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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Game Day Hub: February 26 at Kamloops

February 26, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


The Portland Winterhawks hit the road for its second-to-last match-up with the Kamloops Blazers on Wednesday.

Puck Drop: 7:00 p.m. PT

Venue: Sandman Centre - Kamloops, B.C.

Uniforms: White

Listen Live: Winterhawks Radio Network and on the Winterhawks App

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Upcoming Promotional Games:

Friday, March 7 - Women of the Rose City - BUY TICKETS

Sunday, March 9 - Hall of Fame Night - BUY TICKETS

Saturday, March 15 - Fan Appreciation Night - BUY TICKETS

FOLLOW ALONG

Last Time Out

The Portland Winterhawks hosted the Spokane Chiefs on Sunday night at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum and came up short despite an impressive second period push. The WHL's leader in offensive production needed just a period to take a 3-0 lead on Portland, but the Hawks battled back hard in the second period. Josh Zakreski scored on the power play, Alex Weiermair scored shorthanded, and then Weiermair added an even strength goal for a three-goal second period and a 4-3 scoreboard after two periods of work. After 51 minutes of hockey, the game was still within reach, but Shea Van Olm, Andrew Cristall, and Owen Martin each netted their second goals of the night to beat the Hawks by a football score of 7-3.

Chyzowski's Clutch Hat Trick

Winterhawks' Captain Kyle Chyzowski recorded his second hat trick of the season against Wenatchee on Saturday, as his third goal of the night sealed the overtime win for the Hawks. Ironically enough, his first hat trick came during the Hawks' only other trip to Kamloops this season on September 20, 2024. He has one other hat trick in his WHL career dating back to October 18, 2023, when it rained goals in Portland as the Hawks hammered the Brandon Wheat Kings by a final score of 11-1. Chyzowski is currently fifth in the WHL with 90 points, only three points behind Oliver Tulk of the Calgary Hitmen. He also ranks fifth in goals with 37 and just announced his commitment to the University of Denver for the 2025-26 season.

Rookie's Route to 20 Wins

Portland's first-year goaltender Ondřej Štěbeták is the second rookie backstop in the league to reach 20 wins this season, joining Medicine Hat's Jordan Switzer. In back-to-back games last weekend, Štěbeták stopped 64 of 70 shots. He has appeared in 38 games this season, posting a 20-13-1-1 record with a 3.73 goals against average and .889% save percentage heading into this week's games. Štěbeták was selected 57th overall by Portland in the 2024 CHL Import Draft and he is ranked by NHL Central Scouting ahead of this summer's NHL Draft in Los Angeles.

Behind the Blazers

The Kamloops Blazers enter tonight's game with a 20-41-4-1 record and are coming off a tough loss to the Eastern Conference-leading Medicine Hat Tigers by a score of 5-0 on Saturday in Medicine Hat, Alberta. The Blazers currently sit in tenth place in the Western Conference and are five points behind the eighth place Seattle Thunderbirds, who currently hold the final spot in the 2025 playoffs, with each team having played 56 games thus far.

Kamloops' offense is steered by 2025 NHL Draft prospect Nathan Behm, who has recorded 29 goals and 33 assists for 62 points, ranking second on the team. Behm shares the team lead in goals with Detroit Red Wings seventh-round pick Emmitt Finnie, who has posted 29 goals and 39 assists for a team-high 68 points, despite having not played in a game since February 1.

The Blazers have found quite a bit of success on the power play this season as they are ranked seventh in the Western League at 25.8%, which is powered by Kamloops' very own Jordan Keller and his league-leading 17 power-play goals.

2024-25 Season Series

The Portland Winterhawks and the Kamloops Blazers battle tonight for the third of four regular-season matchups. Both teams have one head-to-head win this season with both visiting teams prevailing in the previous meetings. Last time the teams met, Kamloops led 1-0 after 40 minutes of hockey before Portland scored at the 46 second and 1:48 marks of the third frame to take the lead. The Blazers leveled the score with just over eight minutes remaining to force extra time, where they stunned the Hawks home crowd with the goal in OT to earn the win. Prior to, Portland traveled to Kamloops for its season opener, where Kyle Chyzowski delivered a hat trick that lifted the Hawks past the Blazers by a score of 5-2.

The final regular season meeting between Portland and Kamloops is scheduled next Wednesday, March 5 in the Rose City.

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from February 26, 2025


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