The Portland Winterhawks beat the Vancouver Giants on Wednesday 3-1. This was the first meeting between Vancouver and Portland this season. This was also Portland’s first home game since October 9th, when the Winterhawks defeated Wenatchee 4-1. The Giants were in the process of wrapping up their own road trip. Portland was their final destination of six straight away games. Vancouver had entered Veterans Memorial Coliseum earning at least one point in their last eight games.
Portland got the crowd into the game early with a goal just 26 seconds into the game. Stevie Grumley would pass the puck up the boards to help the Winterhawks get out of their defensive zone. The pass found Kyle McDonough in the neutral zone, who then tapped the puck back for Jordin St. Louis. With speed, St. Louis raced through the neutral zone, and passed the puck back to McDonough as they crossed the blue line. McDonough then took a wrist shot from well beyond the faceoff circle, and his shot was slowed down by the defenseman guarding him. However, the puck would flutter slowly towards the net, allowing St. Louis to catch back up to the puck. St. Louis would bat the puck down and to his right, juking Vancouver’s goaltender, Burke Hood. St. Louis had a wide-open tap-in backhand and would slide the puck into the back of the net for his second goal of the season.
Then, Portland’s power-play struck gold with 14:21 left in the first. After a near-disastrous turnover at the blue line, Vancouver was unable to control a loose puck in the neutral zone. This allowed time for Jordan Duguay to retrieve the puck and give the Winterhawks time to get back onside. Duguay then skated to his right and entered the offensive zone. Immediately after crossing the blue line, Duguay passed the puck back to his right for Kyle McDonough. McDonough then skated down with Duguay towards the bench side faceoff circle. Just as he skated past the top of the circle, McDonough shifted the puck down for Duguay. From just below the faceoff circle, Duguay uncorked a one-timer onto Burke Hood. The puck would ricochett off the side of Hood’s left leg, and kick up into the back of the net. Duguay’s third goal of the year would extend Portland’s lead to 2-0.
Vancouver needed an answer and found one with 6:36 left in the first period. A turnover behind Portland’s net lead to Brett Olson stealing the puck in Portland’s trapezoid. Olson then skated to his right, and backhanded a pass out to Joe Iginla, posted low in the near faceoff circle. Iginla rifled a one timer top corner, around the glove of Winterhawks goaltender Ondřej Štěbeták. Iginla’s fourth goal of the season would be the last of the period, making the score 2-1 Portland after one.
After a scoreless second period, the only other goal would come with 13:50 left in the third. Vancouver had applied most of the pressure through the third period, not allowing a single shot on goal for the Winterhawks through the first six minutes of the final frame. Then Portland’s forecheck created a turnover in Vancouver’s defensive zone. A soft pass from the goaltender lead the puck to the corner for Giants defenseman Lance McCloskey. With Sam Spehar and Jordan Duguay closing in, McCloskey would attempt to chop the puck up the boards. Fortunately for Portland, there wasn’t much power behind McCloskey’s pass, which allowed Duguay to skate up and intercept the puck. At the top of the faceoff circle, Duguay stopped and turned back towards the goal line to evade a defender. Duguay then skipped a pass back across the zone for Stevie Grumley trailing and entering the offensive zone. Grumley would catch Duguay’s pass and fire a wrist shot past a sliding defender and the blocker of Giants goaltender Hood. Grumley would score his first career WHL goal on Portland’s first shot on goal of the period, and the Winterhawks would hold on to win 3-1 over Vancouver.
As far as what’s been kehy to McDouagh’s success, Winterhawks coach said it’s his work and how he puts that ahead of everything else.
“I think, in addition to his work, there a veteran-ness about him,” Gustafson said. “He’s seasoned. He’s been in the league for quite some time. He knows how to play a Wednesday game.”
Gustafson said McDonaugh knows the importance of checking and importance of the power play.
“If he’s inserted on the power play, he knows what to do there,” Gustafson said.
McDonaugh battled an injury in the past with Gustafson noting the long road back.
“He’s done a great job putting himself in a position to succeed coming off of that injury,” Gustafson said. “That wasn’t easy, so I give him a lot of credit for that.”
Portland hosts Kelowna at 3 p.m. Saturday in the VMC.
