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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Know Your Foe: Portland Winterhawks vs. Everett Silvertips WHL Playoff Preview

April 11, 2024 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Sixteen teams started the 2024 WHL Playoffs, and now, just eight remain. The 2-seed Portland Winterhawks earned their spot in that final eight with a four-game sweep of the Victoria Royals in Round 1, earning a date with their U.S. Division rival Everett Silvertips.

While Portland ousted Victoria, Everett held off the Vancouver Giants in five games after dropping Game 1 of its own first-round series. During the regular season, the Silvertips hung tight with the Hawks atop the U.S. Division throughout the campaign and ultimately finished with a 45-18-2-3 record (95pts) - six points behind Portland.

After eight meetings between these clubs during the regular season, there's plenty of fuel for fireworks as the postseason levels up for Round 2. Add in that it's a rematch of last season's first-round playoff matchup with several key returners on both sides, and we're well into must-watch territory. The Winterhawks took last year's series in five games, including some Robbie Fromm-Delorme OT heroics in Game 5, but a new challenge lies ahead.

"There's gonna be some bad blood for sure. During the year, it was tough games and it's a big rematch here. We've got a full team that's ready to go here, they've got a full team that's ready to go there," said Winterhawks forward Josh Zakreski.

It's not the traditional Portland/Seattle I-5 Rivalry, but make no mistake - these two clubs have been putting on a show for years now. With a total of 10 NHL-affiliated skaters in the matchup, the Hawks and Tips will both feel confident about their championship credentials.

"I think they're a great team. I think they're gonna come out hot too, especially since we beat them last year. It's gonna be a great series with some tight battles and I think it'll be fun," said Hawks defenseman Carter Sotheran.

Portland's line of Josh Davies, Gabe Klassen and James Stefan was key to its success in Round 1, particularly early in the series. But the Hawks' strength lies in their depth, and it was Zakreski's line with Diego Buttazzoni and Kyle Chyzowski that came up huge in a decisive Game 4.

The Winterhawks pride themselves on attacking in waves, from Klassen's line, to Danielson's line, to Zakreski, Buttazzoni, Chyzowski and more. Against Everett's talented and similarly deep group, Portland will need four lines rolling to establish its game on a nightly basis.

"I think we've got a solid D-core, solid goaltending and solid forwards," said Zakreski. "I think any line can produce on any night, it's just a matter of who's feeling hot that night. It's nice to have a lot of depth and not solely rely on one line to produce every game."

Each team is well-rested following swift first-round victories, with plenty of time to recover from bumps and bruises accrued along the way. The speed, physicality and overall energy ramp up in a big way in the postseason - and the Hawks are thriving on it.

"It's a lot more physical in the playoffs, which I love," said Sotheran. "I think that my game translates really well, so I just try to take advantage of what's given to me with ice time or whatever it is. Just playing more physical, playing to my strengths and jumping up in the rush while playing solid defensively has been my overall focus."

Zakreski echoed his teammate's sentiments and noted the importance of settling in to the style of playoff hockey.

"It was good to finish Round 1 off with a clean sweep. It's good that we have no injuries, we get that time to rest and prepare for Round 2," he said. "In terms of jitters, everyone kinda struggles a bit in the first round but we're past that now and we're ready for what's to come."

"What's to come" is an Everett team led by NHL prospects Austin Roest and Ben Hemmerling, plus a star netminder in reigning WHL Goaltender of the Week Tyler Palmer. Like the Winterhawks, the Silvertips are strong in transition and found plenty of special teams success in Round 1, with a 30.4% PP (4th in the WHL) and 82.4% PK (6th in WHL).

Portland fared well against Everett in the regular season on the strength of its offense, outscoring the Silvertips 39-25 en route to a 6-2-0-0 record in the season series. Seven of the eight games featured at least five total goals scored, highlighted by the Hawks' thrilling 10-2 win on Feb. 13. But goals are harder to come by in the postseason, highlighting the importance of playing a disciplined, detailed game when the spotlight is at its brightest.

"Going into the series, we've just gotta play the right way. There's nothing special about it at all," said Zakreski.

"If we just play the way we're supposed to, I think Everett's gonna give us a good run, but we can find a way to make it past them."

Series Schedule:

Game 1 - Friday, April 12 - @POR - 7:00 P.M.

Game 2 - Saturday, April 13 - @POR - 6:00 P.M.

Game 3 - Monday, April 15 - @EVT - 7:05 P.M.

Game 4 - Friday, April 19 - @EVT - 7:05 P.M.

*Game 5 - Saturday, April 20 - @EVT - 6:05 P.M.

*Game 6 - Monday, April 22 - @POR - 7:00 P.M.

*Game 7 - Tuesday, April 23 - @POR - 7:00 P.M.

*If Necessary | HOME

Regular Season Results (POR went 6-2-0-0):

Portland 0 @ Everett 4 (Feb 18 2024)

Everett 2 @ Portland 10 (Feb 13 2024)

Everett 4 @ Portland 5 (Jan 5 2024) SO

Portland 6 @ Everett 3 (Dec 10 2023)

Portland 3 @ Everett 6 (Nov 24 2023)

Everett 4 @ Portland 6 (Nov 19 2023)

Portland 5 @ Everett 1 (Oct 21 2023)

Everett 1 @ Portland 4 (Oct 6 2023)

POR Leading Scorers in the Season Series:

Gabe Klassen 4G - 11A - 15 PTS

James Stefan 7G - 5A - 12 PTS

Josh Davies 5G - 4A - 9 PTS

Jack O'Brien 5G - 4A - 9 PTS

Luca Cagnoni 1G - 8A - 9 PTS

EVT Leading Scorers in the Season Series:

Teague Patton 4G - 3A - 7 PTS

Austin Roest 4G - 3A - 7 PTS

Ben Hemmerling 2G - 5A - 7 PTS

Julius Miettinen 2G - 4A - 6 PTS

Dominik Rymon 1G - 4A - 5 PTS

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