WHL Portland Winterhawks

Hawks Win Fourth Straight 7-2 Over Wenatchee

Published on December 14, 2023 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Portland, Ore. - Portland's offense continued to thrive on Wednesday, scoring six+ goals for the fourth straight game and picking up a fourth straight win with a 7-2 final against the Wenatchee Wild.

Goaltender Justen Maric earned a third consecutive win of his own with 26 saves on 28 shots. The Hawks move to 19-9-1-1 on the year with the win.

The Winterhawks opened the game with three consecutive goals in 21:55 for an early lead. Jack O'Brien nabbed the first, rifling a loose puck in the high slot into the top corner of the net 15:44 into the contest. Josh Davies and Marcus Nguyen wasted little time boosting that advantage in the second period, scoring twice in the first two minutes - both on the power play. Davies' 21st of the year marked a new career high as he tapped home a Gabe Klassen feed in the slot, while Nguyen showed off his speed and tucked a low shot into the far corner for #10 on the season.

Graham Sward responded for Wenatchee with a power-play blast at 7:53, but Klassen's 100th career goal at 13:41 quickly restored the three-goal lead. Assisted by James Stefan for his 200th career point, Klassen fired a wrist shot from the left circle to make it 4-1 Hawks and become the 27th Winterhawk all-time with 100 career goals.

A late second-period strike from Luke Shcherbyna gave Wenatchee more life heading into the final frame, but three Portland goals in the third put the game on ice. Josh Zakreski bagged the first midway through the frame after some strong work from Kyle McDonough to set him up, while O'Brien notched his second of the night with an empty netter at 17:53. In the final seconds, Portland's power play found paydirt one more time as Hudson Darby snuck home his third of the season.

The Winterhawks' next contest arrives on Friday as they open up a home-and-home with the Spokane Chiefs on the road before returning to the VMC on Saturday for Holiday Sweater Night.

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from December 14, 2023


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