Game Day Hub: Round 1, Game 1 at Prince George

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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Game Day Hub: Round 1, Game 1 at Prince George

March 28, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


The 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien have finally arrived, and the Winterhawks open their first-round series against the Cougars at the CN Centre in Prince George.

These two teams are no strangers to one another in the postseason, having met three of the last four years, including last season when Portland won the 2024 Western Conference Championship in double overtime.

Puck Drop: 7:00 P.M.

Venue: CN Centre

Uniforms: Black

Listen Live: Winterhawks Radio Network and on the Winterhawks App

Watch Live: Victory+

Follow the Winterhawks: X (Twitter) | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

Regular Season Results (POR went 4-0-0-0)

Prince George 1 @ Portland 4 (Dec 13, 2024) Final

Portland 5 @ Prince George 4 (Oct 9, 2024) Final SO

Portland 4 @ Prince George 3 (Oct 8, 2024) Final OT

Prince George 2 @ Portland 3 (Oct 5, 2024) Final

Series Schedule:

Game 1 - Friday, March 28 - @PG - 7:00 p.m. (Watch Party hosted by Cartside at 1825 N Williams Avenue, Portland, OR 97227)

Game 2 - Saturday, March 29 - @PG - 6:00 p.m. (Watch Party hosted by Grains of Wrath at 230 NE 5th Avenue, Camas, WA 98607)

Game 3 - Tuesday, April 1 - @POR - 7:00 p.m. (Toyota Fan Fest - 5:45-7:00 p.m.)

Game 4 - Wednesday, April 2 - @POR - 7:00 p.m.

*Game 5 - Friday, April 4 - @POR - 7:00 p.m.

*Game 6 - Sunday, April 6 - @PG - 6:00 p.m.

*Game 7 - Monday, April 7 - @PG - 7:00 p.m.

*If Necessary

Keep On Rollin' from the Regular Season Series

The wait is over, the No.5 seed Winterhawks begin their 2025 Playoffs on the road against the No.4 seed Cougars in a best-of-seven, first-round matchup. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 P.M.

During the regular season, Portland won all four games against Prince George, but every contest was highly competitive. Ryan Miller brought the VMC crowd to its feet in the first matchup when he scored the game-winning goal with only three seconds left on the clock! Only a few days later, the teams traveled to Prince George, where it was the Cougars who scored a goal in the final minute to force overtime. However, once again, the Hawks performed in crunch time as Diego Buttazzoni found the back of the net with 55 seconds left in the three-on-three overtime. The next night seemed to be the Cougars night, but the cardiac Hawks erased a four-goal, third-period deficit in the final 13 minutes to force overtime. Buttazzoni was once again a catalyst as he got the Winterhawks on the board before scoring the only goal in the shootout. The final regular season meeting was the only game not decided by a goal, in large part to Josh Zakreski's hat trick, a 4-1 Winterhawks victory. Ondřej Štěbeták was spectacular in net for Portland in the most recent meeting as he turned aside 39 of the 40 Prince George shots.

Keep in mind, three-on-three overtime goes away in the postseason. If the game is tied after 60 minutes, the two teams will take a 15-minute intermission break and return for continuous five-on-five overtime hockey until a winner is decided.

Lastly, line combinations are not required during playoffs, so only starters and scratches will be provided.

Watch With Us

The playoffs are an exciting time, and what is better than watching with fellow Winterhawks fans? Come out to Cartside (1825 N Williams Avenue, Portland, OR 97227) at 7:00 P.M. and catch all the action and join in on the T.N.T. chant while enjoying great food and beverages!

Watch from Home

If you cannot attend in person, there is a no-cost option available as the WHL Playoffs will be available on Victory+ without geo-restrictions, giving fans the opportunity to follow their favorite teams and players on the road to the championship. With Victory+ offering a free, ad-supported streaming service, this ensures that the game is accessible to everyone, no matter where they are or what devices they use, including Samsung and Vizio smart TVs, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, Android and web browser.

Learn more at victoryplus.com/download

There will be two games, so make sure to look for the one mentioning road audio to hear Nick Marek on the call from British Columbia! The video feed should be live five minutes before puck drop. If you want to catch more of Nick's pre-game show, tune in on the Winterhawks App.

Red Out the VMC

For Game 3 presented by Werner Gourmet Meat Snacks, and all of our 2025 WHL Playoff home games, we will be wearing our red jerseys. If you haven't already, secure your seats when the Hawks return home from Prince George to help with the home-ice advantage! When you picking out what to wear to the, throw on your red Winterhawks apparel as we red out the VMC! Don't have anything red; we've got you covered!

Check out the team store before the game and save 20% off some of the best red merchandise (some exclusions may apply). You may also find other select items at a discount, so be sure to arrive early because once they're gone, they're gone! And as a reminder, the doors will open at 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday ahead of Game 3 for the Toyota Fan Fest on the concourse.

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from March 28, 2025


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