Wednesday in Kamloops, the Portland Winterhawks had a second-consecutive sub-par first period and this time paid for it.
They fell behind 4-0 in the 6-2 loss.
Head coach Jamie Kompon said his team wasn’t sharp fundamentally at the start of that game, and the result was pucks bouncing off sticks.
“Our individual preparation wasn’t as good as it has been in the past,” Kompon said.
Kompon liked the second period, when Portland controlled play to pull within 4-2. But two great saves by Blazers’ goalie Connor Ingram in the dying seconds of that period followed by an early third-period goal for Kamloops sealed the Hawks fate.
Around the rink
This week: At Prince George, 7 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday; host Spokane, 7 p.m. on Jan. 23 (Moda Center).
Last week: Won at Spokane, 5-3; beat Vancouver, 5-3; lost at Kamloops, 6-2.
Where they stand: At 23-19-0-3, the Winterhawks have 49 points from 45 games and are third in the U.S. Division, seven points behind first-place Everett and one behind Spokane. Portland has the fourth most points in the Western Conference.
Bjorkstrand honored: Winterhawks forward Oliver Bjorkstrand was named WHL player of the week for the week of Jan. 5-11 after producing four goals and four assists in three games.
Goalie debuts: Evan Johnson, acquired in the trade that sent Brendan Burke to Calgary, made his first appearance for the Winterhawks in Wednesday’s loss at Kamloops. Johnson, 18, played the last two periods, replacing Adin Hill after the Blazers built a 4-0 first-period lead. Johnson stopped 17 of the 19 shots he faced.
Forward acquired: Mitchell Walter made his Winterhawks debut on Wednesday at Kamloops after Portland traded a 2016 bantam draft pick to Edmonton prior to the Jan. 10 trade deadline. Walter, 18, was with the Oil Kings last season but did not appear in the postseason for the WHL and Memorial Cup champions.
Kompon described Walter as a feisty player who skates well, and who showed with his aggressive play on Wednesday at Kamloops — including a fight — that he wants to be a part of the Winterhawks.
Point streak ends: Chase De Leo had a goal or assist in 17 consecutive appearances until going scoreless on Wednesday at Kamloops.
Petan returns: Nic Petan returned to action for the Winterhawks on Wednesday. It was his first game since Dec. 7. He missed eight games because of the World Juniors tournament and three more recovering from illness.
Kompon said it will likely take several games for Petan to find his stride.
Break coming: Kompon said that Bjorkstrand and De Leo will be given several days off between Saturday’s game at Prince George and the Jan. 23 home game against Spokane. Both players jumped right back into action following the World Juniors.
Kompon said the demands of the World Juniors took a toll on them, “more so emotionally even than physically.”
But, the coach said, he needs both players to be strong leaders in this weekend’s back-to-back games at Prince George (20-23-1-0, third in the B.C. Division).
Committed fans: A charter bus with 38 Winterhawks fans departed Portland Thursday morning to attend the Friday and Saturday games at Prince George. The 700-plus mile journey to the northernmost outpost in the WHL was organized by the Winterhawks Booster Club.
