Portland Winterhawks
This week: Host Victoria today and Saturday; host Red Deer on Tuesday. All three games are 7 p.m. at the Rose Garden.
Last week: Beat Tri-City 6-0; beat Everett 5-2.
Where they stand: At 10-3-1-0, the Winterhawks have the highest winning percentage in the U.S. Division. With 21 points, they are one point behind Spokane, which has played two more games than Portland.
Royals make only Portland visit: The games today and Saturday are the only times this season that Victoria is scheduled to play in Portland. The Royals are in second place in the B.C. Division with a 9-6 record. Kamloops (16-1-0-1) leads that division and will visit Portland for the first time this season on Nov. 11.
Precise penalty kill: The Winterhawks penalty kill is the best in the WHL (53 of 58). In nine October games, Portland killed 41 of the 42 opponents’ power plays it faced.
Milestone: Brendan Leipsic scored his 50th career goal in Wednesday’s win over Everett.
Hot hands: Nic Petan has a plus/minus of plus-16 and leads the Winterhawks in assists (15) and points (21); Ty Rattie leads the team with nine goals and has 18 points over his last eight games; Chase De Leo and Petan have points in five consecutive games.
Vancouver Vipers
This week: Host Bellingham today and Saturday. Both games start at 7:35 p.m. at Mountain View Ice Arena.
Last week: Lost 8-0 and 6-2 to Glacier in Whitefish, Mont.
Where they stand: At 1-8, Vancouver is last in the six-team Northern Pacific Hockey League.
Roster update: Evan Carter, and 18-year-old forward, was acquired from Glacier following last weekend’s games in Montana.
• According Chuck Cheshire, the Vipers’ player personnel director, the team will soon add Cole Morrow, a defenseman from North Pole, Alaska. Morrow (6-foot-1, 240 pounds) is a significant addition to a roster that currently has only four defensemen.
Busy goalies: In Saturday’s 6-2 loss at Glacier, David Deadman stopped 61 of the 67 shots he faced. In the two games, Glacier outshot Vancouver 120-18.
Try Hockey Day: Mountain View Ice Arena will hold a free event on Saturday for kids ages 6-10 to try hockey for free. To learn more, call the rink at 360-896-8700. The event is in conjunction with USA Hockey’s
Host a player: The Vipers are still looking for homes for several of their out-of-town players. For billet details, e-mail Biz Larkin at billetaviper@ymail.com.
