CHL TV Game of the Week presented by Kubota | 3 Reasons to Watch – Chiefs vs. Winterhawks
The CHL TV Game of the Week presented by Kubota brings a weekly free game to CHL TV throughout the 2021-22 regular season. The action continues Wednesday as the Spokane Chiefs visit the Portland Winterhawks with puck drop set for 7 p.m. Pacific.
To get you ready, here are three reasons why this WHL showdown is must-see TV:
Winterhawks’ win streak
Running 16 games in which the club has gone without a regulation loss and has collected 31 of 32 points, the Winterhawks enter Wednesday’s contest with the hot hand, having climbed to third in the WHL’s Western Conference with a 27-11-3-2 showing and 59 points. In all, the Winterhawks’ impressive 16-game stretch has included three victories against the Chiefs, bookended by a 4-1 road win on December 18 and then culminating with a 7-3 decision in their most recent outing. Interestingly enough, the club’s last regulation loss came in Spokane on December 17 in a 4-1 final. For the Winterhawks, among the club’s top performers during the stretch has been veteran right-wing Cross Hanas, a 2020 second-round selection of the Detroit Red Wings who has collected 23 points in his last 11 outings. Meanwhile, Portland is also seeing impressive support from fellow forward Tyson Kozak, a late-round selection by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2021 NHL Draft who has registered 10 goals and 12 assists over the 16-game stretch.
🎥HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT🎥
Introducing the WHL's newest tag team duo, Cross Hanas and Gabe Klassen.@pdxwinterhawks | @DetroitRedWings | #WHLHoN pic.twitter.com/hclcC3rD57
— The WHL (@TheWHL) February 5, 2022
Golden in goal
Beyond the offensive ranks, the Winterhawks are also seeing solid support in goal where overage netminder Taylor Gauthier has shined since arriving in Portland in late December. In all, Gauthier has been perfect across eight outings with the Winterhawks while coming away with an incredible 1.49 goals-against average and .951 save percentage. Notching back-to-back shutouts against Tri-City in his two most recent appearances, Gauthier now stands at more than 172 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal and, should he hold off the Chiefs for the opening 2:39 of Wednesday’s contest, he will take sole possession of the Winterhawks’ all-time mark for the longest shutout streak in minutes, previously set by Brendan Burke during the 2013-14 campaign. A Calgary native, Gauthier continues to close out his junior career in style, one where his final season now sees him leading his WHL brethren with a .933 save percentage through 22 appearances.
He posted a perfect 7-0-0-0 January record for the @pdxwinterhawks.
Taylor Gauthier has been named the WHL Goaltender of the Month!
📰 | https://t.co/zDBxY8Q4P8 pic.twitter.com/lvdW5QgPIz
— The WHL (@TheWHL) February 1, 2022
Draft day experience
If the Winterhawks are to continue their winning ways, they will have their work cut out for them in keeping Chiefs overage centre Bear Hughes off the scoresheet. A 2020 fifth-round selection of the Washington Capitals, Hughes has reached new offensive heights in his final WHL season where through 37 contests he is scoring north of a point per game in registering 14 goals and 25 assists, putting him tied for top spot in team scoring. The lone NHL drafted player on Spokane, Hughes will be sure to share that experience with his two teammates in defenceman Graham Sward and goaltender Mason Beaupit who are earmarked for selection in the 2022 NHL Draft per Central Scouting. For Beaupit, who ranks seventh among North American netminders, the Surrey, B.C., native has found the win column nine times this year, highlighted by a season-high 39-save effort coming in a 4-1 win over the Winterhawks in mid-December.
We're sure we could have come up with a wittier caption had we spent a bit more time here but you know sometimes the magic of television is letting the pictures do the talking. In summary, Bear Hughes gets Spokane on the board in this clip.@spokanechiefs | @Capitals pic.twitter.com/n2QhkoJ2vq
— The WHL (@TheWHL) January 24, 2022