Winterhawks Weekly: Hawks Roll on with Second 7-0-0 Start in Club History

October 17, 2022 – Western Hockey League (WHL) – Portland Winterhawks News Release

The Portland Winterhawks continued their winning ways last week with a Tuesday night victory over the Edmonton Oil Kings and a rousing comeback win over the Kamloops Blazers on Saturday. The Winterhawks now stand at 7-0-0 for just the second time in the Club’s history.

This week, the team heads up to Kennewick to take on the Tri-City Americans on Saturday night. Puck drop is set for 6:05 P.M. for that tilt.

Hot Hawks:

Forward Robbie Fromm-Delorme sparked the Hawks’ comeback on Saturday night with a pair of goals, his second multi-goal game in his last three outings. The 20-year-old forward leads the team with five goals and six assists for 11 points in seven games.

Forward Nicholas Johnson potted his first WHL goal on Saturday. Johnson has now recorded points in WHL preseason (2A), regular-season (1G) and postseason (1A) play.

Forward Diego Buttazzoni recorded a WHL first of his own, notching his first two career points in Tuesday’s win over Edmonton. The 16-year-0ld has posted one goal and three assists across his first preseason and regular-season action.

Forward Josh Zakreski scored on Tuesday and chipped in an assist on Saturday, extending his career-best point streak to five games (2G, 4A).

Forward Jack O’Brien tallied an assist in each game last week to push his point streak to four games (1G, 5A). O’Brien has recorded points in six of seven games this season and leads the team with eight helpers on the year.

Goaltender Dante Giannuzzi picked up wins in both games last week, stopping 45 of 51 shots to move his personal record to 5-0-0 with a .918 save percentage and 2.00 GAA to start the season.

Play of the Week:

Diego Buttazzoni found the scoresheet (twice!) for the first time in his WHL career on Tuesday, and his second helper of the evening was a beautiful display of the 16-year-old’s playmaking ability. After the play turns over at the blue line and most players on both teams are caught higher up the ice, Buttazzoni is first to the puck in the corner and, after a quick scan over his shoulder, spins a perfect pass to Marcus Nguyen for a tidy finish.

Weekly Rewind:

Portland 5 vs Edmonton 2 (Tuesday):

The Portland Winterhawks struck three times in the first period and never looked back, riding multi-point performances from Luca Cagnoni and Diego Buttazzoni to a 5-2 win over the defending WHL Champion Edmonton Oil Kings.

Portland 5 vs Kamloops 4 (SO) (Saturday):

Down 4-1 in the second period, the Winterhawks roared back to take a 5-4 shootout victory over the Kamloops Blazers on Saturday night. Robbie Fromm-Delorme led the way with two goals and Dante Giannuzzi stopped 29 of 33 shots to remain unbeaten on the year.

The Week Ahead:

It’s a light week of games for the Hawks, with just one road tilt slated for the week.

Catch the action on WHL Live or Evoca TV as the Winterhawks take on their division rival Tri-City Americans on Saturday at 6:05 P.M. from the Toyota Center in Kennewick, Wash.

Upcoming Promo Nights:

Saturday, October 29 – vs Kelowna – Halloween Night

Friday, November 4 – vs Seattle – Hawks Fight Cancer

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