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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Know Your Foe: Hawks Set for Second-Round Clash with Blazers

April 12, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


For the second consecutive season, the Portland Winterhawks have advanced to the Western Conference Semi-Final. The Hawks will start the best-of-seven series on the road against the #2 seed Kamloops Blazers this Friday and Saturday, before the series shifts to the Rose City on April 19 and April 20.

The Winterhawks won their first-round series 4-1 against the Everett Silvertips, going a perfect 3-0 at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

"The guys that we really wanted to see step up are the guys who have experience in these moments because they can talk from experience," General Manager and Head Coach Mike Johnston said after the series-winning performance. "I thought Gabe Klassen has played some of his best hockey in the last couple of games. I thought Jack O'Brien, you know he had to play against (Austin) Roest and (Jackson) Berezowski the whole time and whoever they put on their wing is a top, top, line and I thought Jack did a good job defensively and he's also contributing (offensively). I give our leadership group credit, but I think the guys who are going to lead moving forward are all those guys that had the experience last year in the playoffs."

Saturday night's Game 5 victory against Everett was the first time in franchise history the Winterhawks had ever clinched a playoff series with an overtime-winning goal on home ice. The veterans came to play with 19-year-old forwards Gabe Klassen and James Stefan scoring in regulation and the Hawks' lone 20-year-old skater Robbie Fromm-Delorme netting the overtime winner 9:45 into the sudden death period.

Up north, the Blazers averaged six goals per game en route to a sweep of the Vancouver Giants in their first-round match-up. Dallas Stars prospect and reigning CHL Player of the Year Logan Stankoven and Minnesota Wild draftee Caedan Bankier paced the club in first-round scoring with nine points (4G-5A) apiece and will lead the way as Kamloops looks to make it back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference Championship series. Between the pipes, Dylan Ernst picked up two shutouts in the first round and recorded a stingy 1.16 GAA through his first four postseason outings after leading the league with 38 wins during the regular season.

As the host city for this summer's Memorial Cup, Kamloops is guaranteed to be one of four teams competing for the CHL's penultimate prize. But the Winterhawks aren't changing their approach for any opponent this postseason, keeping their eyes on what's ahead and winning one battle at a time.

"I think the most important thing is to never focus on your previous shift, it's just important to focus on the shift that's coming up," said forward Robbie Fromm-Delorme. "Whether you made a bad play, or something happened before, it doesn't matter...it doesn't matter how we played last period, last game or in the last 10 games, it's how you play in your next shift."

Luca Cagnoni shoves a Kamloops defender while protecting the puck in a game on October 15, 2022. (Photo: Keith Dwiggins)

Portland took three of four meetings between the clubs in 2022-23, but that stat comes with the caveat that all three wins were earned before Kamloops brought in Olen Zellweger and Ryan Hofer in a deal that "blockbuster" wouldn't even begin to describe. After shipping out a whopping 10 draft picks and four players/prospects to bring the two former Silvertips into the fold, the Blazers' already impressive lineup only became more dominant, and they picked up their first win over the Winterhawks this year with a 5-1 decision at the Sandman Centre on Feb. 1.

Still, the Winterhawks will like their odds with victories over a team that included standouts like Stankoven and Bankier, as well as Dallas Stars prospect Matthew Seminoff and Toronto Maple Leafs pick Fraser Minten, and will lean on their own depth in what should be a fantastic series between two top teams in the WHL.

Series Schedule:

Game 1 - Friday, April 14 - @KAM - 7:00 P.M.

Game 2 - Saturday, April 15 - @KAM - 7:00 P.M.

Game 3 - Wednesday, April 19 - @POR - 7:00 P.M.

Game 4 - Thursday, April 20 - @POR - 7:00 P.M.

*Game 5 - Saturday, April 22 - @KAM - 7:00 P.M.

*Game 6 - Monday, April 24 - @POR - 7:00 P.M.

*Game 7 - Wednesday, April 26 - @KAM - 7:00 P.M.

Regular Season Results:

Portland 1 @ Kamloops 5 (Feb 1 2023) Final

Kamloops 2 @ Portland 3 (Nov 19 2022) Final OT

Kamloops 4 @ Portland 5 (Oct 15 2022) Final SO

Portland 3 @ Kamloops 0 (Sep 23 2022) Final

POR Leading Scorers in the Season Series:

Robbie Fromm-Delorme: 2G - 2A - 4 PTS

Jack O'Brien: 0G - 4A- 4 PTS

Kyle Chyzowski: 2G - 1A - 3 PTS

Gabe Klassen: 2G - 0A - 2 PTS

Marcus Nguyen: 2G - 0A - 2 PTS

KAM Leading Scorers in the Season Series:

Matthew Seminoff: 4G - 1A - 5 PTS

Ryan Hofer: 3G - 2A - 5 PTS (all with Everett)

Logan Stankoven: 2G - 3A - 5 PTS

Olen Zellweger: 2G - 3A - 5 PTS (1-2-3 with Everett)

Caedan Bankier: 1G - 2A - 3 PTS

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Playoffs are in full swing! The Hawks are off to Round 2 against the Kamloops Blazers, and will host guaranteed games on April 19 & 20! Call 503-236-4295 or click here to secure your tickets today!

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Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from April 12, 2023


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