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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Strong Start Helps Hawks Top Tips 4-2, Stretch Point Streak to Five Games

December 11, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Luca Cagnoni posted three points as the Winterhawks cruised past the Silvertips 4-2 on Sunday.

Game #28: Portland (4) vs Everett (2)

SOG: POR (33) - EVT (34)

PP: POR (1/1) - EVT (1/4)

Saves: Špunar (32/34) - Holt (29/33)

COMPLETE BOX SCORE

SCORING:

POR - 6:14 - First Period - Gabe Klassen (18) from Dawson Pasternak and Luca Cagnoni

POR - 7:57 - First Period - Carter Sotheran (2) from Luca Cagnoni and James Stefan

POR - 15:57 - First Period - James Stefan (6) from Luca Cagnoni and Jack O'Brien

EVT - 10:28 - Second Period - Ryan Hofer (17) from Aidan Sutter and Austin Roest

POR - 14:45 - Second Period - Aidan Litke (8) from Gabe Klassen and Robbie Fromm-Delorme

EVT - 16:22 - Second Period - Austin Roest (20) from Caden Zaplitny and Jackson Berezowski

The Story:

Three first-period goals and 32 saves from Jan Špunar helped the Winterhawks (21-4-2-1) knock off the Everett Silvertips (15-12-1-0) by a 4-2 final on Sunday for their third straight win.

In addition to its three-game winning streak, Portland has also recorded points in five consecutive outings (4-0-1-0).

Fresh off a thrilling Teddy Bear Toss win on Saturday, the Winterhawks got right back to work with two early tallies on Sunday. Gabe Klassen potted the first with a pass that deflected off an Everett skate and past Braden Holt at 6:14 of the first. Just over 90 seconds later, the Hawks made it 2-0 on the back of some individual brilliance from Luca Cagnoni. The top 2023 NHL Draft prospect picked up the puck in the bottom left corner before circling the entire zone, driving through the slot and dishing to his defense partner, fellow draft-eligible Carter Sotheran, for a backdoor tap-in and a 2-0 Portland lead. Pouring on the pressure, the Hawks' power play struck at 15:57 of the first as James Stefan rifled a shot from the right circle bar-down over Holt's shoulder for his first goal since Nov. 4.

Everett cut into Portland's lead with a 5-on-3 tally midway through the second period as Ryan Hofer fired home his 17th of the year, but Aidan Litke quickly responded to restore the hosts' three-goal advantage. Following a turnover at the blue line, Gabe Klassen deflected a Robbie Fromm-Delorme shot off of Holt's pad to a waiting Litke for the tidy tuck.

The 'Tips continued to push, and Austin Roest posted his team-leading 20th goal of the season to again cut Portland's lead to two heading into the third, but Špunar and the Hawks held strong in the final 20 for the 4-2 victory.

Portland is off until Friday, Dec. 16, when they kick off the front end of a home-and-home with the Vancouver Giants at Langley Events Centre. They return home to take on the Giants at the VMC at 6:00 P.M. on Saturday for Holiday Sweater Night.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT presented by BBF TECHNOLOGIES:

"It felt amazing. Just seeing (the puck) go in definitely builds confidence, so yeah, felt really good...couple huge wins against some great teams in our division. These are big points at this time of year, definitely helps build some confidence going into Christmas break and feel good coming back."

Winterhawks forward James Stefan

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from December 11, 2022


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