PORTLAND 2 VICTORIA 1
The healthy sprinkling of Portland Winterhawks fans at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre were no doubt united in common sporting cause with their Victoria Royals brethren earlier Saturday as part of Seahawks Nation.
But when it comes to hockey, forget about it as the Winterhawks and Royals are building quite a WHL rivalry. It was the Portland fans who got to cheer loudest in a 2-1 Winterhawks victory before 5,119 fans.
Both goaltenders were standouts. For sixth-round Phoenix Coyotes draft-pick Brendan Burke, son of former NHL goaltender Sean Burke, it’s in the genes. He finished with 23 saves for Portland. Coleman Vollrath of Victoria entered the game with a league-best 1.96 goals-against average and made 33 saves.
The Royals, 29-15-2 and an honourable mention in the Canadian Hockey League top-10 poll, lost the night but won the season series 3-1 over the defending league champion Winterhawks, who are 27-12-5 and ranked No. 7 in the CHL top-10 .
“We played a good team. If before the start of the season, anyone had said we would beat Portland four times, they would have been called crazy,” said Victoria head coach Dave Lowry, who despite the loss has to be satisfied with the season series victory over the Winterhawks.
One of the great aspects of the former WHL rivalry between the Winterhawks and Victoria Cougars was the busloads of Portland fans who would come up to the old Memorial Arena. The new generation of Winterhawks fans are no less ardent.
Those sporting the red, black and white jerseys of their favourite team had plenty to cheer about early as the NHL draft-laden Winterhawks struck with Nashville-prospect Brendan Leipsic digging out what looked to be a covered puck to put Portland ahead just 2:46 into the game. Nic Petan, a second-round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets, drew an assist.
That held until a power-play goal from the point by Victoria captain Jordan Fransoo tied it 1-1 at 12:49 of the third period. But Oliver Bjorkstrand, a Winterhawks winger from Denmark under NHL contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets, unleashed a withering shot on the power play for the winning goal at 15:00 on assists from Pouliot and Leipsic.
“They are a really good team and we didn’t get the start we needed,” said Fransoo.
“We weren’t at our best. It’s something to learn from.”
Portland was reloaded with the return over the past week of its players from the Canadian team that competed at the world junior championship in Sweden — Penguins first-round draft pick Derrick Pouliot, Flyers-prospect Taylor Leier and Petan. Also back is Leipsic from suspension.
Between them this season, the potent quintet of Leipsic, Pouliot, Leier, Bjorkstrand and Petan have combined for 252 points in 163 games.
Victoria faces the CHL top-ranked Kelowna Rockets at the Memorial Centre next Friday and Saturday.
