Winterhawks Weekly: Portland Hosts Game 3 on Tuesday After Earning a Road Split in Prince George

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WHL Portland Winterhawks

Winterhawks Weekly: Portland Hosts Game 3 on Tuesday After Earning a Road Split in Prince George

March 31, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Portland Winterhawks News Release


The No.5 seed Winterhawks traveled to the CN Centre in Price George to face the No.4 seed Cougars in their first-round matchup in the 2025 WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien.

In Game 1 of the series, both teams scored in every period as the offense was firing on all cylinders. A back-and-forth game saw both teams have runs of momentum. The Winterhawks held a 5-2 lead entering the third period. Unfortunately, the Cougars came all the way back to take a 6-5 lead. The Hawks, as they've done all year, kept battling and tied the game late to force overtime. Ultimately, it was Prince George who emerged victorious in the extra session.

Just as they did in Game 1, the Winterhawks opened the scoring in Game 2 and held a lead entering the final frame. Taking lessons learned from Friday, Portland locked things down defensively. Diego Buttazzoni's highlight-reel goal with 2:58 put the game out of reach before Tyson Jugnauth's empty-net goal from his own zone sealed the victory and road split.

With a younger team compared to the group that won the Western Conference Championship last year, nine players made their postseason debut.

Hot Hawks:

There is no hotter Portland skater than 18-year-old Diego Buttazzoni. The Langley, British Columbia, native entered his second WHL postseason on an 11-game point streak. He picked up right where he left off, in Game 1 or 2 he registered three points in both games. Buttazzoni's defensive read late in Game 2 in the neutral zone forced the Cougars into a turnover. He then beat the last Prince George skater back one-on-one before putting a backhanded shot just under the bar.

Tyson Jugnauth finished the 2024-2025 season with 89 points to lead all WHL defensemen in scoring by 17. After finishing Game 1 with one assist, the 20-year-old rear guard dominated Saturday's contest, directly contributing (1G, 3A) on four of five Winterhawks goals.

Kyle Chyzowski's leadership was on full display, as he's done all season. A veteran of 38 previous playoff games, the 20-year-old from Surrey, British Columbia, added one goal and three assists in the first two games. When he scored Portland's fourth goal on Saturday, it was his 12th tally beyond the 68-game regular season.

Portland's 2024-2025 Rookie of the Year, Jordan Duguay, picked up points in his first three career WHL regular season games. The 16-year-old from Edmonton, Alberta, played in all 68 games, the only Winterhawks player to complete the feat. Then, in his first two playoff games, the 2023 second-round selection picked up an assist in his postseason debut and a goal in his second game.

Play of the Week:

Is there even another option? With the Cougars pressing and looking for a late equalizer, Buttazzoni's hockey IQ was on display. He read the rush up the ice, stripped the puck, and raced the other way. So, naturally, Diego Buttazzoni earned his back-to-back Play of the Week honor with his third goal of the playoffs. The league also noticed, as the WHL selected him for their Highlight of the Night.

Victory+ launched as the new streaming partner of the Western Hockey League:

The WHL Playoffs are available on Victory+ without geo-restrictions, giving fans the opportunity to follow their favorite teams and players on the road to the championship. With Victory+ offering a free, ad-supported streaming service, this ensures that the game is accessible to everyone, no matter where they are or what devices they use, including Samsung and Vizio smart TVs, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, iOS, Android and web browser.

Learn more at victoryplus.com/download.

If you have any questions or need technical support, we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions.

The Week Ahead: Get your tickets for April 1, 2, and 4

The Winterhawks return home for the next three games and need every fan to help keep the VMC a home-ice advantage. The Winterhawks will host Game 3 presented by Werner Gourmet Meat Sticks at 7:00 P.M. on Tuesday. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as doors will be opening at 5:45 as the Toyota Fan Fest returns again this year! Games 4 and 5 will be on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. Both games are scheduled for a 7:00 P.M. puck drop.

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Western Hockey League Stories from March 31, 2025


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