Game Day Hub: December 31
Published on December 31, 2019 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release
Portland Winterhawks vs. Seattle Thunderbirds
At the midway point of the season, the Portland Winterhawks sit in first place in the U.S. Division with 24 wins and they get set for their fifth showdown of the season against Seattle. Portland is 2-0-0-2 head-to-head against its rival this year.
Be sure to stick around after the game to ring in the New Year when the clock strikes midnight at the party presented by Toyota. Fans are encouraged to join the Hawks on the ice for a post-game skate with the players, enjoy inflatable bounce houses, and stick around for the popular balloon drop where some fans could win cash prizes.
Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. PT
Venue: Moda Center (Portland, OR)
Listen Live: Winterhawks Radio Network and on the Winterhawks App. You can also listen live in the arena by tuning your radio to 98.1 FM.
Watch Live: WHL Live
Tickets: Portland vs. Seattle
The hottest team in the Western Hockey League looks to make it a perfect December in regulation play. The Winterhawks are 8-0-0-1 during the month and they have a chance to enter the New Year in sole possession of the U.S. Division lead.
Portland leads the WHL with a +51 goal differential, but three of the four games with Seattle have been decided by one goal. Reece Newkirk enters the game with a ten game point streak, the third highest active streak in the WHL. Over his three year career against the Thunderbirds, the New York Islanders prospect has seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points in 26 games.
Isaiah DiLaura and Dante Giannuzzi have each won two games in Joel Hofer's absence. Scoring has been extremely balanced during the last month of the year. Sixteen different Winterhawks have scored in the month and five players are averaging at least a point-per-game in December.
Including tonight's game, the Hawks still have four straight games against U.S. Division opponents.
Western Hockey League Stories from December 31, 2019
- Mekai Sanders Makes WHL Debut in Annual New Year's Eve Game against Portland - Seattle Thunderbirds
- Chiefs Come Back to Claim Point in OT Loss to Americans - Spokane Chiefs
- 2019 Ends with Narrow Loss to Wheat Kings - Moose Jaw Warriors
- Centazzo, Paddock, & Christiansen Named to Vaughn CHL Team of the Week - WHL
- Canada beats Czechs, secures group at World Juniors - Kelowna Rockets
- 2019/20 Mid-Season Review: 2019 Archive - Saskatoon Blades
- Game Day Hub: December 31 - Portland Winterhawks
- Broncos Sign Carter Stebbings to SPA - Swift Current Broncos
- Remembering the Players Who Made the Last Decade Special - Moose Jaw Warriors
- OT Loss Nets Cougars a Point - Prince George Cougars
- Liam Kindree scores again, gives Rockets OT win over Cougars - Kelowna Rockets
- Early Lead Evaporates in Loss to Red Deer - Everett Silvertips
- Royals Smother Blazers - Victoria Royals
- Rebels Roar Back from 2-0 Deficit to Post Decisive Win over Silvertips - Red Deer Rebels
- Woo, Hitmen Stop Oil Kings, 5-3 - Calgary Hitmen
- Power Play Propels Hitmen Past Oil Kings in Final Highway 2 Battle - Edmonton Oil Kings
- Wheat Kings Win Final Home Game of 2019 - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Raiders End 2019 With Loss to Winnipeg - Prince Albert Raiders
- ICE Beat Raiders and Earn First Spot in the East Division - Winnipeg Ice
- Broncos Drop Tightly-Contested Game to Hurricanes - Swift Current Broncos
- Last Week around the Leagues - OSC Original by Fran Stuchbury
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