WHL Portland Winterhawks

Seattle Edges Portland on Late Goal, 2-1

Published on January 20, 2007 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Radek Meidl (MY-dull) from the Czech Republic scored the winning goal with 3:33 left, converting a rebound after a shot hit the goal post on the power play, as Seattle edged the Portland Winter Hawks 2-1 Saturday in Key Arena.

Meidl was robbed by Portland goalie Kurtis Mucha moments before he scored the winner. Mucha finished with 31 saves in an outstanding performance.

Tristan King scored Portland's lone goal off a Seattle turnover in the second period. Greg Scott also scored for Seattle, both of their goals coming on the power play. The Hawks' power play, which had scored 19 goals in the last 13 games, came up empty in five chances.

Portland, (14-30-1-1), has lost 4 in a row. The Hawks are in Everett Wednesday at 7:05 and Everett is in Memorial Coliseum for a 7:30 game next Friday. The Hawks are also in town next Saturday, hosting the Chilliwack Bruins for "Mascot Hockey Night" with a 7:30 face off in the Coliseum. The Winter Hawks "Skills Challenge" will be held next Sunday at 12 Noon, also in Memorial Coliseum, with free admission and free parking.

Seattle, (2213-1-11), won its last game of its Eastern swing, 6-5 in overtime, in Prince Albert Wednesday. The Thunderbirds came into the game (2-3-0-2) in their last 7 games, playing 9 of their last 10 games on the road. Seattle lost its team captain, and leading scorer, 20-year-old Aaron Gagnon, to a separated shoulder on the trip. Gagnon is listed as "day to day", but did not play, getting the Western Conference Player of the Month Award in pre-game ceremonies. Gagnon, the #6 scorer in the WHL with 54 points in 40 games, signed a free agent NHL contract with the Dallas Stars in the off-season.

Seattle came into the game with a 1 point lead of Spokane and Tri-Cities in the race for second place in the U.S. Division and home ice advantage in the first round of playoffs. So, needless to say, no one is taking the rebuilding Hawks lightly. Frazer McLaren, a leader of the Hawks' forecheck and a 15-goal scorer, was assessed a one-game suspension today by the WHL for his elbowing major penalty in Portland's 7-3 loss to Tri-Cities Friday in the Rose Garden so he did not play Saturday. The Hawks scratched Colton Sceviour (broken foot) and defenseman Ty Ariss, who has now gone home, out for the season with a collapsed lung.

The Hawks had much better flow coming out of their own zone in the first period against Seattle than we saw earlier in the week against Spokane and Tri-Cities. Still, Seattle's speed, like the speed shown by Spokane and Tri-Cities, caused Portland's defense some problems. Seattle either missed the net, or mishandled the puck in front of the net, on its best scoring chances in the period. Seattle did get the lone goal, on the power play, on a nice feed from the right wing by 17-year-old Prab Rai, acquired in a deal with Prince George earlier this season, setting up a nice re-direct by Greg Scott from the hash marks right in front of Hawks' goalie Kurtis Mucha. The Portland netminder came up with large saves on Bud Holloway, Ian McKenzie and Brett Robertson and dodged close calls from Radek Meidl and McKenzie who could not finish great chances from the crease area. Portland had more time in the attacking zone. Matt Betker had two good chances to score, one as he was interfered with late in the period chasing a rebound of a shot by Teegan Moore after Matt Schmermund rushed the puck up the ice. Nick Hotson had an excellent chance in tight, set up by Schmermund, but he caught the crossbar. Shots were even at 7-7 as Portland's young line of Matt Sokol, Chris Francis and Thomas Frazee had a couple of good shifts in the Seattle zone as well.

Seattle had some good chances early in the period, the best on a 2-on-1 shorthanded break with Scott burning toward the net off left wing, but Mucha made a huge glove save to keep Portland within a goal. The Hawks came back on the power play, King setting up a good chance for Viktor Sjodin in the crease, but Sjodin could not finish a backhand. Sjodin had another good chance on a deflection of a Langwieder shot from the high slot, but it went wide of the glove side of Seattle goalie Derek Yeomans. The Hawks tied it when King picked off an errant outlet pass, made a nice move into the slot on his backhand, but the shot hit a leg, came right back to him, and he sniped a perfect forehand, top corner, glove side, for his 4th goal of the season for the 16-year-old from Minnesota. Portland had to survive a Seattle surge at the end of the period as defenseman Bretton Stamler sent Scott in on a breakaway pass, but Mucha challenged, forcing the shot wide. Mucha also did a great job of covering a loose puck with McKenzie lurking in the crease, and he dodged a backdoor rebound with Robertson wide open, but the puck bounced out of his reach. Shots were 15-10, Seattle, in the period, Mucha stopping all 15 shots directed at the Portland net as the game was tie, 1-1, after two.

The Thunderbirds cranked up the pressure in the third period, but Mucha denied them time and time again. He stopped Bud Holloway, a 3rd round pick of the LA Kings, with a great pad save on a shot from the right circle. He stoned Meidl twice, once with a glove save off a feed from David Richard. He made two huge saves on Ian McKenzie and, after Meidl scored the winner on the rebound off the goal post, he stoned Richard on a 2-on-1 shorthanded break with a superb glove save. The Hawks had more attack zone time in this game, and had quite a bit in the third period, but did not penetrate the low slot very often. Seattle goalie Derek Yeomans had a clear view of most of the shots coming his way and the Hawks did not create very much with two power play chances in the third period. Shots were 11-6 in the third period and 33-23 for the game, favoring Seattle.

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from January 20, 2007


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