Hawks Win Fifth Straight, Top Blazers 4-1
Published on October 14, 2023 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release
Portland, Ore. - Four different skaters lit the lamp as the Winterhawks knocked off the Kamloops Blazers 4-1 for their fifth consecutive victory. Portland moves to 5-1-0 on the year with the win and has posted four or more goals in all six contests this season.
A slow start for the Hawks saw Kamloops take a 1-0 lead just 48 seconds into the game, but Portland's veteran group built an attack from there. James Stefan kicked off the comeback with his fifth of the season at 13:50, rifling a shot through the Blazers' netminder from the slot. Josh Zakreski's first of the year gave the Hawks a lead they would not relinquish, as the 2024 NHL Draft prospect took a Marcus Nguyen pass in the left circle and picked the top corner at 17:32.
Hudson Darby doubled Portland's lead 8:08 into the second period with his first WHL goal, a seeing-eye shot from the right circle that made it 3-1 heading into the third. Diego Buttazzoni then picked up the slack in the final frame as he notched his sixth goal in as many games to make it 4-1 Hawks.
Jan Špunar stopped 26 of 27 shots for his fourth consecutive victory between the pipes, while Jesse Sanche turned aside a whopping 46 of 50 shots in the Blazers' cage.
The Winterhawks are back in action this Sunday, October 15, for Hawktoberfest against the Tri-City Americans at 5:00 P.M.
-- WINTERHAWKS.COM -
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