Game Day Hub: March 16 at Wenatchee
Portland Winterhawks at Wenatchee Wild
Fresh off a stunning third 11-1 victory of the year, the Hawks hit the road for their final face-off in Wenatchee against the Wild.
Puck Drop: 6:00 P.M
Venue: Toyota Town Center – Wenatchee, Wash.
Uniforms: White
2023-24 Season Series: Portland is 2-2-1-0 against Wenatchee
Wenatchee 1 @ Portland 7 (Mar 9 2024) Final
Wenatchee 2 @ Portland 7 (Dec 13 2023) Final
Wenatchee 6 @ Portland 5 (Dec 2 2023) Final OT
Portland 3 @ Wenatchee 8 (Dec 1 2023) Final
Portland 5 @ Wenatchee 6 (Sep 22 2023) Final
Listen Live: Winterhawks Radio Network and on the Winterhawks App
Watch Live: WHL Live on CHL TV
Game Notes: Winterhawks Game Notes
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Upcoming Playoff Games:
Round 1, Game 1 – Friday, March 29
Round 1, Game 2 – Saturday, March 30
FOLLOW ALONG: Box Score
Climbing To The Top
With just five games remaining in Portland’s regular season, each win brings the Hawks closer to the U.S. Division crown. Now, the Winterhawks need just two points to finish that job and can become division champions for the first time since 2020 and the 15th time in team history through any of these scenarios:
- A Winterhawks win at Wenatchee OR
- An OT/SO loss at Wenatchee AND an Everett OT/SO loss at Kelowna OR
- An Everett regulation loss at Kelowna
Clinching the division will ensure a top-two seed in the Western Conference for the WHL Playoffs, guaranteeing home-ice advantage for the first two rounds of the postseason.
One Week Later
These two clubs met last Saturday at the VMC for Oregon Hockey HIstory Night, when Portland raced out to a 7-1 win over the Wild. Sitting at 2-2-1-0 in the season series, the Hawks can breach the .500 mark against every U.S. Division team with a win tonight – Wenatchee is the only club to hold the Hawks to an even split or better.
As was the case last week, the Wild are somewhat shorthanded but are coming off a rousing win over the playoff-chasing Spokane Chiefs last night. Brendan Gee was impressive between the pipes and will be keen to bounce back after his tough showing in the Rose City, while big guns Kenta Isogai, Graham Sward and Briley Wood will look to fire after their silence in the last meeting.
Milestone Mayhem
Another night, another milestone(s)! After James Stefan hit 250 career points in last night’s 11-1 romp against Tri-City, the Laguna Beach, Calif. native is set to hit 250 games in tonight’s tilt. Stefan, like O’Brien – who also hit 250 games last night – has featured heavily in Portland’s lineup since 2019, establishing himself as a premier goalscorer in the Western Hockey League. He’s currently enjoying a career year, sitting just three points shy of joining Gabe Klassen with 100 points on the year and two goals shy of 50.
That’s not the only milestone we’re celebrating as Stefan’s linemate Josh Davies hits the ice for his 200th game tonight! Davies was acquired via trade from Swift Current in the summer and has taken off since joining the Winterhawks, easily surpassing his career bests in all categories with 35 goals, 25 assists and 60 points in just 50 games played this season. Davies’ surge caught the eye of the Florida Panthers, who drafted the bruising power forward back in 2022, and he signed his first NHL contract back in December.
Congrats, James and Josh!
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