Winterhawks Weekly: Hawks Close out Eastern Swing

Sports stats



WHL Portland Winterhawks

Winterhawks Weekly: Hawks Close out Eastern Swing

January 20, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


The Portland Winterhawks completed a demanding four-in-five road stretch across Saskatchewan, finishing up this season's Eastern Swing against the Prince Albert Raiders, Saskatoon Blades, Moose Jaw Warriors, and Swift Current Broncos. Despite a tough schedule, the Hawks came out with a 2-2 record and now sit fourth overall in the Western Conference with 25 wins on the season.

Hot Hawks:

Captain Kyle Chyzowski had a stellar week, tallying five points (1G, 4A), extending his point streak to six games, and playing in his 250th game as a Winterhawk.

Defenseman Tyson Jugnauth was a standout with a seven-point week (2G, 5A) and his 100th WHL point, maintaining his spot at the top of the CHL's defensive scoring leaderboard.

Forward Josh Zakreski continued his strong play, averaging a point per game with four goals in three games.

Forward Alex Weiermair contributed four points over four games, earning 20 points in 18 games played with the Winterhawks.

Defenseman Kayd Ruedig put up three points this past week, including his second career multi-point game.

Play of the Week:

This week's Play of the Week goes to Ryan Miller, who scored a game-tying goal in the final minutes of regulation against Saskatoon, helping the Hawks battle back from a two-goal deficit and force overtime. Portland ultimately took the game in a shootout.

Weekly Rewind:

Portland 4, Prince Albert 5 (Tuesday):

The Winterhawks mounted a spirited comeback but came up short in a 5-4 loss to the Prince Albert Raiders. After falling behind 2-0 in the first period, Portland fought back in the second, with Tyson Jugnauth assisting Josh Zakreski to score before tying the game himself. Despite outshooting the Raiders 41-24, the Winterhawks couldn't complete the rally.

Portland 4, Saskatoon 3 SO (Wednesday):

The Portland Winterhawks staged a thrilling third-period comeback and triumphed in a 4-3 shootout victory over the Saskatoon Blades on Wednesday night. Josh Zakreski opened the scoring just 43 seconds into the game, but Saskatoon responded quickly, taking a 3-1 lead by early in the second period with two power-play goals. Refusing to relent, Portland roared back late in the third as Tyson Jugnauth netted a power-play goal to narrow the gap, and Ryan Miller tied the game with a bar-down snipe at 17:28. After a scoreless overtime, Jugnauth and Kyle Chyzowski clinched the win in the shootout, while Ondřej Štěbeták denied two Blades attempts to secure the victory. Portland outshot Saskatoon 46-25 in the effort.

Portland 5, Moose Jaw 2 (Friday):

The Portland Winterhawks earned a commanding 5-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors on Friday night in a rematch of the 2024 WHL Championship series. After Moose Jaw opened the scoring early in the first period, Carter Sotheran tied the game with a glove-side ripper, and Kayd Ruedig gave Portland the lead minutes later with a precise shot from the left dot. Moose Jaw briefly evened the score early in the second, but Portland responded decisively as Alex Weiermair and Kyle McDonough scored just 54 seconds apart to make it 4-2. Hudson Darby capped the scoring in the third, finishing a feed from Tyson Jugnauth at the top of the crease. With five different goal-scorers and a solid 26-save performance from netminder Gianluca Schlenker, the Winterhawks secured the win to close out an impressive team effort.

Portland 1, Swift Current 10 (Saturday):

The Portland Winterhawks wrapped up their Eastern Swing with a tough 10-1 loss to the Swift Current Broncos on Saturday night. Josh Zakreski broke the shutout with a power-play goal in the third period, but Swift Current's offense proved too much, scoring three in the first, four in the second, and three more in the third.

The Week Ahead:

The Winterhawks return home to host their fifth annual Pride Night on January 24 against the Tri-City Americans at 7:00 PM PT. Then, they will hit the road for a quick stop in Wenatchee on January 25 at 6:00 PM PT.

Cartside Watch Party on Jan, 25!

Upcoming Promotional Games:

Friday, January 24 - Pride Night - BUY TICKETS

Saturday, February 1 - Hawks Fight Cancer - BUY TICKETS

Saturday, February 8 - Hawkey For All - BUY TICKETS

Check out the Portland Winterhawks Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Western Hockey League message board...

Western Hockey League Stories from January 20, 2025


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.

Other Recent Portland Winterhawks Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central