The Portland Winterhawks are wrapping up October with back to back home games at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. First, the Winterhawks play host to the Edmonton Oil Kings on October 26th. Then, just 22 hours later, Portland will face off against the Everett Silvertips. Here’s everything you need to know before the Winterhawks take to the ice this weekend.
On October 26th, Portland and Edmonton will face off for the first and only time this regular season. So far, the Oil Kings are 4-4-1, and are tied for 8th in the Eastern Conference. One of Edmonton’s top players is their goaltender Alex Worthington. In the past two seasons, Worthington had only played in 6 games and averaged 5.17 Goals Against. This year, in just seven games, Worthington has cut his average down to 2.28 per game. That currently ranks as the 4th best goals against average in the league. On top of that, Worthington also holds the second best Save % in the league at .932. For Portland, its not clear who will start in net Saturday. However, between Ondrej Štěbeták and Marek Schlenker, the Winterhawks goalies will have their hands full trying to keep pace with Alex Worthington.
The larger key for Portland is the time of this matchup. Edmonton will be in the middle of a long road stretch by the time they face the Winterhawks. Portland will be the Oil Kings third straight visiting match of nine in total. On top of that, Edmonton will have just played in Everett the night before. In other words, Portland will be a true test for the Oil Kings stamina.
Sunday’s matchup against the Everett Silvertips should make for a fun chapter in this growing rivalry. This season, Everett is 2-0 against the Winterhawks, and Portland has been outscored in those games by a combined total of 11-2. Rookie defenseman Landon DuPont has been a standout performer for the Silvertips. In eleven games, he has the second most points on the team at 16 in total. DuPont has also had strong performances against the Winterhawks thus far. In their first game, he had two assists, a plus/minus of +2, and would earn the third star of the game. Then in their most recent matchup, DuPont would tally another assist, and finish the game again with a +2 plus/minus.
Similarly to Edmonton, Everett’s legs will be tested this week as well. The difference is that the Silvertips have four games in five days this week. The Silvertips string of games has already started, with a 6-1 victory over the Wenatchee Wild on Wednesday. Portland will be game number four for Everett, and is the last team in their October schedule. While most of Everett’s matches are at home, the Silvertips will have to travel down to Portland at the end of their weekend. With back to back games on both teams schedules, it will be interesting to see who will grab momentum first.
Lastly, one player to watch this weekend for the Winterhawks is Tyson Yaremko. Yaremko has six goals and four assists so far this season. Those ten total points, place him at 4th most points on the team. Points have also come to Yaremko in bundles this season. Of the six games where Yaremko has earned a point, he’s finished four of them with two points. If Yaremko gets on the board this weekend, good things usually follow for the Winterhawks.
A reminder, Portland’s matchup against the Edmonton Oil Kings is Saturday, Oct. 26, with puck drop at 6:00 p.m. Then the Winterhawks wrap up October against the Everett Silvertips on Sunday at 4:00 p.m.
Northwest Sports Desk 