WHL Portland Winterhawks

Winter Hawks Win Fourth Straight Home Game, 4-0

Published on November 4, 2004 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Dustin Butler stopped 23 shots for his second shut out of the season as the Portland Winter Hawks own their fourth straight home game, 4-0, over the Prince George Cougars Wednesday in Memorial Coliseum.

Butler has both shutouts this season against Prince George and last season shut out Kamloops twice. The 17-year-old goalie, not even eligible for the NHL draft until 2006, has four career shutouts to go with his teammate Blake Grenier's 11 giving the Portland goaltending tandem 15 career WHL shutouts between them.

Dan Da Silva had a goal and 2 assists and Frazer McLaren, Michael Funk and Darrell May all added single tallies as Portland, now (8-7-0-1), ended Prince George's 6-game unbeaten streak

Brian Woolger (WULL-ger) also added 2 assists on Portland's first two goals in the first period, both outstanding passing plays.

Portland will try to snap a 4-game road losing streak Friday in Tri-Cities. On Saturday, Portland plays its first game in the Rose Garden since their home opener on October 2 as first place Seattle, now (11-4) on the season, comes to town for a 7:00 face off.

The Hawks played without last season's leading scorer, Brandon Dubinsky, who is out indefinitely after suffering a badly lacerated finger tip in last Saturday's 4-2 loss in Everett. Silvertip forward Barry Horman slashed Dubinsky right through his glove with about 1:30 left in the game. Horman received no penalty on the play, but was suspended for one game by the WHL office Wednesday after review of the incident on video tape. Horman served that suspension in Tuesday's 3-0 Everett loss to Prince George. The Cougars were still without their team captain, power forward Myles Zimmer, who has missed the entire season with an abdominal pull. Zimmer had 21 goals and 205 penalty minutes last season.

Prince George has been on a big time roll since losing to the Winter Hawks, 5-0, on October 16 in Memorial Coliseum in the only other game between the two teams. The Cougars came into the game undefeated in their last 6 games, (4-0-2), and off back to back road shut out wins. Prince George outshot the defending Memorial Cup champion Kelowna Rockets 34-24 in a 3-0 win at Prospera Place in Kelowna last Friday and then killed off all 10 Everett power plays in a 3-0 win in Everett Tuesday night. Cougar goalie Justin Pogge, a third round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, posted both shutouts, stopping all 48 of the shots he faced in the two games. The most consecutive shut outs in league history is 4, set back in 1967-68, by Chris Worthy of the Flin Flon Bombers. Pogge came into the game as Prince George's career shutout leader with 5, besting Chris Mason, now of the Nashville Predators.

The Cougars were confident early as they forechecked the Hawks silly in their own zone for the first few shifts of the game. The Hawks did not bend much, though, and goalie Dustin Butler looked calm stopping rookie forward Dan Gendur and 17-year-old budding star Nick Drazenovic. Once the Hawks got it on, they did it with everyone jumping into the attack. Defenseman Braydon Coburn, went flying up the slot during a Hawks rush, feeding Woolger on left wing with Da Silva driving to the net. Tic, tack, toe, 1-0 Hawks. Pogge knew then this would not be three shutouts in a row. Then, it was defenseman Michael Funk's turn. He got the green light to head for the net with Da Silva and Woolger leading the rush. Funk went to the top of the crease and waited. Tic, tack, toe, 2-0 Hawks. The Hawks had four great chances during a 5-on-3 power play to extend the lead, but Pogge stopped Cody McLeod and Woolger and got help from his friends, the goal posts, on what looked like sure goals by Coburn and Da Silva. Butler had to come up with a nice stop on Colin Patterson during a Cougar power play, and then the Hawks made it 3-0 as May beat Pogge with a shot from just inside the blue line, low stick. Portland outshot Prince George 14-9 in the period.

Portland put the clamps on the Cougars in the second period, only allowing 3 shots on net, partially because the Hawks spent a lot of time on the power play. Ex-Winter Hawk Danny LaPointe picked up a double minor penalty for spearing and the Hawks made it 4-0 with their only extra-man goal in 10 chances on the night. Garrett Festerling and Dan Da Silva played a little catch along the left wing boards, drawing the Cougar defenders out, as big 6'4, 223 pound Frazer McLaren went to the net. Da Silva threaded the needle with a gorgeous pass and McLaren slammed it home for his second goal of the season, both against the Cougars. The Hawks, who came into the game with the top ranked power play in the entire league, had lots of time to practice it. The Hawks used the comfortable lead to break in rookies Nick Hotson, Sasha Golin and Cameron Cepek with some nice bonus power play time.

The teams seemed fairly content to skate out the third period until a line brawl broke out with 4:22 to go. It started with LaPointe laying a cross-check, which referee Sean Raphael would rule a major penalty, on 16-year-old Hawks rookie Sasha Golin. He didn't care LaPointe's action much, and Golin came up throwin' ‘em. That ignited a series of tilts. Rookie defenseman Jordie Fike locked horns with Cougar veteran Devon Featherstone and did well in his first WHL fight. Fike, Alex Aldred, who was robbed twice by back-up goalie Real Cyr on terrific scoring chances earlier in the period, and Brendan Mikkelson were given automatic game misconducts for second fights after the initial bout between LaPointe and Golin.

Butler got a little help from the goal post, too, to help him preserve his shutout as Brett Parker had a shorthanded breakaway chance rip off the bar with about 33 seconds left in the game.

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Western Hockey League Stories from November 4, 2004


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