Three Takeaways: September 15 Preseason Game vs. Spokane
September 16, 2022 – Western Hockey League (WHL) – Portland Winterhawks News Release
Cheney, Wash. – The Portland Winterhawks won their first preseason game of the year, beating Spokane 4-3 in a shootout at the URC Ice Arena in Cheney, Wash., the home of Eastern Washington University. It’s not often WHL teams get a chance to play at a neutral site location and now the Hawks have momentum heading to Kennewick for two weekend games.
The Winterhawks boasted a more veteran-heavy line-up on Thursday and the production showed during the Club’s third preseason affair.
ADVANTAGEOUS SCORING
Portland outshot Spokane 46-36, scoring in all three periods tonight. Despite the game having four lead changes, the Winterhawks felt in control of their game tonight.
“Wins are still important in the preseason,” head coach Mike Johnston said. “Although we still have quite a few 16 year olds in our lineup, it’s great experience for them and I thought our veterans tonight picked up their game and really brought the type of game that they need to play in order to get ready for the regular season which starts next week.”
Portland looked to its veteran players as Jack O’Brien opened the scoring in the opening period on the power play and Robbie Fromm-Delorme cashed in twice, scoring the tying goal midway through the third period.
2023 NHL Draft prospect Luca Cagnoni had two primary assists and scored the game-winning goal in the shootout.
POWER PLAY GETS LOOKS
The 1-for-6 power play line in the box score doesn’t do the team justice for how well they looked. O’Brien scored the Hawks’ power play tally from the right circle thanks to some strong perimeter passing, and Portland found a handful of good scoring looks throughout the night.
“In the offensive zone, I thought we showed better poise, better possession, and I thought that was something that lacked last week against both Everett and Seattle. I don’t think we had a lot of offensive zone time (in the first two preseason games). I thought our special teams were good tonight overall,” Johnston said.
Cagnoni quarterbacked the top power play, with Josh Zakreski and Marcus Nguyen on the flanks, O’Brien in the bumper position at center and Fromm-Delorme sitting net-front. Returning forwards Kyle Chyzowski, Jonah Bevington and Luke Schelter saw time on the team’s second unit.
DANTE STAYS HOT
It was yet another strong preseason start for Dante Giannuzzi. Fresh off a 24/25 save performance last weekend in Everett, the Winterhawks’ 20-year-old netminder stopped all 15 shots he faced Thursday in 30:19 minutes of work.
Giannuzzi and the Hawks’ penalty kill looked sharp as well during that span, going 4-for-4 in the first half of the game. The Winterhawks also went 6-for-7 on the penalty kill, blocking many shots and killing off a major penalty into the overtime period.
Donavan Bodnar closed out the game, securing his first win as a Winterhawk. The West St. Paul, Man. product played his best hockey at the end of the game, stopping all nine shots he faced in overtime and turning aside all three shootout attempts.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Winterhawks head south to Kennewick, Wash. for a rematch against the Chiefs on Friday afternoon. The game will be hosted by the Tri-City Americans and played at Toyota Arena.
“I think there is a combination of two things (we look for during preseason). One is we want to implement some things we want to do at the start of the regular season with some structure to our game. Second, we still want to evaluate our players. We’re evaluating our young guys, but we’re also evaluating players who can kill penalties, players who can play on the power play, because we really want to hit that Kamloops and Kelowna weekend with some structure and with some confidence at how we’re playing. So, it’ll be important these next couple of games that we have a good effort and play the right way,” Johnston said.
There will be no live broadcasting or video coverage of the remaining preseason contests, but fans can follow along at Winterhawks.com.
–
Single-game tickets are now on sale for the 2022-23 season! Purchase your single-game tickets today and secure your seat at the Pacific Office Automation Home Opener on Saturday, October 1.
Season Ticket Memberships are the best way to catch ALL of the action, including the same great seat to all 34 Winterhawks games at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, or grab a 20-Game Plan for more flexibility while still enjoying a guaranteed 20 nights of excitement!
Want more options? Flex Packs offer ultimate ticket versatility, with packs of vouchers sold in increments of 10 or 34 for you to go solo to all of the games, or bring a few friends to a handful of games! Just want to be there for the big ones? Check out our Theme Packs, the best way to enjoy fan-favorite promo nights, huge rivalry matchups and more!
• Discuss this story on the Western Hockey League message board…
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
