
Hawks Start Hot, Stumble Late in 6-5 Loss to Wild
September 23, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release
A four-goal first wasn't enough for Portland to take two points as Wenatchee rattled off five goals in just over 40 minutes for a 6-5 win.
Game #1: Portland (5) at Wenatchee (6)
SOG: POR (42) - WEN (32)
PP: POR (0/3) - WEN (0/7)
Saves: Maric (20/26), Brunen (6/6) - Hauser (37/42)
COMPLETE BOX SCORE
SCORING:
POR - 4:00 - First Period - James Stefan (1) from Gabe Klassen
POR - 9:52 - First Period - Kyle Chyzowski (1) from Nick Johnson and Alex Thompson
WEN - 11:15 - First Period - Oscar Lovsin (1) from Steven Arp and Miles Cooper
POR - 12:54 - First Period - Marcus Nguyen (1) Jack O'Brien and Josh Zakreski
POR - 14:30 - First Period - Diego Buttazzoni (1) from James Stefan and Gabe Klassen
WEN - 18:56 - First Period - Steven Arp (1) from MIles Cooper and Oscar Lovsin
WEN - 0:32 - Second Period - Briley Wood (1) from Evan Friesen and Karter Prosofsky
POR - 6:21 - Second Period - Gabe Klassen (1)
WEN - 10:37 - Second Period - Oscar Lovsin (2) from Miles Cooper and Jonas Woo
WEN - 0:48 - Third Period - Dawson Seitz (1) from Kenta Isogai and Landon Young
WEN - 3:14 - Third Period - Landon Young (1) from Kurt Rookes
The Story:
The Winterhawks roared out of the gates, but a steady Wild attack potted three unanswered goals in the final 30 minutes to take a 6-5 victory at Town Toyota Center on Friday.
Portland posted a 4-2 lead through the first 20 minutes, quieting the crowd early in Wenatchee's WHL debut. Gabe Klassen (1G, 2A) and James Stefan (1G, 1A) led the Hawks' attack from the start, combining for a beautiful shorthanded 2-on-0 goal just four minutes into the contest. Six minutes later, Kyle Chyzowski tapped home a Nick Johnson cross-crease feed to make it 2-0.
The game began to go back and forth from there as the Wild responded on Oscar Lovsin's first of the night (and first of his career), Portland again flexed its muscle as Marcus Nguyen and Diego Buttazzoni found twine just over 90 seconds apart, and Wenatchee finished off the period with a Steven Arp strike to get within two.
Briley Wood made things interesting for the hosts 32 seconds into the middle stanza, but a Klassen penalty shot conversion again put the Hawks ahead by a pair. Four minutes later, though, Lovsin's second of the night kicked off Wenatchee's comeback in earnest. The Wild tied the game just 48 seconds into the third with a Dawson Seitz marker, then grabbed the eventual game-winner - at 3:14 of the third as Landon Young lit the lamp.
Cohen Massey, Kayd Ruedig and Luke Brunen made their WHL debuts for Portland on Friday. Brunen entered the game in the third period and stopped all six shots that came his way after Justen Maric went 20-for-26 through 43 minutes.
Daniel Hauser picked up the win with 37 saves for Wenatchee.
- Tickets for the 2023-24 season are on sale NOW! With single-game seats, season tickets, flex packs, group tickets and more, there's an option for every fan. We're dropping the puck at the VMC on October 6 against Everett - call us at 503-236-4295 and chase the dream with the Hawks this season!
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