Game Day Hub: December 1
Prince George Cougars at Portland Winterhawks
BUY TICKETS NOW
The Prince George Cougars come to town to open the month of December as the Winterhawks continue their lengthy homestand.
Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. PT
Venue: Veterans Memorial Coliseum – Portland, OR
Previous meetings In 2019-20: Portland Went 4-0-0-0 Against the Cougars
- Prince George 1 @ Portland 4 (Dec 8 2019)
- Prince George 0 @ Portland 3 (Dec 7 2019)
- Portland 5 @ Prince George 4 (Dec 4 2019) OT
- Portland 3 @ Prince George 0 (Dec 3 2019)
Listen Live: Winterhawks Radio Network and on the Winterhawks App. Fans can listen live in the arena on 87.9 FM.
Watch Live: WHL Live on CHL TV
Game Notes: Winterhawks Game Notes
Upcoming Promotional Games:
Saturday, Dec. 4 – FOX 12 / Les Schwab Toy Drive – BUY TICKETS
Saturday, Dec. 11 – Teddy Bear Toss – BUY TICKETS
Tuesday, Dec. 14 – SantaCon – BUY TICKETS
Friday, Dec. 31 – New Year’s Eve – BUY TICKETS
FOLLOW ALONG: Box Score
Long Time, No See
As is the case with many U.S./Canadian matchup around the WHL right now, tonight’s tilt is the first between Portland and Prince George in two years. As the Hawks get ready to welcome a Canadian opponent for a fifth straight game, let’s look at another set of new faces in the VMC.
The Cougars, currently fourth in the B.C. Division, arrive in the Rose City on a bit of a skid, having lost two consecutive games and eight of their last 10. Rookie forward Riley Heidt leads the team with four goals and nine assists for 13 points in 17 games this year, with fellow forward Craig Armstrong and rookie defenseman Hudson Thornton following with 12 points apiece. Between the pipes, both Taylor Gauthier and Tyler Brennan have been steady this season in an almost-even split, with Brennan posting a .907 save percentage in 11 starts and Gauthier boasting a .906 in nine starts.
Call in the Captains
Yesterday, the Winterhawks formally announced the roster’s leadership structure for the rest of the year. Defenseman Clay Hanus and forward Tyson Kozak were named co-captains, with Jonas Brøndberg, Jaydon Dureau, Robbie Fromm-Delorme, Cross Hanas, Kurtis Smythe and Gabe Klassen being named assistant captains.
Hanus and Kozak become the 46th and 47th captains in team history, joining the likes of former captains Brent Peterson, Adam Deadmarsh, Brenden Morrow, and Paul Gaustad as well as recent captains Nick Cicek, Johnny Ludvig, Cody Glass, Keoni Texiera, and Nic Petan. The two take over the captaincy position from Cicek, who was with the Winterhawks for three seasons and is now playing for the San Jose Barracuda in the American Hockey League.
Read more about the captaincy announcement here.
Soaring Hawks
Speaking of Tyson Kozak, he and teammate Jaydon Dureau have found more luck in the offensive zone lately and displayed some impressive chemistry on Friday as they teamed up for a highlight-reel tally in the first period against Kamloops. Both skaters are riding four-game point streaks and continue to carry the offensive load alongside leading scorer Cross Hanas, forward James Stefan and forward Gabe Klassen, who recently posted a seven-game point streak, the longest of any Portland player this year.
Defenseman Luca Cagnoni has recently upped the ante in the attacking zone as well, with six points in his last five games and 11 points in 18 games on the year. He and Clay Hanus pace the Hawks’ blueliners offensively this season, and enter tonight’s tilt ranked sixth and fourth in team scoring, respectively.
FASTER ROSE QUARTER MOBILE CHECK-IN
WIN A TOYOTA:
Back for another season, fans 18+ who reside in Oregon or Southwest Washington can ENTER TO WIN a brand new Toyota car, truck, or SUV.
Each game this season, one lucky fan will have their entry drawn and they will have a chance to win our grand prize if they get all five game predictions correct.
Tonight, we are cheering on: Jason C. from Kelso, WA
What our Hawks fan could win: A brand new 2021 Rav4 Hybrid
What needs to happen?
- Portland Winterhawks (5) beat the Prince George Cougars (4)
- Ryan McCleary scores the first Winterhawks goal.
- Portland goaltenders make 28 total saves.
- Prince George goaltenders make 33 total saves.
Good luck tonight, Jason!
Think you know the Winterhawks best and can win a Toyota? Click here to enter today!
PROJECTED LINEUPS:
Portland
Aidan Litke – Jack O’Brien – Robbie Fromm-Delorme
Cross Hanas – Gabe Klassen – James Stefan
Jaydon Dureau – Tyson Kozak – Dawson Pasternak
Luke Schelter – Kyle Chyzowski – Marcus Nguyen
Marek Alscher – Jonas Brøndberg
Clay Hanus – Ryder Thompson
Kurtis Smythe – Ryan McCleary
Lochlan Gordon
Dante Giannuzzi
Scratches: Josh Mori, Jonah Bevington, and Luca Cagnoni (?)
Prince George
Fischer O’Brien – Connor Bowie – Caden Brown
Craig Armstrong – Koehn Ziemmer
Jonny Hooker – Kyren Gronick – Liekit Reichle
Carter MacAdams – Zackary Shantz – Aiden Reeves
Hudson Thornton – Ethan Sampson
Keaton Dowhaniuk – Viliam Kmec
Jaren Brinson – Aidan Brook
Tyler Brennan
Taylor Gauthier
Scratches: Ryker Singer, Mitch Kohner, Riley Heidt, (Bauer Dumanski or Blake Eastman?)
