WHL Portland Winterhawks

Game Day Hub: February 23 at Victoria

February 23, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


The Winterhawks have arrived on Vancouver Island for the first of a back-to-back set in B.C.'s capital.

Puck Drop: 7:05 P.M

Venue: Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre - Victoria, B.C.

Uniforms: White

2023-24 Season Series: Portland is 1-0-0-0 against Victoria

Victoria 3 @ Portland 4 (Nov 22 2023) Final SO

Listen Live: Winterhawks Radio Network and on the Winterhawks App

Watch Live: WHL Live on CHL TV

Upcoming Promo Games:

Friday, March 1 - Art Night - BUY TICKETS

Saturday, March 2 - Glass Palace Night (Daylight Game) - BUY TICKETS

Saturday, March 9 - Oregon Hockey History Night - BUY TICKETS

Friday, March 15 - Fan Appreciation Night - BUY TICKETS

On Island Time

After a ferry ride across the border, the Hawks are in B.C. for a little island living, but it's no vacation. Set to battle the B.C. Division's second-ranked Victoria Royals tonight and tomorrow, Portland's seeking some crucial points on the road after dropping games in Vancouver and Everett last week.

Victoria finds itself much improved after a few seasons near the bottom of the standings, thanks in large part to former Winterhawk Dawson Pasternak, who leads the team in scoring with 58 points, and star 2026 NHL Draft-eligible rookie Cole Reschny (46 points). Arizona Coyotes prospect Justin Kipkie provides some spark from the blue line on a nightly basis, with his 45 points leading all Royals defensemen. In net, former Everett netminder Braden Holt boasts 19 wins and a .901 save percentage while starting the lion's share of games, with rookie Jayden Kraus filling in the gaps.

After a 4-3 shootout thriller at the VMC in their first meeting in November, what else do these two teams have in store this weekend?

Fresh Start

Going from the high of clinching playoffs last Saturday to being shut out for just the second time this season on Sunday was certainly not how the Hawks wanted to end last weekend's action, but a new week brings new opportunities for the Winterhawks to establish dominance ahead of the playoffs. Portland has not dropped consecutive games since Dec. 1-3, and the veteran group will have spent the week's practices focusing on the task ahead.

If last week was any indicator, scoring first seems to kickstart the Hawks' offense. It certainly did in Tuesday's 10-2 win and Saturday's 8-3 victory, with the team scoring in bunches after getting off on the right foot. Look for plenty of jump in Portland's game from the first drop of the puck tonight.

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from February 23, 2024


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