Sleeping Giants No More, Vancouver Rolls to 7-1 Win
April 16, 2006 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release
Vancouver, BC-Despite the best efforts of Hawks Goaltender, Kurtis Mucha, the Vancouver Giants ended the Portland Winter Hawks season with a 2-0 win in front of 8,183 tonight in Vancouver, BC.
The 16 year-old rookie netminder single-handedly kept Portland in a close 1-0 game until Gilbert Brule scored on a breakaway with 1:18 left in the contest.
Mucha recorded a series high 46 saves, including 35 straight between Vancouver's two goals.
Milan Lucic scored the game-winning goal for the Giants just 1:11 into the second period. Lucic beat Mucha glove side on a centering pass from teammate Brett Parker.
Vancouver goaltender, Dustin Slade, needed only 13 saves to shut-out Portland.
Portland's special teams unit was scoreless in its six chances.
After lighting the lamp in their first power play opportunity of game one, the Hawks were 0 for 28 the rest of the series.
Both Slade and Mucha provided game-saving performances during the five-game series. Yet, Slade had a much easier time of it facing just 98 shots to Mucha's 211.
Throughout the entire series the Winter Hawks struggled to put pressure on Slade in the midst of Vancouver's suffocating fore check.
Portland's top scoring line of Brandon Dubinsky, Jannik Hanson and Jonathan Bubnick managed just four goals in five games.
The Winter Hawks second line of Brian Woolger, Stanislav Balan and Sasha Golin managed only one goal. A total matched by Portland 15 year-old rookie forward Thomas Frazee. Frazee netted his playoff goal in game four in Portland - just his 20th career WHL game.
Vancouver wins the best-of-seven Western Hockey League Western Conference Semi- Final series four games to one.
The Winter Hawks loss marked the end of the WHL careers of both Woolger and Bubnick. At 20 years old, both are ineligible to return next season.
19 year-old NHL Draft Picks Dubinsky (New York Rangers), Hansen (Vancouver Canucks), and Michael Funk (Buffalo Sabres) technically can return to the Winter Hawks in 2006-07. However, all will be eligible to play in their respective teams' minor league systems next season should they sign pro contracts.
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Western Hockey League Stories from April 16, 2006
- Giants Weekly Recap - Vancouver Giants
- Everett Advances to Western Conference Finals - Everett Silvertips
- Sleeping Giants No More, Vancouver Rolls to 7-1 Win - Portland Winterhawks
- Five Silvertips invited to NHL Draft Combine - Everett Silvertips
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