Winterhawks Road Trip: What We’ve Learned So Far

A six-game road trip can sometimes be a blessing for a team that has been crumbling at home. It’s a chance to bond in close quarters, clear out the cobwebs of their overall strategy, and gain a lot of experience facing different opposition. In the case of the Winterhawks, a long bus ride through Canada featuring the hockey sensibilities of Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Saskatoon, Kelowna, etc. might help them shake off the experience of playing all their rivals in the U.S. Division.

Already, the road trip shook loose two wins in Moose Jaw and Regina, respectively, and one horrible blowout loss in Brandon, 10-3. The difference on paper is night and day. So, taking the road trip as a learning experience, what can we conclude is being done correctly and what still needs work?

[quote align=’right’]Taking the road trip as a learning experience, what can we conclude is being done correctly and what still needs work?[/quote]In Moose Jaw, the name of the game was shots on goal, and by the time Portland scored their first goal they were dominating SOG 13-3. By the end of the night, the Warriors trailed with only 28 shots to Portland’s 41. That first goal, by the way, was on a power play. The Hawks were 2/5 on the PP that night and 2/4 against Regina Tuesday, illustrating the importance of using tactical advantage and beefing up the special teams.

Further, even with the awful numbers against Brandon, the Winterhawks team leaders had a great lead-by-example night with Chase De Leo and Dominic Turgeon fighting to the bitter end and knocking in three goals. I’ve been bemoaning the team’s lack of unity or discipline of late, but these two great players (alongside newly appointed Captain Nic Petan, who seized three assists on Friday and another two on Tuesday) may provide some structure to the young fellows who are still playing for themselves. De Leo fired in two more goals against the Pats and an assist to Skylar Mckenzie on Tuesday, solidifying what should be the team’s new agenda: a goal is a goal is a goal.

That’s all the positive. But what clearly needs some screw-tightening after these three games as an example?

Penalties. It’s been an issue since preseason, and it seems that the Winterhawks still have not addressed the difference between a good penalty and a bad one. Moose Jaw’s first goal on Friday was the result of a 5-on-3 power play. Luckily, Portland’s offense ran away with the game too quickly for the Warriors to capitalize on a string of four power plays in a row. Which is four too many. And while the penalty killing unit went 7 for 7 in Regina, that still seven penalties that gave their opponents a man advantage. I don’t like the trend here; instead of learning to curb bad penalties, the Hawks seem more concerned with learning how to live with an excessive amount of them.

While the loss in Brandon was painful, it did provide some insight into Coach Kompon’s latest quandary: which of his three goaltenders belongs in the net when the chips are down? In an effort to stop the bleeding early in the second period, Kompon pulled Brendan Burke and tried out his newest acquisition Bolton Pouliot. The onslaught continued as if no change had been made. Going into Regina Tuesday night, Burke remained as the starter until he was injured during the third period while making his 24th save of the night. Pouliot relieved him for the rest of the third. Burke, Pouliot, and Adin Hill are now all aware of a possible shake-up in their position. Hopefully, they adjust their performances accordingly, and I personally hope Hill gets some more experience starting.

Acquiring Pouliot seemed like a ridiculous idea to me last week, what with a seasoned player like Burke and an extreme talent in young Hill filling out the net. After Tuesday, it appears that Kompon wants to develop Hill slower than expected and doesn’t trust Burke to the extent that he did last month. Plenty of fans have made their opinions plain, with whispers that Hill should consider requesting a trade to a team that would be willing to let him play.

The learning experience continued Wednesday in Swift Current, Saskatchewan against the Broncos with a heartbreaking loss in the final seconds, 5-4. The Winterhawks remained neck-and-neck with the home team throughout the game, and signs point to better team-based play with Koules and Bittner tag-teaming Broncos goalie Landon Bow into a deflection goal and Chase De Leo snapping in a backhanded shot off a long pass from defenseman Brendan De Jong. More leadership points to give out as well; Bittner scored three of the four Portland goals for the evening, as if to say, “Okay, Coach. I’m all warmed up for the season, now. Let’s show these new guys how it should look.”

The road trip carries through to the weekend versus Prince Albert on Friday and Saskatoon on Saturday.