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    • The Winterhawks exploded for a 6th consecutive defeat
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    The Winterhawks exploded for a 6th consecutive defeat

    Pabio Posted on

    The Portland Winterhawks start slowly again, and this time the game gets too out of hand to even think about a third-period comeback, and the Edmonton Oil Kings eliminate them 7-1 for Portland’s sixth straight loss.
    1st 10:27 EDM Roan Woodward (Josh Mori) 0-1 A long wrister from Mori is deflected by Woodward from the low slot.
    1st 15:51 EDM Gavin Hodnett (Adam Jecho, Gracyn Sawchyn) 0-2 Hodnett from the slot passes to Sawchyn along the goal line, then he gets the pass back for a one-timer.
    2nd 2:41 EDM Roan Woodward (Ethan MacKenzie) 0-3 McKenzie’s long pass from the faceoff dot in his own zone hits Woodward beyond center ice for a breakaway, and he easily beats Marek Schlenker.
    2nd 2:56 EDM Roan Woodward (Lukas Sawchyn) 0-4 As the dust settled after the first goal, Sawchyn hit Woodward at the Portland blue line for another breakaway, and he completed the hat trick, ending Schlenker’s game.
    3rd: 51 EDM Gracyn Sawchyn (Adam Jecho, Josh Mori) 0-5 The Winterhawks had played well in the 2nd, but Sawchyn, to start the 3rd, took a very long shot that lightly hit Tyson Jugnauth’s stick, changing direction enough to pass Ondrej Štěbeták.
    3rd 3:21 POR David Hoy (Braeden Jockims) 1-5 Alex Worthington’s only blemish of the night, leaving a long bounce of a Jockims shot in the slot, where Hoy gets it and picks out a corner nicely for his first WHL goal.
    3rd 10:46 EDM Gracyn Sawchyn (Adam Jecho) 1-6 Jecho steals the puck from Kayd Ruedig in the Portland corner and feeds Sawchyn in the slot.
    3rd 5:00 p.m. EDM (PP) Rylen Roersma (Josh Mori, Lukas Sawchyn) 1-7 On the power play, a long diagonal pass from Mori finds Roersma at the right point for a one-timer.
    Portland leads by 2+ 0:00
    Portland leads by 1 0:00
    Related 10:27 a.m.
    Portland Trails by 1 5:24
    Portland Trails by 2+ 44:09

    Pre-match: “Winterhawks attempt to break 5-game losing streak”. Edmonton continues its road trip after a resounding defeat in Everett. It was the worst offensive team at even strength (Edmonton) against the worst defensive team at even strength (Portland). The Winterhawks wear hideous uniforms that essentially have no numbers.

    1st period: Fairly balanced period of play, but the Oil Kings scored both goals. The goalkeepers made the difference as Alex Worthington made two important saves late in the period. Portland is slowly starting again. The period ended early after a Ryder Thompson hit put Landon Hanson on the ice, and he did it for a long time. They brought a sled but luckily it wasn’t necessary. They played the last minute after the intermission.

    2nd period: Two breakaways from Roan Woodward in 15 seconds early in the 2nd period moved the game from a balanced game to Edmonton in the lead. From there it was on to the Alex Worthington show. Portland was the better team for much of the period, but Worthington kept them from scoring, which might even allow them to imagine getting back into the game.

    3rd period: Gracyn Sawchyn scored a goal in the first minute to end any hopes. It was a tough stretch from there, although Portland got one back on David Hoy’s opening goal.

    How it was won: 1. Goalkeeper in the 1st. In an even first period, Worthington made the saves that Marek Schlenker couldn’t make.

    2. A few defensive breakdowns by Portland early in the second half sent the game out of control.

    3. It turned out that Edmonton was ahead at even strength.

    Stretch/key moment: Woodward’s back-to-back escapes in 15 seconds of the 2nd to put the game away.

    Surprising: It could be argued that the Winterhawks won the shootouts for only the third time this season (in their last game against TC, their shootout win was overturned after review), although that was largely due to them falling behind .

    No wonder: Portland is slowly starting again. They are now 2-8-3 after the 1st period, the worst in the league.

    The best team won? : Yes.

    Injuries/suspensions: A suspension of Emmett Finnie for a hit Friday against Everett has not been officially announced, but it almost certainly was issued because he was scratched.

    Hopefully Landon Hanson is OK after a hit knocked him out in the bottom of the first. It looked scary until he was able to stand up without needing to be carried out on a stretcher.

    Top 10 Stat line
    Roan Woodward GED 3 goals First career hat-trick for the ex-Silvertip. This is not his career points record since he had a 4-point game. His two escapes in the 2nd were the backbreaker.
    Alex Worthington GED 32 saves-33 shots He came out of nowhere at the age of 19 with just 6 games at the start of the season and is posting the best numbers of any goalie in the league so far. Squelched any Portland thoughts of a 2nd half run.
    Gracyn Sawchyn GED 2 goals, 1 assist Streak of 6 consecutive games with at least one point and second 3-point game of the season.
    Josh Mori GED 3 assists Triumphant return against his former team.
    Adam Jecho GED 3 assists Series of 5 matches with at least one point.
    Ethan MacKenzie GED 1 assist A long pass allowed Woodward to score the second goal, turning the tide from an even game to one controlled by Edmonton. Series of 3 matches with at least one point.
    Gavin Hodnett GED 1 goal Series of 6 matches with at least one point.
    Lucas Sawchyn GED 2 assists 3rd multi-point game in 5 matches. 5 points for the Sawchyn brothers for the second time in 3 games.
    Rylen Roersma GED 1 goal The veteran was struggling, so this goal could help.
    David Hoy POR 1 goal First career WHL goal.
    Other notables Stat line
    Miroslav Holinka GED Stopping a streak of 4 consecutive games with at least one point.
    Diego Buttazzoni POR Stopping a streak of 4 consecutive games with at least one point. Returned from a 3 game suspension and made no impact.
    Ondrej Stebetak POR 9 saves-12 shots Raised appearance. The numbers were slightly better than Marek Schlenker’s but he didn’t play any better.
    Marek Schlenker POR 13 saves-17 shots The first two goals weren’t terrible but not great, then the next two were on breakaways, in which case he was pulled. Which I’m not really happy about. At this rate, the Winterhawks are going to make a lot of goaltending changes in the game.
    Winter Hawks The kings of oil
    Save 6-5-2 (.538) 5-5-0-1 (.500)
    Noted/authorized (diff) 44-57 (-13) 36-34 (+2)
    Goals/game 3.4 3.3
    Goals allowed/match 4.4 3.1
    Power play 27.6% 23.5%
    Numerical disadvantage 79.5% 82.2%
    Power plays for/game 4.5 4.6
    Power plays against/play 3.0 4.1
    Outplay opponents 3-9-1 5-6
    After 1 period 2-8-3 5-2-4
    After 2 periods 2-8-3 4-5-2
    Score, last 10 matches 32-44 (-12) 35-31 (+4)
    Score, last 20 matches 60-82 (-22) 75-61 (+14)

    Portland Winterhawks

    Things get even uglier when the top-ranked Everett Silvertips come to town on Sunday, now with the best record in the league. And they beat that Edmonton team 7-2 on Friday. They will be playing their 3rd game in 3 nights, so Portland will have the advantage in terms of fatigue.

    Edmonton Oil Kings

    This ties the road trip with a win and a loss, with four games remaining. They are currently tied for the final playoff spot in the East.

    Sunday 10/27 vs. Everett, 4 p.m. PDT

    Friday 11/1 in Spokane, 7 p.m. PDT

    Saturday 11/2 in Seattle, 6 p.m. PDT

    Looking to the future: Saturday 9/11 in Wenatchee, 6 p.m. PST

    Next match with Edmonton: Next season.

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    Pabio
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