Winterhawks this week: host Kelowna, 7 p.m. Saturday at Moda Center; host Edmonton, 5 p.m. Sunday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum; host Red Deer, 7 p.m. on Nov. 7.
Last week: won 5-2 at Prince Albert; won 6-1 at Saskatoon; lost 5-0 to Kelowna.
Where they stand: The Winterhawks (5-10-0-2, 12 points) are last in the U.S. Division, one point back of Seattle. Their 51 goals scored are the most in the division, but so are the 73 goals against.
Goalie injuries: Brendan Burke was injured Oct. 24 and is considered day-to-day. Adin Hill (upper body injury) is expected to be out until after next weekend. Recently acquired Bolton Pouliot, acquired last week, made 29 saves in the 5-2 win at Prince Albert and made 24 saves in the 6-1 win at Saskatoon. Michael Bullion, 17, remains with the team.
Bouncing back: Going 4-2 on the Eastern swing was great, but what really pleased coach Jamie Kompon was how well his team responded to tough losses at Brandon and Swift Current.
“It’s one thing to lose 10-3 to Brandon, but it’s another thing to come back with a 3-1 victory over Regina,” Kompon said. “It’s another thing to lose 5-4 to Swift Current with 15 seconds left in the game, and we responded and were able to put together back to back games in Prince Albert and Saskatoon.”
Penalty challenges: Entering Thursday’s game against Kelowna, the Winterhawks rank sixth in the league in penalty minutes with an average of 16:30 per game. Their penalty kill (77.4 percent) ranks 17th in the league. Kompon said many of the penalties are a result of bad positioning or poor decisions.
“It’s not moving our feet, not recovering with our feet, putting our stick (where) we’re not supposed to, or not passing the puck when we should pass the puck and therefore getting in trouble trying to recover,” Kompon said.
Nic Petan embraces captain’s role: Petan said he “had one or two words” for the team after the tough loss at Swift Current on Oct. 22. The 19-year-old called it an honor to be the Winterhawks captain, but noted it’s not a one-man job.
“With our team, our leadership group is a big group. If we stay together and we practice hard I think we’ll be fine,” Petan said.
Playing on a line with Oliver Bjorkstrand and Chase De Leo, Petan has 10 assists and one goal in nine games since rejoining the Winterhawks after spending the NHL preseason with Winnipeg. He said his time with the Jets exposed him to how hard NHL players work.
He said his focus is on carrying NHL work habits through this season in Portland. “Not get back into my junior habits, but learn to be a professional.”
Pink the Rink: Saturday’s game against top-ranked Kelowna will provide opportunities for fans to support breast cancer research and awareness. Among the ways fans can participate is to purchase special pucks. For details, visit winterhawks.com.
