WHL Power Rankings – Week 15: Hawks Can’t Solve Seattle

I mentioned it two weeks ago and it looks like my worst fears came true. The Winterhawks had a little break from hockey and went from the hottest team in the league to losing two games in a row to bad teams.

It started with a 4-3 loss to the rivals from up north, the Thunderbirds. I am not sure what it is about this team, but Portland seems to struggle every time they play Seattle. Every WHL fan would tell you that the Winterhawks are clearly a more talented team, yet when it comes to playing Seattle, Portland manages to lose. The Winterhawks had less than a day to shake that loss and hopefully not blow all momentum they once had by hosting the Chiefs.

Well that didn’t happen. Spokane came into Portland and scored a late goal to win, leaving all Winterhawks fans wondering if all that hard work climbing out of the hole was worthless. They had been one of the hottest teams in the WHL and had moved into second place in the west before this week.

It will be interesting to see how much adversity this team can face considering the one team that has had their number all year comes to town on New Year’s Eve. If Portland cannot beat Seattle, what faith can we have that they can beat the best teams in the league in the playoffs?

Checkout where the Winterhawks fell in Week 15’s WHL Power Rankings:

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RANK,TEAM,REC,TREND,PREV,COMMENTS

1,,29-5-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +1,2,”Kelowna Rockets~~They didn’t last long outside the top spot having reclaimed number one with a great holiday week. Winners of their last three, the Rockets look to still be the best team in the WHL. Having only five regulation losses in 37 games is incredible.”
2,,25-9-2,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,1,”Medicine Hat Tigers~~This team is on a scoring binge right now. Over the last four games they have scored 27 goals. What will shock most people is, they didn’t win all four of those games. I still like the Tigers, especially if they keep scoring like this. ”
3,,26-7-4,—,3,”Brandon Wheat Kings~~We all knew it was impossible for the Wheat Kings to keep up the scoring pace they had at the start of the year. That being said, this team has found ways to win without scoring five or six goals a game. Only losing seven (regulation) out of 37 games is a great way to stay on top of the standings. ”
4,,21-10-4,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +1,5,”Everett Silvertips~~Everett can win games in all shapes and sizes. They go from winning a seven-goal shootout one night to winning a 1-0 goalie duel the next. This team is disciplined and can win ugly games. That should fare well for them come playoff time. ”
5,,20-13-4,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +1,6,”Red Deer Rebels~~The Rebels continue to trend in the right direction. They have now won six of the last eight games. With a favorable schedule upcoming for the Rebels, I expect them to continue playing well. ”
6,,19-16-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -2,4,”Portland Winterhawks~~Well the holiday break for the Winrterhawks did exactly what we were afraid of. It killed all momentum that Portland had. Losing two in a row to far inferior teams caused them to slip in the standings and these rankings.”
7,,21-12-2,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +1,8,”Regina Pats~~The pats have won three out of the last five and seem to be trending in the right direction. While it is never a good thing to lose to the Hurricanes, the Pats beat Brandon the last three times they played. This team seems to play to their opponents, which could be a good thing looking at their schedule. ”
8,,19-14-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,7,”Calgary Hitmen~~It wasn’t a merry Christmas for the Hitmen. They have dropped three straight, which ended their five game winning streak. While it is quite obvious this team is streaky, winning five in a row before losing three in a row will get you into the playoffs every time. ”
9,,20-12-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +4,13,”Spokane Chiefs~~The Chiefs are hot right now. For those of you that are not counting, that is six straight wins for the Chiefs and now a top ten spot in the rankings. This team seems to have finally put all the pieces together. Looking at their upcoming schedule, the Chiefs are bound to keep climbing. ”
10,,18-15-4,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +1,11,”Swift Current Broncos~~This team seems to rely on goal scoring way too much. Over the last seven games, they are 4-0 when scoring five or more. They need to figure out how to win games when the puck isn’t finding the net and this team could be dangerous. ”
11,,20-17,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +1,12,”Kootenay Ice~~This team continues to trend up. Winners of 13 of the last 15, they seem to be the hottest team in the WHL. At one point I had written the Ice off, but apparently they took that to heart and have turned the season around. One more successful week and they will be in the top ten. ”
12,,18-18-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -3,9,”Victoria Royals~~Right when I thought the Royals were looking ready to compete with the top teams, they go on a four game skid. They were able to right the ship against the Cougars on Sunday but are back at .500 and have lost all momentum they once had. ”
13,,16-16-5,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -3,10,”Edmonton Oil Kings~~This team does not look like a team ready to repeat as champions. They have remained around .500 for quite some time now and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. The only thing this team can rely on is playoff experience, which doesn’t exactly help during the regular season. ”
14,,16-15-4,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +4,18,”Seattle Thunderbirds~~Three straight wins over the holidays including another win against the Winterhawks. That is now four wins against Portland in five games. Now a game over .500, and two games against Portland in the next week, this team looks like it could be making a move up the standings. ”
15,,18-16-1,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,14,”Tri-City Americans~~The Americans continued to play inconsistently over the last two weeks dropping one game while winning the other. A team that looked to have turned things around at the end of November has since let things slip and is quickly losing hope on this season. ”
16,,18-19,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,15,”Prince George Cougars~~It wasn’t exactly a happy holiday for the Cougars as they drop back below .500 winning only one of their last four games. Two of those three losses were also games in which the Cougars scored ZERO goals. Correct me if I am wrong but it is actually impossible to win games when that occurs. ”
17,,15-19-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,16,”Moose Jaw Warriors~~It has been a nightmare four games for the Warriors dropping all four decisions without much of a fight. I would have them lower in the rankings if there were any room for more bottom dwellers. This team is heading in the wrong direction and they seem to be in a hurry to get there. ”
18,,16-19-1,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,17,”Vancouver Giants~~Vancouver is one of those teams that is capable of beating good teams, but the majority of the time, they don’t. The Giants are playing like anything but giants and it will stay that way for the time being.”
19,,16-20-1,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -1,18,”Prince Albert Raiders~~This team continues to under produce. The Raiders have now only won once in their last eight games and are vying to becoming one of the leagues bottom dwellers. This team used to be competing for the playoffs, but now looks like they are competing to be the worst team in the WHL. ”
20,,9-21-5,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +1,21,”Lethbridge Hurricanes~~Even being twelve games below .500, this team seems to be gaining a little momentum. Winners of three of the last four, they are playing like they do not want to finish in last place. While making a run at the playoffs is extremely slim, this team looks to be playing for pride right now and succeeding quite well. ”
21,,9-25-3,[icon name=icon-arrow-up] +1,22,”Saskatoon Blades~~The Blades shocked us all over the holidays, going on a two game winning streak! This team is not very good, but at least the players were able to enjoy a couple wins before the calendar turns to 2015. ”
22,,13-21-5,[icon name=icon-arrow-down] -2,20,”Kamloops Blazers~~Three straight losses have sunk the Blazers to the bottom of the Western Conference. This team is playing terrible right now with only two wins in their last 15 games. Once a season of promise has quickly become a season of disgust. ”

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