WHL Portland Winterhawks

Game Day Hub: Round 1, Game 1 vs Everett

Published on March 31, 2023 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


The puck drops on the 2023 WHL Playoffs as the Winterhawks take on the Silvertips at the VMC in Game 1!

Puck Drop: 7:00 P.M. PT

Venue: Veterans Memorial Coliseum - Portland, OR

Uniforms: White

Regular-Season Meetings: Portland went 6-1-1-0 Against Everett

Everett 1 @ Portland 3 (Mar 5 2023) Final

Portland 3 @ Everett 10 (Mar 3 2023) Final

Everett 2 @ Portland 7 (Dec 31 2022) Final

Portland 5 @ Everett 1 (Dec 30 2022) Final

Everett 2 @ Portland 4 (Dec 11 2022) Final

Portland 3 @ Everett 4 (Dec 3 2022) Final OT

Portland 5 @ Everett 2 (Nov 23 2022) Final

Everett 1 @ Portland 4 (Nov 18 2022) Final

Listen Live: Winterhawks Radio Network and on the Winterhawks App

Watch Live: WHL Live on CHL TV

Upcoming WHL Playoff Games:

Game 2 - Saturday, April 1 - vs Everett

Playoff Hawkey in the Rose City

It's finally here! The 2023 WHL Playoffs open around the league tonight, and the #3 Winterhawks are set to host the #6 Silvertips in Game 1 of their first-round series tonight. Portland took the season series in comfortable fashion with six wins in eight games, but the playoffs are a different animal. Experience is an asset throughout the season, but even more so in the playoffs.

Veterans like Gabe Klassen, Robbie Fromm-Delorme, Dante Giannuzzi, Jack O'Brien, James Stefan and more will be relied upon to chart a path to victory as the playoff battles intensify.

"We have about half of our team that's had really good playoff experience and I just think playoff experience is so important for your group. To have the guys who have gone through a tough series with Seattle last year that went seven games and had momentum swings, I think that experience is going to be really valuable this year," said Head Coach & General Manager Mike Johnston.

Knowing Your Enemy

The Winterhawks and Silvertips are hardly strangers; with eight matchups this season, neither team holds any secrets from the other heading into the postseason. Both coaching staffs will have their teams prepped well for tonight's contest, with each club looking to implement it's fast-paced style before the other.

"Everett's a quick team, they are fast, and they are on top of you," said Johnston. "It should be a really good series as far as transition goes. Both teams are transition teams and don't spend much time in their own zones. So we want to make sure that defensively we are strong and counterpunch quick."

Enjoy The Moment

The playoffs are a special time of year, and the Winterhawks have made postseason appearances a habit for more than a decade. But even with that success, no opportunity can be taken for granted.

"We've been talking the last couple weeks about how playoffs are just so different and when you get an opportunity to get into the playoffs, you gotta take advantage of it," said goaltender Dante Giannuzzi. "Good teams are hard to come by and some of the young guys may not realize that. They may think 'oh, I got three or four more years to win it, maybe this year doesn't matter.' But it does matter, absolutely. It's not an easy thing to get into the playoffs and have success in the playoffs. So I think when you have a good team like we do this year, that's really important to take advantage of it and put your best foot forward."

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 31, 2023


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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