The Portland Winterhawks’ penalty kill has risen to the occasion this month.
Portland has killed off 17 consecutive penalties over the last five games and has allowed only three power-play goals in 32 chances in January. Portland is now ranked seventh in the Western Hockey League on the kill.
Driving that success is strong play from goalie Adin Hill and a committed effort from the skaters on the penalty kill.
Associate coach Kyle Gustafson, who oversees the penalty kill, said understanding and believing in assignments has been key to improved results this month.
“I think it’s just doing what we know to the best of our ability,” Gustafson said.
The unit figures to be tested this weekend, with two games against Seattle’s eighth-ranked power play and one against Tri-City, the WHL’s second best power play .
“We’ve been dedicated to blocking shots and to having our sticks in good lanes,” explained Blake Heinrich, who plays defense alongside Jack Dougherty on the first penalty-kill unit.
Gustafson compares Heinrich with former Winterhawk Tyler Wotherspoon, a player who can be relied upon for a complete effort on a two-minute kill.
“He’s a big strong horse that’s going to be able to clear the front of the net, clear bodies, clear the puck to the side,” Gustafson said. “And step in front of the odd shot and have a huge block.”
A willingness to block shots is one reason Colton Veloso, in his first full WHL season, won a spot on the top penalty-kill unit. Penalty-killing was not his forte in youth hockey, but the Winnipeg native said he embraced the challenge as a way to see more ice time.
Gustafson said Veloso’s hockey intelligence and his willingness to compete have contributed to his development as a penalty killer. Staying tuned in to a game even when he is not getting regular five-on-five ice time is an example of Veloso’s commitment to he role, Gustafson said.
Veloso credits Dominic Turgeon, the other forward on the top penalty killing unit, for helping his development.
As for blocking shots, Veloso admits it can be scary when facing a hard shot.
“But the one’s that miss you are the ones that hurt the most because they’re in the back of the net,” Veloso said. “Sometimes it’s not even about technique, it’s just throwing your body on the line and hoping it hits you.”
Winterhawks
This week: Host Seattle, 7 p.m. Friday (Moda); at Seattle, 7:05 p.m. Saturday (TV on KRCW, ch. 32, Comcast ch. 3); host Tri-City, 5 p.m. Sunday (Moda).
Last week: Beat Spokane 3-2, lost to Saskatoon 3-1, beat Vancouver 3-2.
Where they stand: At 23-20-2-0 (48 points), the Winterhawks are in third place in the U.S. Division, five points back of third-place Seattle. Portland is sixth in the Western Conference.
Central Scouting update: Forward Rodrigo Abols is rated No. 121 among North American skaters and defenseman Brendan De Jong is rated No. 181 in the NHL Central Scouting midseason rankings.
Abols to play: After missing last weekend’s three games while undergoing concussion protocol, Rodrigo Abols has been cleared to play this week.
Hawks on TV: Saturday’s game from Kent is one of four remaining that are scheduled to be shown live on WB32 (Comcast channel 3). All four of them feature Portland against Seattle.
Cancer awareness: Friday’s game against Seattle at the Moda Center is the annual Compass Oncology Pink the Rink and LaRog Ladies Night game. Proceeds from special pregame puck sales will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation of Oregon and Southwest Washington. Visit Winterhawks.com for details.
Vancouver Rangers
This week: Host the Long Beach (Calif.) Bombers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at Mountain View Ice Arena.
Last week: Lost to the Seattle Totems 7-4, beat Seattle 3-2 in overtime.
Where they stand: At 23-9-0-3 (49 points), the Rangers are tied on points with the Idaho Junior Steelheads and the Missoula Maulers by seven points in the Northwest Division of the Western States Hockey League. Idaho has four games in hand.
Seattle recap: Brandon Aab scored with 6 seconds left on Saturday to force overtime and Jacob Rushlow scored the winner with 52 seconds left in overtime as the Rangers split a pair of road games. Coach Dave Daniello said Vancouver worked much harder on Saturday than in Friday’s loss at Mountlake Terrace.
Commissioner’s team visits: The Long Beach Bombers, operated by WSHL commissioner Ron White, visit Vancouver this weekend. This is only the second home weekend since November at Mountain View Ice Arena for the Rangers.
