Winterhawks Woes in the Third Period


winterhawks

Yikes. There are three things that are certain for Portland hockey fans: death, taxes, and the harsh reality that the Hawks will lose the first few games due to NHL prospects being absent from the Moda Center. But having said all that, 0-5 is not the first few games. That’s a losing streak. And with Chase De Leo, Anton Cederholm, Keegan Iverson, Dominic Turgeon, and Brendan Burke back from their respective NHL opportunities for last Sunday’s game, the excuse is gone with the wind.

I have every faith that they will pull out of it now that October has come. The first full month of regular-season games has the ability wash away the stench of September failures. But it is worth noting that these five losses occurred because of all the same issues.

As Ryan mentioned in this week’s Power Ranking, the Winterhawks have racked up a totally unnecessary 25 minutes worth of penalties per game on average. While Ryan attributes this to a possible discipline problem, I should also mention that these players are 16-20 years old and back on the ice after a championship and an off-season. It’s cocky posturing, at least in places. Especially during the back half of the game.

And that’s really the problem: during the first period (and most of the second), we are seeing a roster of hungry young athletes working together. The forecheck is ravenous, the high slot area in front of our goal is sealed up tight, and the game moves quickly. But after the second-period media timeout…something happens. The defense crumbles, the offensive rushes dry up, and everyone’s ability to pass is nullified between the blue lines.

Three games out of five saw the Winterhawks in the lead going into that second media timeout (1-0 against Seattle, 3-2 against Vancouver, 3-1 against Everett on Sunday). All three resulted in a loss by more than two goals. That’s not WHL hockey right there. That’s a pick-up game of pond hockey.

Coach Kompon’s need to tighten the screws should be laser-focused on three (seeing a pattern, here?) key areas that have been plaguing the team since preseason. First off—and most important–the defensive pairs have to protect their goalie. Brendan Burke’s return to Portland ice on Sunday was marred by five goals in ten minutes of play (curiously right after that second media timeout) resulting in Adin Hill replacing him in the net for the third. I have a tendency to give Burke a hard time, but in this instance he deserves none of it. Everett had no business ruling the half-boards as unopposed as they did for that ten minutes, and any goalie has trouble stopping the bleeding without support.

Secondly, the Hawks need to develop their passes in the neutral zone, especially on those Power Plays. There is a wealth of individual talent on Portland’s forward lines. I’m extremely impressed with the combination of Bittner, McKenzie, and Schoenborn; there’s balance there between McKenzie’s frenetic skating ability, sniper Bittner’s hot stick, and Schoenborn’s ability to rip the passing lanes away on the forecheck. But the patience isn’t there. They need to get that puck up the boards in an orderly fashion if they ever hope to capitalize on such talent.

Third, the fighting and the unnecessary penalties need to come down a notch. The season is here, and no manner of bravado is going to beat Seattle on Friday. I sure hope Kompon has made it clear that there are other ways to pay back the opposition. In the beautiful Gordie Howe tradition, if someone disrespects your or your teammates you should hit them where it hurts and when they least expect it. An interception in the neutral zone, maybe a check into the sideboards, something that helps the organization. And if it takes 30 minutes of play before they get theirs, so much the better. That’s not just more professional, that’s artisan hockey.

Tags:
0 shares
Kyle Martinak
In addition to being a hockey nerd, Kyle is also is an on-camera personality for www.escapistmagazine.com and maintains various podcasts and webcomics revolving around movies, video games, and comics at his personal site, www.chaingangmedia.com.
X