The message coming from the Portland Winterhawks after Game 4 of the Western Hockey League’s Western Conference finals — a game they lost 3-2 — was that their series with the Kelowna Rockets is exactly what they expected.
The Winterhawks’ reaction on Wednesday night ranged from observing that Kelowna was the WHL’s top team for much of the season to a recognition that Portland will need to play better and more desperate to have success in Game 5. That game starts at 7:05 today in Kelowna.
But there was no sense of despair after the Hawks missed a chance to go up 3-1 in the series.
“I think our guys are upbeat,” Winterhawks coach Jamie Kompon said before his team boarded the bus north late Wednesday. “We beat them in their building now three times this year, so we’re confident in their building. I just think we need to play a direct game. (We made) far too many turnovers tonight.”
If there is a clear trend four games into this series, it is that both teams are very good with a third-period lead. Three of the four games have been 3-2 after two periods and all three have ended that way.
In winning Games 1 and 4, Kelowna made Portland work just to get the puck into the attack zone during a couple of impressive third-period defensive efforts.
“They’re a fast team and come with speed,” said Kelowna forward Leon Draisaitl, describing the Winterhawks. “You want to eliminate their speed and try to trap them in the neutral zone. We’ve done a pretty good job.”
Both Kompon and Portland defenseman Adam Henry agreed that the Rockets have been very good at executing their game plan.
“They’ve got some skill and they manage the puck really well. They’re not giving us a whole lot,” Henry said. “They’re not turning pucks over and that’s when we have to take it upon ourselves to out-compete them in our own end and take care of the puck.”
In Game 4 the Rockets played the kind of hockey that they are built to play, according to Draisaitl, who was the No. 3 pick in last summer’s NHL Draft who played in 37 games this season with the Edmonton Oilers.
“We played the way we can play. That’s hard. Not cute, hard,” Draisaitl said. “Simple, getting pucks in deep, cycling and stuff like that.”
In Game 4, Rockets goalie Jackson Whistle was chosen first star. But the Rockets penalty kill unit should have gotten the award. One night after Portland scored on four of eight power plays, the Winterhawks were 0 for 6. That included the end of the game when they pulled goalie Adin Hill and had a six on four skating advantage for the final 56 seconds.
Also on Wednesday, Kelowna was without two key forwards as Rourke Chartier (upper body) and Justin Kirkland (illness) did not play.
NOTES
• Game 6 is at 5 p.m. Sunday at Moda Center. Game 7, if needed, is on Tuesday at Kelowna.
• Nic Petan passed Derrick Pouliot to become the leader all-time in playoff games played for the Winterhawks with 86. He will tie the WHL all-time playoff games record on Friday and is on schedule to set a new mark on Sunday. Petan has at least one goal or one assist in each of the 15 playoff games so far this season.
• Brandon has a 3-1 lead on Calgary in the Eastern Conference finals, with a chance to clinch a spot in the WHL finals at home on Friday.
• Winterhawks sign Caleb Jones — Caleb Jones, the younger brother of former Winterhawk Seth Jones, has signed with the Hawks and will join the team next season. Jones, who turns 18 in June, just helped the USA Hockey Under-18 Team win the gold medal at the World U18 Championships. He had five assists in seven games at that tournament.
Jones, listed at 6-foot and 194 pounds, is eligible for the NHL Draft this summer. He was rated 115th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting’s final rankings.
Seth Jones helped the Winterhawks win the 2013 WHL title and was the No. 4 overall pick in that draft by the Nashville Predators.
Jones’ father, Popeye Jones, played seven NBA seasons and is an assistant coach for the Indiana Pacers.
“Caleb is an excellent two-way defenseman who will play a big role on our blueline next season,” Kompon said. “The experience he’s had playing for the National Development Program and in international play is an enormous asset for him.”
