The Portland Winterhawks on Wednesday became the final Western Hockey League team to play an overtime game this season, which means they became the last to experience three-on-three overtime.
And defenseman Keoni Texeira became the first Winterhawk to score a three-on-three overtime winner, converting from the high slot off a feed from Paul Bittner for a 6-5 win over visiting Moose Jaw. Three-on-three overtime is a new rule this season in the NHL and the WHL.
A back-and-forth third period at Veterans Memorial Coliseum led to overtime. Moose Jaw scored the first two goals of the third period to grab a 4-3 lead. A strong individual play by Dominic Turgeon then tied it on a 4-on-3 power play, and defenseman Jack Dougerty put Portland ahead 5-4 late, but the Warriors tied it.
The overtime win means the Winterhawks are 11-0 in games they’ve led after two periods.
Portland was three for six on power plays on Wednesday, with Turgeon’s individual effort highlighting that. He won control near the blue line and skated into shooting position for the unassisted goal. Turgeon also had two assists in the game and has a team-leading 25 points.
The Winterhawks play their next five games on the road.
Winterhawks
This week: Host Vancouver, 3 p.m. Saturday; at Prince George, 7 p.m. Tuesday and 7 p.m. Wednesday; at Kamloops, 7 p.m. Dec. 4.
Last week: beat Tri-City 5-2, lost to Seattle 5-2, beat Moose Jaw 6-5 (OT).
Where they stand: Portland (12-10-0-0) is fourth in the U.S. Division and seventh in the Western Conference.
Hawks on TV: Eight Winterhawks regular-season games will be shown live on KRCW, channel 32. The first of them will be on Dec. 12 against Prince George, the popular annual Teddy Bear toss game. The opponent for five of the games is Seattle, four of those from Kent’s ShoWare Center.
Who’s hot: Paul Bittner has scored four goals over the last three games and now has 19 points in 22 games this season.
NHL Central Scouting update: Forwards Rodrigo Abols and Evan Weinger and defensemen Brendan De Jong and Keoni Texeira each had a C rating in the rankings released on Tuesday. It means each is projected as a possible selection after the third round of the 2016 NHL Draft.
Keep Portland Warm: Fans who attend Saturday’s Burgerville Daylight Classic are encouraged to donate new or gently-used blankets, coats, sweaters, new socks and gloves. The first 500 people to donate will get a pass to the Adidas employee store, and have the chance to win a team-signed stick. This is the first of three daylight games this season, where the Veterans Memorial Coliseum curtains will be open.
Vancouver Rangers
This week: Idle.
Last week: Swept three games in Butte, beating the Cobras 6-2, 6-5 (in overtime) and 9-4. Joel Lehtonen capped a hat trick with his overtime winner last Saturday.
Where they stand: At 17-2, Vancouver is tied with Idaho for second place in the Northwest Division of the Western States Hockey League.
