Game Day Hub: March 15 vs Seattle

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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Game Day Hub: March 15 vs Seattle

March 15, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


The Winterhawks hosts the Seattle Thunderbirds tonight for their second game of the weekend. It's the second to last installment of the I-5 Rivalry Series presented by ZoomCare and it''s also Fan Appreciation Night at the VMC, so arrive early as the doors open at 4:45 p.m.

Puck Drop: 6:00 p.m. PST

Venue: Veterans Memorial Coliseum - Portland, Ore.

Uniforms: Black Buckaroos throwback (these jerseys will also be presented as the Jersey Off Their Backs jersey. Raffle tickets are available on the concourse at the Winterhawks Foundation table outside Entry CC)

Listen Live: Winterhawks Radio Network and on the Winterhawks App

Follow the Winterhawks: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

Upcoming Promotional Games:

Sunday, March 16 - Local Sports Night - BUY TICKETS

Sunday, March 21 - Jersey Off The Backs Night - BUY TICKETS

FOLLOW ALONG

Last Time Out

The Silvertips opened the scoring last night off a rebound by Jaxsin Vaughn. The Winterhawks responded 50 seconds later as a feed from Carsyn Dyck off the right wing found Carter Sotheran and he buried it from the blue line to tie the game at 1-1. Everett netted two more goals to round out the first period ahead by a 3-1 score.

Austin Roest added to the 'Tips lead in the second period, before the Hawks had a goal called back after a lengthy minute review revealed a high stick by the Winterhawks a few seconds prior to the goal being scored. A delayed penalty still put the Hawks on a two-man-advantage and Diego Buttazzoni netted his 35th goal of the season off a one-timer that blitzed past Raiden LeGall, sitting Buttazzoni fifth in the league in power play goals on the season.

The third frame saw another goal from the Hawks to bring the game within one, as Josh Zakreski jammed in his 35th goal of the season as his behind the goal centering feed went off a defender in front. Everett found separation on the empty net for a final score of 5-3 in favor of the Silvertips.

Buttazzoni's Power Play Prowess

Winterhawks forward Diego Buttazzoni netted another power-play goal in last night's game against Everett. The 19-year-old now leads the team with 15 power-play goals this season, ranking fifth in the league among skaters. Buttazzoni has also recorded 35 goals on the season, tying Josh Zakreski for second on the team in goals scored.

Fan Appreciation Night

Join us for another installment of the I-5 Rivalry Series presented by ZoomCare as the Winterhawks host the Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday night for Fan Appreciation Night! Fans can look forward to special giveaways and excitement. Here's what to expect:

Giveaways from:

Cartside

Chick-fil-A

Explore Tualatin Valley

Honey Bucket

MindRX

Old Spaghetti Factory

The Barbers

Intermission excitement:

Les Schwab Chuck A Puck

Toyota Trick Shot

All fans are guaranteed to receive a Chick-fil-A coupon for free chicken, so make sure to pick yours up at the doors on your way out!

Scott Peterson Buckaroos Memorabilia: Stop by entry MM on the concourse tonight to check out exclusive Buckaroos memorabilia with Scott Peterson!

Seattle Statlines

The Seattle Thunderbirds enter the night with a 25-32-4-1 record and are coming off a big win against the Tri-City Americans behind goals from six different players as they continue to claw for the final playoff spot.

The T-Birds currently hold the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference for the WHL playoffs, but only three points separate them from the ninth place Wenatchee Wild who are fighting hard for the final spot. It's a back and forth battle between the two teams on who can keep their season alive.

Seattle's offense is driven by the duo of Braeden Cootes and Nathan Pilling, who posted a combined six points in the teams' win against Portland last Friday. Cootes leads the team with 58 points (23G, 35A) with Pilling leading the scoring with 32 goals and 22 assists for a total of 54 points.

The T-Birds' defense is led by NHL draft-eligible blueliner Radim Mrtka, who has recorded 33 points (3G, 30A) since joining Seattle in late November 2024. Goaltender Scott Ratzlaff has been a steady presence in net for the Thunderbirds, posting a 3.18 GAA and a .908 SV%. The Buffalo Sabres prospect has stopped 218 of 238 shots faced and won four of the five games he's played against Portland this season.

Seattle continues to lead the league in penalty minutes with an average of 14.9 per game, a trend Portland can look to capitalize on.

2024-25 Season Series

Previously, the teams met in Kent last Saturday night and the Winterhawks downed the T-Birds by a 4-1 score behind goals from David Hoy, Ryan Miller, Kyle Chyzowski, and Alex Weiermair. The night before, the teams battled in Portland as the Thunderbirds scored seven to beat hte Hawks.

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 15, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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