
| Goals allowed/game |
3.9 |
3.1 |
| Team shooting % |
.114 |
.108 |
| Team save % |
.890 |
.899 |
| Power play | 27.2% |
29.1% |
| Penalty kill | 79.1% |
82.6% |
| Power plays for/game | 4.2 | 3.6 |
| Power plays against/game |
3.7 |
3.9 |
| Outshooting opponents | 13-21-2 | 22-12-3 |
| After 1 period | 10-14-12 | 14-10-13 |
| After 2 periods |
14-17-5 |
22-9-6 |
| Score, last 10 games |
45-32 (+13) |
32-27 (+5) |
| Score, last 20 games | 88-72 (+16) | 78-59 (+19) |
Portland
They tie for fourth place in the league and surpass Victoria for fourth place in the conference. There will be a difficult battle with a faltering Tri-City.
Spokane
Catton will return sooner than anticipated after Team Canada’s setback, most likely against Everett the following week. They have an excellent chance of getting back on the winning track right away because they have two home games against Kamloops after their Friday off.
Next games
Tri-City, Friday, 1/3, 7 p.m. PST
1/4 vs. Wenatchee on Saturday at 6 p.m. PST
Brandon next Friday, January 10, at 5:00 p.m. PST (7 p.m. CST)
Looking ahead: Swift Current on Saturday, January 18, at 5:00 p.m. PST (7 p.m. CST)
The next game against Spokane is scheduled for Sunday, 2/23, at 4 p.m. PST.
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