Game Day Hub: February 15 at Seattle
Following last night’s road win, the Portland Winterhawks head to Kent for another installment of the I-5 Rivalry Series presented by ZoomCare.
Puck Drop: 6:05 p.m. PT
Venue: accesso ShoWare Center – Kent, Wash.
Uniforms: White
Listen Live: Winterhawks Radio Network and on the Winterhawks App
Watch Live: WHL Live on CHL TV and locally on the Portland’s CW
Game Notes: Winterhawks Game Notes
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Upcoming Promotional Games:
Monday, February 17 – Kids Day presented by Boys and Girls Club – Portland Metropolitan – BUY TICKETS
Saturday, February 22 – Art Night – BUY TICKETS
Sunday, February 23 – Mascot Night – BUY TICKETS
Last Time Out
The Portland Winterhawks won an exciting, back-and-forth game in Wenatchee last night and ultimately beat the Wild 6-5 in overtime. Kyle Chyzowski recorded his fourth four-point game (2G, 2A) of the season and Josh Zakreski netted the game-winning goal in overtime to pick up the team’s 29th win of the year. Portland scored the last three goals of the game to erase a 5-3 deficit at the second intermission, which was the sixth time the Hawks had come back to win after trailing for two periods of play. Josh Zakreski (G, A), Alex Weiermair (G, A), Tyson Jugnauth (2A), and Carter Sotheran (3A) also recorded multiple points in the road win.
Portland won the battle of special teams, going 1-for-3 on the power play and a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill.
Second to Last Road Weekend
The Winterhawks aim to continue their success on the road tonight in Seattle. The team has posted a 16-8-1-1 record on the road this year and enter the match-up on a thrilling Friday night victory. This is the second to last true road weekend where the Hawks do not play any games at home Friday, Saturday, or Sunday the rest of the regular season. The last complete road weekend will be played in Victoria, B.C. on Feb. 28 and March 1.
History of the I-5 Rivalry
The rivalry between these two teams has proven to be hard-nosed and exhilarating over the years. This season, they’ve traded a pair of wins and losses each, however the Winterhawks have owned the win column over the last five years with a record of 29-15-2-0 against the Thunderbirds. We can expect to see Seattle come out aggressive with a chip on its shoulder as the T-Birds are looking to build off a two-game win streak. This is the third time the Winterhawks will play in Seattle this season and a reminder that tonight’s game will air locally on the Portland’s CW.
Scouting Seattle
The Seattle Thunderbirds enter tonight’s contest with a 20-28-2-1 record and are coming off a 3-2 victory against the Kelowna Rockets on Tuesday night where 20-year-old skater Nathan Pilling netted the game-winner halfway through the third period. They currently sit at 8th place in the Western Conference and 5th in the U.S. division while actively battling Wenatchee for the final playoff spot.
Offensively, the Thunderbirds are driven by captain Braeden Cootes, who has tallied 48 points (21G, 27A) in 47 games this season. Cootes added two key assists when his team visited Portland last Saturday. Pilling is another point producer up top for the T-Birds, leading the team with 23 goals thus far, including game-winners.
Between the pipes, netminder Scott Ratzlaff has been sound for Seattle. He stopped 36 of 39 Portland shots on Feb. 8 and has proven to be a key factor in the team’s success. Ratzlaff has played in 35 games for the Thunderbirds, putting up a 3.55 GAA and .896 SAV%. The Winterhawks will look to take advantage of the T-Birds’ special teams that have struggled throughout the year, ranking 19th on the power play at 19.7% and 17th on the penalty kill at 74.1%. Lastly, Seattle ranks first in the league for penalty minutes, a trend Portland can take advantage of if it persists tonight.
2024-25 Season Series
The Portland Winterhawks and Seattle Thunderbirds square up tonight in the fifth of ten I-5 Rivalry regular-season matchups presented by ZoomCare. The teams are deadlocked at two wins and two losses in the series. Portland looks to grab its third win of the regular season after losing to Seattle 4-3 in Portland on Feb. 8. The previous meeting between the two rivals ended in a 5-2 victory in favor of the Hawks on Dec. 14, with Tyson Yaremko netting two goals and rookie forward Carsyn Dyck recording his first career short-handed goal.
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