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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Winterhawks Weekly: Another Three-Win Week Pushes Point Streak to 14

January 31, 2022 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


Finishing off a grueling January schedule, the Winterhawks again soared past opponents, topping Prince George, Seattle and Tri-City by a combined 18-6 to sweep yet another three-in-three weekend. The Winterhawks have climbed to second in the U.S. Division and third in the WHL's Western Conference after building up a 14-game point streak (13-0-0-1) and a seven-game winning streak.

Hot Hawks:

Forward Jack O'Brien posted two goals and four assists for six points in three games last weekend, and enters this week with goals in three of his last four outings and a four-game point streak.

Forward Cross Hanas bagged back-to-back multi-point efforts against Seattle (1G, 1A) and Tri-City (1G, 3A). Hanas has goals in five of his last six games, and his performance against the Americans marked his second four-point showing in his last four games.

Forward Josh Zakreski scored his first WHL goal against the Seattle Thunderbirds on Saturday night. Zakreski's tally helped spur on the Hawks' three-goal comeback en route to a 6-5 SO win.

Forward Luke Schelter recorded a pair of multi-point games last week, with two points on Friday (1G, 1A) and three on Sunday (1G, 2A). Schelter has now scored in three of his last five games, and remains the team's highest-scoring rookie with six goals and 11 assists for 17 points this season.

Defenseman and co-captain Clay Hanus enters this week with a seven-game point streak. Hanus scored on Friday, then set up teammates on Saturday and Sunday and ranks tied for third among all WHL blueliners with 37 points on the year.

Goaltender Taylor Gauthier remained perfect (7-0-0-0) in a Winterhawks sweater with another two wins this week to earn WHL Goalie of the Week honors for a second time during the month of January, and his .930% save percentage on the year leads all WHL goaltenders.

Play of the Week:

There was a lot to love about Portland's 8-0 win to cap off the weekend on Sunday, but this team play for Kyle Chyzowski's second goal of the weekend was second to none. From Luca Cagnoni deftly batting the puck out of midair and turning it up ice in an instant, to Luke Schelter finding Cross Hanas with a slick saucer feed, to Hanas then smartly chipping the puck back towards a streaking Chyzowski for the fine finish - it's a thing of beauty. Take a look:

Weekly Rewind:

Portland 4 vs Prince George 1 (Friday):

Led by two-point efforts from Jack O'Brien and Luke Schelter, the Portland Winterhawks topped the Prince George Cougars 4-1 during Pride Night at the VMC on Friday. Taylor Gauthier - traded to Portland by the Cougars on Dec. 27 - got the best of his old club with 26 saves on 27 shots.

Portland 6 at Seattle 5 *SO (Saturday):

After a see-saw 60 minutes which included a three-goal comeback for Portland, the Winterhawks knocked off the Seattle Thunderbirds for a fourth consecutive meeting 6-5 in a shootout. James Stefan recorded the only goal in the shootout, while Dante Giannuzzi posted 39 saves on 44 shots to stretch his personal point streak to seven games.

Portland 8 vs Tri-City 0 (Sunday):

Four different Winterhawks posted multiple points and Taylor Gauthier posted a 17-save shutout as Portland hammered Tri-City 8-0 to cap off a second straight 3-0-0-0 weekend for the Hawks. The Winterhawks' victory marked their seventh in a row and pushed their point streak to 14 consecutive games (13-0-0-1).

The Week Ahead:

The Winterhawks hit the road for a pair of U.S. Division battles!

On Friday, Portland visits Kennewick to take on the Americans for the second of two straight meetings between the clubs. Puck drop is at 7:05 pm for that contest. The Hawks are 4-1-0-2 against the Ams after last Sunday's resounding 8-0 win at the VMC.

Saturday features Portland's first visit to Spokane since Cross Hanas and James Stefan combined for their highlight-reel "Zegras" goal on Dec. 18, 2021. The Hawks are 5-1-0-0 against Spokane this year, and that "1" in the loss column is their most recent regulation defeat - a 4-1 Chiefs victory on Dec. 17.

Upcoming Promo Nights:

Saturday, Feb. 19 - Black Hockey History Night -

Season Ticket Memberships, 20-Game Plans and Flex Plans are now on sale for the 2021-22 season. To learn more about all available ticketing options, visit Winterhawks.com/Tickets or call our ticket office at 503-236-4295.

The all-new Flex Packs provide even more flexibility, giving you ten ticket vouchers to use any way you want at any regular season game. Ten tickets to one game? Two tickets to five games? Five tickets to two games? Doesn't matter, any way you want, you got it!

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Western Hockey League Stories from January 31, 2022


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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