Game Day Hub: September 24 at Kelowna
Portland Winterhawks at Kelowna Rockets
The Winterhawks head to Kelowna looking to build off of Friday night’s win in Kamloops.
Puck Drop: 7:05 p.m. PT
Venue: Prospera Place – Kelowna, BC
Uniforms: White
2021-22 Season Meetings: Portland went 4-0-0-0 against Kelowna
- Portland 3 @ Kelowna 1 (Jan 8 2022)
- Kelowna 2 @ Portland 4 (Nov 20 2021)
- Kelowna 5 @ Portland 6 (Nov 19 2021) SO
- Portland 5 @ Kelowna 4 (Nov 5 2021) SO
Listen Live: Winterhawks Radio Network and on the Winterhawks App.
Watch Live: WHL Live on CHL TV | Evoca TV
Game Notes: Winterhawks Game Notes
Upcoming Promotional Games:Saturday, October 1 – Pacific Office Automation Opening Night – BUY TICKETS
Saturday, October 8 – Oregon Zoo Night – BUY TICKETS
Saturday, October 15 – Hawktoberfest – BUY TICKETS
FOLLOW ALONG: Box Score
Starting Hot
Game one couldn’t have gone much better for the Winterhawks – Gabe Klassen struck twice and Dante Giannuzzi stopped all 24 shots as the team picked up its first opening-night victory since 2019.
“I thought we came out flying. I thought the first two periods were really great. They had a little more pressure in the third, but in the first two periods, I thought we were outstanding at making plays, and the young guys showed some poise out there,” said Jack O’Brien, who logged two assists in the win.
Now with early momentum, the Hawks will look to head home with four points in their pocket.
Debutants Shining
Speaking of the “young guys,” four skaters – Diego Buttazzoni, Aiden Sotas, Carter Sotheran and Alex Thompson – took the ice for their first WHL action during the Hawks’ 3-0 win in Kamloops on Friday. It was a strong debut for the quartet,
Tonight could feature another WHL debut should goaltender Jan Špunar get the nod between the pipes, and a potential Winterhawks debut awaits Reid Mackay, who was a healthy extra in last night’s win.
Another Opener
Portland will want to lean on the experience of quieting the home crowd in Kamloops as the team faces another home opener in Kelowna. Scoring just over a minute into Friday’s game helped the Hawks get into a rhythm early, and the steady play of Dante Giannuzzi in net ensured the win despite the energy in the building spurring on the home team.
Look for another quick push from the Winterhawks as they aim for the early lead.
PROJECTED LINEUPS:
Portland
Josh Zakreski – Jack O’Brien – Marcus Nguyen
Kyle Chyzowski – Gabe Klassen – Dawson Pasternak
Jonah Bevington – Diego Buttazzoni – Robbie Fromm-Delorme
Reid MacKay (?) – Nick Johnson – Luke Schelter
Luca Cagnoni – Carter Sotheran
Josh Mori – Ryder Thompson
Rhett Ravndahl – Kurtis Smythe
Nick Andrusiak
Dante Giannuzzi
Jan Špunar
Scratches: Ryan McCleary (NHL), Aidan Litke (inj.), James Stefan (NHL), Aiden Sotas, Marek Alscher (NHL), Alex Thompson
Kelowna
Andrew Cristall – Gabriel Szturc – Rilen Kovacevic
Adam Kydd – Nolan Flamand – Jake Poole
Max Graham – Dylan Wightman – Turner McMillen
Scott Cousins – Marcus Pacheco – Will Munro
Noah Dorey – Elias Carmichael
Caden Price – Jackson DeSouza
John Babcock – Ismail Abougouche
Rylan Pearce
Jari Kykkanen
Nicholas Cristiano
Scratches: Grady Lenton, Colton Dach (NHL), Ethan Neutens, Jackson Romeril, Logan Dochuk, Logan Peskett, Talyn Boyko (NHL)