The Portland Winterhawks fell to Prince George in game five of their playoff series by a score of 7-2. Entering the match, the Winterhawks were 4-0 against Prince George at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum this season, including a double overtime victory in Game 4 on Wednesday night. With the loss, the Cougars have extended the series, and all remaining games between these two teams will be played in Prince George.
Prince George came out the gates swining, knowing one more loss would end their season. The Cougars early pressure would pay off with a goal as well, with 10:59 remaining in the first period. A turnover in the defensive zone would allow Lee Shurgot to chip the puck from the boards to the middle. Riley Heidt would then scoop up the loose puck all alone inside the faceoff circle. Heidt would move right to left on Ondrej Štěbeták, then backhand a shot on net. His shot would beat Štěbeták low glove side, and Prince George would take the early 1-0 lead.
Then with 5:01 left in the first period, the Cougars would strike again. This time on the rush, Jett Lajoie would enter the zone and skate towards the boards. Lajoie would then drop a pass back for Matteo Danis, who was trailing in support for Prince George. Danis would skate up to the top of the faceoff circle and fire a wrist shot on net. Danis’s shot would ricochet off the shin pad of Portland’s defenseman, and go high blocker side. Štěbeták was not ready for the change in direction, and Prince George would extend their lead to 2-0.
The Winterhawks needed a response, and would find one with 3:56 remaining in the opening frame. Alex Weiermair would dish the puck into open space across the neutral zone. With momentum, Ryder Thompson would then pick up the puck and skate into the offensive zone. Dragging the puck around a few poke checks, Thompson would be able to get to the faceoff dot, and snap a wrist shot on target. The puck would scream past Cougars netminder Joshua Ravensbergen, going high glove side, to put the Winterhawks on the board. Thompson’s first goal of this postseason would be the last goal of the period, and Portland would head into period two trailing 2-1.
Despite a strong offensive showing from Portland in period two, the only goal of the period would belong to Prince George. With 5:17 remaining, during 4-on-4 hockey, the Cougars would control the puck. Skating into the zone, Štěbeták would handle a wide angle shot from Carson Carels, forcing the rebound behind the net. Carels would win the race to the loose puck, then feed a pass to the front of the crease. Pinching in from the point, Koehn Ziemmer would quickly slap a shot on a backed up Štěbeták. The puck would trickle through Štěbeták’s pads, and fall over the goal line, extending Prince George’s lead to 3-1.
Unfortunately for Portland, the third period also came with struggles. Just 12 seconds into the final 20 minutes, Prince George would find another goal. Off the faceoff, Aiden Foster would snag the loose puck and drive to the net. Štěbeták would make the save, but the rebound would be flicked back on net by Matteo Danis. Štěbeták still managed to get a piece of the puck with his glove, but with multiple players crashing the net, it would not be enough. After a short review, the goal would stand, and the Cougars would take a 4-1 lead.
Luckily for Portland, their power-play would get back on the board with 13:36 remaining. A pass by Deigo Buttazzoni would skip through the middle of the offensive zone, and find Ryan Miller at the far faceoff circle. Miller would one time a shot on net, but Ravensbergen would make the save. Prince George’s defensemen then tried to clear the puck away, but Alex Weiermair’s stick would catch their clearing attempt. Weiermair then wristed the puck past a diving Ravensbergen to score his fifth goal of the postseason, cutting the Cougars lead to 4-2.
However, the Prince George forwards were having a night. With 12:01 remaining in the game, a soft pass from the boards would fall short to Diego Buttazzoni. Buttazzoni would do his best to get to the puck, but a strong poke check at the point would lead to a breakaway for Terik Parascak. Parascak would skate in, and wrist a shot low glove side on Štěbeták, scoring his third goal of the postseason. The Washington Capitals prospect would put Prince George up 5-2 on Portland.
Then just 40 seconds later, the Cougars would find another chance off a turnover in the neutral zone. Borya Valis would intercept a pass across the ice towards the bench boards. Valis would then skate into the offensive zone, creating a 2-on-1 chance. Rather than passing, Valis would rip a shot from the top of the faceoff circle, and beat Štěbeták low blocker side. Valis’s third goal of the postseason would give the Cougars a 6-2 lead.
Prince George would find one more with 2:18 remaining in regulation. Borya Valis would win a battle for the puck below the goal. With a defender on him, Valis would find just enough space to backhand a pass to the slot. Shifting down in between the faceoff circles was Koehn Ziemmer for a one-timer shot that would fly past the blocker of Štěbeták. Ziemmer’s second goal of the night would be the last of the game, and Prince George would survive to win 7-2.
Ryder Thompson spoke on how the game played out.
“Yeah, I mean, they’re a desperate team,” Thompson said. “Their season is on the line. Obviously we didn’t get the start that we wanted. But overall, there were some positives. The second period I thought we played pretty well. But, I thought we didn’t quit. Right till the end. Obviously not the outcome we wanted, but I’m looking forward to Game 6.”
Game six of this playoff series is scheduled for Sunday, April 6. The puck drops at the CN Centre in Prince George, BC, at 6:00 p.m.
Northwest Sports Desk 