Winterhawks Weekly: Rollin’ into the eastern swing
The Winterhawks returned from break without missing a beat, knocking off Tri-City on Wednesday and sweeping Everett in a home-and-home on Friday and Saturday, including a 7-2 win on New Year’s Eve in front of a raucous VMC crowd. Portland has now won eight consecutive contests and has points in ten straight (9-0-1-0).
This week, the team fires up the bus for a long road trip to take on East Division clubs in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Hot Hawks:
- Defenseman Luca Cagnoni led all Winterhawks skaters in scoring for the second straight week, notching eight helpers across the three games to move into second in team scoring with nine goals and 25 assists for 34 points in 33 games.
- Forward Robbie Fromm-Delorme continued his stellar 20-year-old season with goals in each contest last week, totaling four tallies and two assists in a three-game span. The Richmond, B.C. native enters the week with points in six straight (5G, 4A).
- Forward James Stefan bagged multi-point performances on Friday and Saturday with a goal and two assists on Friday, and two more helpers in Saturday’s romp. Stefan has points in six of his last nine outings (4G, 9A).
- Forward Nick Johnson picked up goals in both games against Everett, finishing off Diego Buttazzoni feeds for his second and third goals of the season to mark his first career point streak.
- Goaltenders Dante Giannuzzi and Jan Špunar came up big in each win last week. Giannuzzi backstopped Wednesday and Saturday’s victories, stopping 66 of 71 total shots to push his win streak to five games. Similarly, Špunar stopped 31 of 32 shots on the road on Friday for his fourth win in a row, allowing two goals or fewer in each of those games.
Play of the Week:
With 16 goals in three games, there are plenty of options for this week’s top play, but rookie Diego Buttazzoni’s first WHL strike stood above the rest. Watch as the 16-year-old corrals a loose puck, pulls it through the Tri-City defenseman’s legs, and calmly finishes in the bottom corner. Veteran stuff from the youngster. ⤵️
Weekly Rewind:
Portland 4 vs Tri-City 2 OT (Wednesday):
Gabe Klassen notched his team-leading 19th goal of the season at 2:49 of overtime to help the Winterhawks knock off the visiting Tri-City Americans 4-3 on Wednesday.
Portland 5 at Everett 1 (Friday):
Three-point nights from James Stefan and Luca Cagnoni and 31 saves from Jan Špunar helped the Winterhawks roll past the Everett Silvertips 5-1 on Friday night.
Portland 7 vs Everett 2 (Saturday):
Two-goal showings from Robbie Fromm-Delorme and Aidan Litke, plus an explosive five-goal first period, propelled the Winterhawks past the Everett Silvertips by a 7-2 final on New Year’s Eve and pick up a second win in as many nights over their division rival.
The Week Ahead:
On the road again! After a pair of long travel days Tuesday and Wednesday, the Hawks kick off the eastern swing with two contests on Friday and Sunday.
First up, the team visits the Brandon Wheat Kings for the first time in almost four years to the day – their last contest in Brandon on Jan. 8, 2019, resulted in a 4-3 Winterhawks victory.
Then on Sunday, it’s a matchup between two top-four teams as Portland takes on Winnipeg at 3:05 PT! The battle marks the Winterhawks’ first game against the ICE since their move to Winnipeg, and the first game between the two clubs since November 2019.
Catch all the action with WHL Live on CHL TV!
Upcoming Promo Nights:
Friday, January 20 – Where’s Waldo Night – BUY TICKETS
Saturday, January 21 – Sippin’ Saturday – BUY TICKETS
Monday, January 23 – Kids’ Game – BUY TICKETS
Friday, January 27 – Pride Night – BUY TICKETS
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