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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Stefan, Zakreski Stay Hot as Hawks Win Third Straight

December 10, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


James Stefan's second hat-trick of the weekend and Josh Zakreski's second consecutive two-goal showing provided a bit of deja vu as the Winterhawks swept the weekend with a 6-3 road win over the Everett Silvertips on Sunday. Nick Avakyan stopped 31 of 34 shots for his first win with Portland as the Hawks moved to 18-9-1-1 on the year.

Stefan's natural hat-trick helped the Hawks open up a big lead in the second period. With both teams deadlocked at three apiece, the 20-year-old bagged three consecutive goals in 9:31 for his second three-piece of the weekend. He first struck on a loose-puck play in the slot with a lofted shot over Tyler Palmer at 6:39, then doubled it six minutes later after Josh Davies flipped a pass over the net for Stefan to skate into and wire into the lower corner. Stefan capped it off on a rush chance at 16:10, netting a Kyle Chyzowski rebound at the left side of the net.

Everett was the stronger team at the start, scoring twice in the first nine minutes through Julien Maze and Hayden Smith for an early lead. The Winterhawks worked their way back into the game, and struck twice in the final 1:03 of the first period to stun the Silvertips and tie the game. Gabe Klassen grabbed the first with a strong move from the corner into the slot on the power play, then Zakreski kept his strong weekend going with a laser from the high slot in the waning seconds.

After the Silvertips reclaimed the lead early in the middle frame, Zakreski set the stage for the Hawks to grab momentum with his second game-tying goal of the night. The 2024 NHL Draft-eligible skater created a rush chance with Nick Johnson, then collected and deposited the rebound from Johnson's shot 1:56 into the second stanza.

The Hawks are back in action on home ice this Wednesday at 7:00 P.M. against the Wenatchee Wild.

- Tickets for the 2023-24 season are on sale NOW! With single-game seats, season tickets, flex packs, group tickets and more, there's an option for every fan.

- The Winterhawks trust Riverside Payments for all of their credit card processing as the team's official credit card processors.

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Western Hockey League Stories from December 10, 2023


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