Know Your Foe: Portland Winterhawks Western Conference Championship Preview
The Portland Winterhawks have won eight consecutive playoff games for the first time in Club history, sweeping both the Victoria Royals and Everett Silvertips in Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2024 WHL Playoffs. Now the lone remaining unbeaten club in the postseason, the 2-seed Winterhawks are set to battle the 1-seed Prince George Cougars in the Western Conference Championship, with the winner going on to face the Eastern Conference champion for the Ed Chynoweth Cup.
The Cougars ousted Spokane 4-0 and Kelowna 4-1 through the first two rounds and arrive at the conference title-deciding series with two of the top five leading scorers in the playoffs in Riley Heidt (16 pts) and Zac Funk (15 pts). The Winterhawks are led by James Stefan (13 pts), Gabe Klassen (12 pts) and a trio of skaters with 10 points. The series opens with Games 1 and 2 in Prince George this weekend before shifting to Portland for Games 3 and 4, as well as a potential Game 5, at the VMC next Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
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Call it destiny, fate, whatever you will – the writing for this matchup has been on the wall for months. The Winterhawks and Cougars each enjoyed remarkable regular seasons as two of three WHL teams to finish with 100+ points in the standings. All but one of their four meetings during the year resulted in tense one-goal finishes as they pulled away atop the Western Conference. There’s even some recent playoff history between the clubs – the Winterhawks swept a young Cougars club in Round 1 of the 2022 postseason – and 18 total skaters from that series are set to face off in this year’s edition.
All signs point to a fantastic battle as both clubs vie for a berth in the WHL Championship.
“It should be a really good series,” said forward Nate Danielson. “They’re obviously a really good team and we had a good series with them back in January in two really close games. They were a lot of fun, so I’m expecting the same thing with this series and I’m looking forward to it.”
For many on Portland’s side, this matchup represents a step forward following consecutive second-round defeats since 2022. Veterans like Klassen, Stefan, Jack O’Brien, Ryder Thompson and many more have seen each of the last two campaigns come to an early close, and while simply getting to the conference championship is hardly the end goal, this year’s dominant start to the postseason shows the determination of a Portland side fixated on winning at all costs.
“We’ve been working toward this (kind of playoff run) for three years now, so for it to finally come – we’re just gonna try to make the most of it and make our fans proud,” said Ryder Thompson.
Led by their attacking prowess and ability to score from anywhere, the Winterhawks have posted the second-most goals in the playoffs with 42, trailing only Eastern Conference finalist Moose Jaw with 47. Portland’s power play has also hit a hot streak with a league-best 41.4% conversion rate among remaining teams, and five different skaters have hit double-digit points.
On the other side, Prince George comes in as the top seed in the west after earning one more point than Portland in the regular season. Like the Winterhawks, the Cougars have found success through a high-octane offense, stifling defense and goaltending and a lethal transition game that punishes each mistake their opponents make. Highlighted by NHL prospects like Zac Funk (WSH), Riley Heidt (MIN) and Koehn Ziemmer (LAK), plus highly-touted draft prospects like Ondrej Becher and Terik Parascak, the Cougars boast threats throughout their lineup.
Countering those threats requires Portland to lean on its own substantial depth, maintaining good defensive posture and habits no matter who is on the ice.
“(The Cougars) are good players and obviously super skilled,” said Danielson. “They can put the puck in the back of the net so I think just playing hard and having good sticks and little things like that will go a long way. I think the biggest thing will be to try to play in the offensive zone and make them defend.”
Speaking of defending, both teams know they can also rely on steady goaltending when needed. Jan Špunar has been stellar for Portland with a 1.94 GAA and .931 sv%, plus a Game 4 shutout of the Silvertips in Round 2. Across the 200×85, Prince George rookie Joshua Ravensbergen has carried over an incredible first year into the playoffs with nearly identical numbers to Špunar (1.85 GAA, .931 sv%), plus two shutouts.
Against Prince George, or any opponent, look for the Winterhawks to focus on maintaining their game plan, regardless of the situation. Whether they were lighting up the scoreboard in Games 1 and 2 of the second round or gritting their teeth for a three-goal comeback in Game 3 in Everett, the Hawks played the same way and stayed true to their identity.
“I think just the consistency (has been key), sticking with our game plan and our keys for the game,” said Thompson. “We’ve been hammering that with lots of video, lots of preparation on and off the ice and that’s been working for us so we’re hoping to keep it going into Round 3.”
Echoing that sentiment, Winterhawks Head Coach/GM Mike Johnston noted the importance of his team playing key games down the home stretch of the regular season as they chased and earned a U.S. Division title. Thanks to a must-win mindset instilled during the regular season, his Hawks have hit the ground running in the postseason.
“We’re going to stick with the style of play that we play. We’re a fast, transition team,” said Johnston. “They have a lot of skill in their line-up, they’ve got some high-end players and they play with pace and energy and they want to attack. I’ve stressed to our guys all year that we want to be an up-tempo team, but we have to be able to defend. I feel we’ve done a good job. Our forwards are great on the backcheck, our defense is really good with their one-on-one play, and it comes down to (Jan) Špunar. I thought Špunar has played some of his best hockey as of late.”
One of just 11 coaches in WHL history with 500 wins to his name, Johnston credits his veteran group for being able to win in different ways. After a pair of blowouts at home in Games 1 and 2 against Everett, Portland had to dig deep for a three-goal comeback and overtime win in Game 3 to take control of its second-round series.
Experiences like that, Johnston says, will serve them well against a top-tier opponent in Prince George – especially as the Hawks open the series on the road for the first time this postseason.
“I think we have enough versatility in our game that we can adjust and adapt because playoffs are about adjusting and adapting to what the other team’s going to throw at you and certainly they have home-ice advantage,” he said. “It’s going to be a challenging atmosphere up there in Prince George. And then three (games) in four (nights) in Portland next week should be great games. Our fans have given us a big boost in the playoffs and we’ve used that home ice to our advantage when we get home.”
Kicking things off at CN Centre adds a new wrinkle to Portland’s postseason run after starting both series thus far at the VMC. After completing the 13.5-hour, 728-mile journey between the two cities, a fervent and hostile crowd awaits the Winterhawks in Prince George. But ask Portland’s players and staff, and they’re more than ready for what’s to come.
“It’s just a matter of going in there and being the villain, just trying to suck the energy out of their crowd as soon as possible,” said Thompson. “Then coming back to Portland, it’s gonna be awesome. I haven’t been in a Western Conference Championship in front of our fans, so we’re looking forward to that and I know they’re gonna be loud.”
“Prince George has handled a lot of travel throughout the year, so they are used to traveling in hard conditions to play under. They probably have the most difficult travel of anybody in the league,” added Johnston. “I feel with our team we played a lot of three-in-threes this year. I feel three-in-threes help condition you for playoffs because it’s a challenge to play a game on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and the playoffs are a challenge. You have to be able to handle it. It’s more mental than physical. Yeah there’s a physical demand, but I find it’s more mentally pushing through it.”
As this battle between two of the league’s very best nears its first puck drop on Friday night at 7:00, the anticipation can be felt from the PNW to the prairies. It’s the best time of year, and the players know it.
“This is what you play for all year, since coming in at training camp,” said Thompson.
“This is the spot we want to be in, and we’re in it now, so it’s just a matter of making the most of it.”
Western Conference Championship Schedule:
Game 1 – Friday, April 26 – @PG – 7:00 P.M.
Game 2 – Saturday, April 27 – @PG – 6:00 P.M.
Game 3 – Monday, April 29 – @POR – 7:00 P.M.
Game 4 – Wednesday, May 1 – @POR – 7:00 P.M.
*Game 5 – Thursday, May 2 – @POR – 7:00 P.M.
*Game 6 – Monday, May 6 – @PG – 7:00 P.M.
*Game 7 – Tuesday, May 7 – @PG – 7:00 P.M.
*If Necessary | HOME
Regular Season Results (POR went 2-2-0-0):
Portland 2 @ Prince George 1 (Jan 20 2024)
Portland 2 @ Prince George 3 (Jan 19 2024)
Prince George 3 @ Portland 4 (Jan 6 2024)
Prince George 4 @ Portland 0 (Dec 3 2023)
POR Leading Scorers in the Season Series:
James Stefan 1G – 5A – 6 PTS
Luca Cagnoni 0G – 4A – 4 PTS
Gabe Klassen 3G – 0A – 3 PTS
Josh Davies 2G – 0A – 2 PTS
Nate Danielson 1G – 1A – 2 PTS
PG Leading Scorers in the Season Series:
Zac Funk 4G – 3A – 7 PTS
Ondrej Becher 2G – 3A – 5 PTS
Riley Heidt 2G – 3A – 5 PTS
Terik Parascak 0G – 5A – 5 PTS
Carlin Dezainde 1G – 2A – 3 PTS
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