Series Preview: Hawks Eye Down Silvertips
WHL Portland Winterhawks

Series Preview: Hawks Eye Down Silvertips

Published on March 26, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


For the fourth consecutive season the Portland Winterhawks and Everett Silvertips will meet in a best-of-seven playoff series. This iteration comes as the No. 8 seed Winterhawks will take on the No. 1 seed Silvertips in the opening round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien.

Last year it was Kyle McDonough's game winning goal in game seven on the road that sealed the series for the Winterhawks during an electrifying second-round set. Portland won both games five and seven on the road, after falling behind 2-0 to open the series. The win knocked off the reigning Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy winners and advanced Portland to the Western Conference Finals.

One trip around the sun later, and the Silvertips have repeated as Munro champs with the best regular season record in the WHL (and CHL), and have the Winterhawks on deck for another playoff series. This series will follow the familiar 2-2-1-1-1 format that the NHL and NBA use for their postseasons. Games one and two will be held at Angel of the Wind arena in Everett on March 27 and 28, before making the trek south to Veterans Memorial Coliseum for games three and four on March 31 and April 1. If a game six is needed, that will also take place in Portland on April 4.

The Winterhawks will host a Game One watch party at Grains of Wrath, and a Game Two watch party at Cartside.

The WHL Playoffs will be available for free on Victory+ without geo-restrictions, giving fans the opportunity to follow their favorite teams and players on the road to the championship. With Victory+ offering a free, ad-supported streaming service, this ensures that the game is accessible to everyone, no matter where they are or what devices they use, including Samsung and Vizio smart TVs, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, Android and web browser.

Learn more at victoryplus.com/download.

The Winterhawks and Silvertips split their season series 3-3-0-0, with Portland winning the first three meetings of the season, and Everett taking the second three. The Hawks first win of the season came against Everett in September; a road overtime victory courtesy of Nathan Free just 40 seconds into the extra frame. Portland backed it up with a barnburning 7-6 shootout victory in November, and a 5-2 win on New Years Eve at the Glass Palace. Everett then took the rest of the series matchups in regulation 5-2, 4-2, and 8-5 - all those games coming in the final three weeks of the regular season.

Alex Weiermair led the Winterhawks in their yearly battle with the Silvertips, posting six goals and six assists for 12 points against Everett. Captain Ryan Miller was next with nine total points from three goals and six assists. Right behind him was Free, an even four goal, four helper slate for eight points.

Opposite the Hawks, Jesse Heslop topped the Silvertips table with ten points against Portland this season; two goals and eight assists. Landon DuPont is in second with two goals, six assists, and eight points. Then Tarin Smith and Matias Vanhanen are both tied with seven points on the season series.

Exceptional status defenseman DuPont is tied in fourth for defensemen scoring, with 73 points on the season. Winterhawks rookie blueliner Will McLaughlin has tallied a fantastic season from the point, with 30 points from nine goals and 21 assists.

In the season series, both teams sent out their two goaltenders three times. For the Silvertips, Anders Miller took a 2-1-0-0 record, with his only loss being the December regulation defeat. Raiden LeGall struggled against Portland early in the season series, dropping the first two games of the season in overtime and a shootout. However he got his revenge with a win in the most recent game between the two teams on March 15, rising to a 1-0-1-1 record against the Winterhawks.

Ondrej Štěbeták took home a 2-1-0-0 record in his three games, including the first two wins against the Tips this season. Cruz Chase notched a 1-2-0-0 record, winning the New Years Eve meeting.

Behind the Numbers

On special teams, the Winterhawks went 7-for-20 in the powerplay against Everett. Everett, despite owning one of the top power plays in the WHL, only managed to go 3-for-18 with the extra skater.

Home ice has been a boon for both sides all year, but Everett actually preferred it. The Silvertips went 29-5-0-0 behind enemy lines, one win better than at home. One of those road losses came against Portland in December. The Winterhawks hold a slight advantage when playing in the historic Glass Palace, with a 17-11-5-1 record at home.

Series schedule

All games will be streamed on Victory+ or you can listen to Will Hentschel call the game on the Winterhawks Audio Network.

Game Visitor Home Day Date Time

1 Portland @ Everett Friday March 27 7:05 p.m. PST

2 Portland @ Everett Saturday March 28 6:05 p.m. PST

3 Everett @ Portland Tuesday March 31 7:00 p.m. PST

4 Everett @ Portland Wednesday April 1 7:00 p.m. PST

5* Portland @ Everett Friday April 3 7:05 p.m. PST

6* Everett @ Portland Saturday April 4 6:00 p.m. PST

7* Portland @ Everett Tuesday April 7 7:05 p.m. PST

*- If necessary

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 26, 2026


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