Portland Winterhawks This Week

Published on October 5, 2009 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Portland Pirates News Release


Hawks Happenings On The Ice:

With road wins over Spokane and Kamloops over the weekend, the Winterhawks improved to 5-1 (.833) on the season, and are now tied with the Calgary Hitmen for the top winning percentage in the WHL. Furthermore, that winning percentage ties them for third in the entire Canadian Hockey League (CHL), which includes a total of 60 teams in the WHL, Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

Portland is winning thanks to dominating performances at both ends of the ice. Offensively, the team is averaging 4.67 goals per game, the best mark in the WHL, and trails just the OHL's Windsor Spitfires for the top mark in the CHL. Defensively, Portland is giving up just 2.0 goals per game, tying them with the Brandon Wheat Kings for the top spot in the WHL, and third among the 60 CHL teams.

Portland's offense is clicking despite no players among the top 10 in WHL scoring, as Portland's 28 goals have come from 13 different players. Chris Francis leads the team with nine points, while Luke Walker and Troy Rutkowski each have eight. Rutkowski's eight points is also tops among WHL defensemen.

In net, Kurtis Mucha's 1.64 goals against average is the top mark in the WHL, and ranks fourth in the entire CHL. Meanwhile, Ian Curtis is 11th in the WHL with a goals against of 2.34 per game.

Portland boasts a goal differential of +16, tops in the WHL and third among all CHL teams. As a result, four of the top five plus/minus leaders in the WHL are Winterhawks: Daniel Johnston is first at +10, Rutkowski's +9 is tied for second, and Francis and Joe Morrow are tied for fourth at +8. Johnston's +10 mark is tied for the CHL lead with one player each from the OHL and QMJHL.

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American Hockey League Stories from October 5, 2009


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