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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Coburn, Butler lead Hawks to 3-2 win

October 21, 2004 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Braydon Coburn had two goals and an assist and goaltender Dustin Butler stopped 33 shots to lead the Portland Winter Hawks to a significant 3-2 win over the highly touted Vancouver Giants Wednesday in Memorial Coliseum.

Vancouver, (7-3-0-1), is one of the league's elite teams and the Hawks held tough at the end to notch their second straight win.

Shane Halifax also scored for Portland. Gilbert (JILL-bare) Brule (Broo-LAY), who will be a high first round draft choice in next June's NHL draft, and Andrej (Awn-DRAY) Meszaros (Mez-AIR-ohs), who is already a first round NHL draft pick of the Ottawa Senators, scored for Vancouver.

Portland, (6-5-0-0), is just one point behind the first place Everett Silvertips in the highly competitive U.S. Division. The Hawks hit the road for a couple of games at Spokane Friday (Airtime 6:35 with the pre-game show on 970-AM) and at Tri-Cities Saturday (airtime at 6:35 p.m.). The Hawks' next home game is Friday October 29 against the Kamloops Blazers at 7:00 in Memorial Coliseum.

Vancouver had a franchise record 6-game winning streak snapped Saturday with a 4-3 overtime loss in Kootenay. The Giants are missing first round NHL draft choice, defenseman Mark Fistric, due to a broken jaw. Fistric is also the club's team captain. Brule missed Saturday's game after a collision into the boards in a 3-2 win over Spokane Friday, but he was ready to go against Portland. Most NHL scouts are projecting Brule, a number one overall pick in the WHL Bantam Draft by Vancouver and last year's WHL Rookie of the Year, to be a top five pick in next June's NHL draft.

Brandon Dubinsky sat out for the Winter Hawks as a result of an upper body injury that happened in practice Monday as a result of a collision with rookie forward Nick Hotson. It is not expected to keep him out of the line-up very long. The Hawks also scratched 16-year-old defenseman Cameron Cepek and 17-year-old rookie forward Nick Hotson due to numbers. 20-year-old goalie Blake Grenier, who practiced with the Hawks for the first time Monday and Tuesday, was the odd goalie out Wednesday. Dustin Butler, author of a 21-save shut out on Saturday, got the nod with Kevin Opsahl backing up.

Vancouver won the first meeting between the two teams up in Vancouver, 6-4, back on September 25 with Adam Courchaine (hat trick) and Brule (2-2-4) leading the way. Courchaine was one of the toughest players for Portland to handle last season as he posted (5-3-8) in 4 games as the Giants won 3 of the 4 meetings in 2003-04. The Hawks did a nice job keeping him off the scoresheet Wednesday.

Portland, trying to put up better first period numbers, got a quick start in Saturday's 5-0 win against the Prince George Cougars and they got rolling in a hurry against Vancouver too. Portland immediately started to take advantage of Vancouver's young defense, playing without Fistric, by getting their dump-ins deep and getting in quickly, and physically, on the forecheck. Braydon Coburn, who now has 6 points in his last 2 games, opened the scoring on the power play with a quick entry shot that deflected off Vancouver defenseman Andrej Maszaros' stick and over goalie Marek Schwarz's shoulder at 11:19. Portland made it 2-0 as Coburn rifled a shot from center ice that went wide of the goal, but Schwarz was way out of the net and the puck bounced off the end wall to Shane Halifax in front. Halifax had nothing but net to shoot at. All appeared in total control until the Giants forced a turnover at the blue line during a Portland power play and the scary duo of Mitch Bartley and Brule broke loose on a 2-on-1. Bartley's pass was perfect and Brule wasted no time neatly putting it in the twine to make it 2-1, Hawks, after one. Both goalies came up big in a wide open, entertaining first period. Dustin Butler made back-to-back saves on Shaun Vey, the first on a breakaway and the second on his own rebound. Schwarz stoned Dan Da Silva twice, the second on a wicked turn around shot from between the hash marks. He also stoned Kyle Bailey on a shorthanded partial breakaway. Shots were 19-11 Portland.

Vancouver came out with extra purpose in the second period and tested Butler with several good chances. Test passed. Butler made two terrific saves on Vey, back to back again, during the first shift of the period. Later, Tim Krauss was set up by Courchaine in the low slot, but Butler's quick blocker foiled that attempt. Brule, Mitch Bartley, a 31-goal scorer last season, and Courchaine had more attack time in the second period, but the Hawks generally kept them away from open shots in the prime scoring area. The Giants had a modest advantage in territorial play, but the Hawks got a couple of good chances too. Alex Aldred was at the top of the crease as Da Silva made a play to the net, but could not quite loop a shot around Schwarz. And, the acrobatic Vancouver goalie almost got caught on a rebound that got behind him, but the puck was just out of Cody McLeod's reach. Shots were 10-8, Hawks, but the Giants had the more dangerous chances and Butler played a key role in the scoreless period.

The Giants continued to keep the heat on in the third period, but Butler continued to deny them when they broke through a really solid Portland defense. Even though the Giants kept the play in Portland's for most of the first six minutes of the third period, the Hawks defense did a nice job away from the puck keeping the Giants from too many high quality chances. Portland got the winning goal on the power play to make it 3-1 at 8:35 of the third period. Darrell May threw a perfect cross ice pass to Coburn who ripped a blast from the right wing that caromed off the goal stick of Schwarz, off the crossbar and in. But, the Giants were not done. Butler had to make a big stop on Bartley in front, off a Brule pass, and Ty Morris had a big-time chance from the low slot turned aside by Butler's stick. Then, the swarm began. Portland's forwards did not make clean plays out of the zone and Meszaros repeatedly kept the puck in, made good plays and he can really shoot the puck. Portland kept the Giants off the board until coach Don Hay pulled Schwarz with about 1:30 left. The extra attacker helped keep the puck in the Hawks' zone and Bartley and Brule fed Meszaros for a wicked shot from the point with 1:17 left that made it 3-2. But, the Hawks made several key plays after that to keep Schwarz in the net until less than 30 seconds remained. Da Silva stopped a Giants' clearing attempt on the boards, May made sure he got a puck in deep and made the Giants work to get it out. And then, with a face off in the defending zone, Kyle Bailey tied up the draw and then went out and challenged Meszaros, denying a last shot that could have led to the tying goal.

One thing is for sure. Portland fans saw two defenseman who will play some day in the NHL, if the NHL ever plays again. Braydon Coburn and Andrej Meszaros are both headed or the show.

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