Hawks Prospects Information...

Just was doing a bit of research and thought I'd pass it along to my fervent readers... Sorry for the delay in posting, have been focused on other things the last couple days...

Players statistics, with ages and how they were acquired by the Hawks:

• Derrick Pouliot (15 year old Defenseman, 1st round bantam pick 2009) 16 GP 7-13-20... Goals in 4 of last 5, with 3 assists in the game he didn't score... 10 points in this run... Playing in Saskatchewan Major Midget League (Midget AAA)
• Taylor Leier (15 year old Forward, 2nd round bantam pick 2009) 15 GP 5-8-13... Started season hot with 4 point game in opener, been static throughout the season since then... Plays with Saskatoon Contacts in Saskatchewan Major Midget League...
• Brendan Leipsic (15 year old Forward, 6th round bantam pick 2009) 14 GP 13-9-22... Currently third in scoring in Manitoba Midget AAA hockey league... +13 Rating... Plays for the Winnipeg Wild...
• Troy Stecher (15 year old Defenseman, 7th round bantam pick 2009) Greater Valley Canadians in BC Major Midget... 18 GP 3-10-13... Team is currently in third place, Stecher leads the team in Defenseman Scoring, third in league in defensman scoring... 2 goals, 1 assist this past weekend in 2 games
• Josh Hanson (15 year old Defenseman, 8th round bantam pick 2009) Playing with LA Selects U16 Midget AAA... Tier 1 Elite Hockey League... 11 GP 0-4-4... Team is in second in west division, in a league with 4 divisions including divisions Chicago, Detroit, Mid-west, and West, with inter-division games played... Team opened season in Detroit in September, lost 4 of 5 games, then since the trip have gone 12-2-1, with many of those games outside of the league where statistics are unavailable... Currently the favorites to advance in the Pacific region towards the U.S. U16 national championships...
• Adam Smith (15 year old Forward, 9th round bantam pick 2009) Playing with North Island Silvertips in BC Midget AAA (same league as Stetcher)... Has 3-4-7 30 pims in 16 games...
• AJ Michaelson (15 year old Forward, 4th round bantam pick 2009) Tryouts underway for High School Team, Michaelson obviously a lock for the team... Also will participate in additional "Elite" high school tournaments as an all-star for his region...
• Brayden Low (15 year old Forward, 7th round bantam pick 2009) BC Major Midget, plays with Greater Vancouver Canadians... Teammate of Stecher, has 7-3-10 in 18 games this year... 1 goal, 1 assist last weekend in two games...
• Adam De Champlain (15 year old forward, 10th round bantam pick 2009) Playing Alberta Minor midget AAA, which is an under 16 year old league... No statistics currently available...
• David Jacobson (15 year old goaltender, listed as a free agent) Currently playing with the LA Selects Midget AAA team, is a teammate of fellow Hawks prospect Josh Hanson... 6 GP in the Elite Tier 1 hockey league, 2-3 record with a 4.34 GAA and .871 Save Percentage... Appeared at the Winterhawks training camp this last August...
• Braydon Holloway (16 year old Forward, 3rd round bantam pick 2008)16 GP 5-9-14 regular season... Had a 3-2-5 game in preseason action... Currently teammates with Pouliot in Moose Jaw with the Warriors of the Saskatchewan Major Midget League...
• Destry Straight (16 year old Forward, listed as free agent) Playing for the Northwest Vancouver Giants in the BC Major midget league, 6-14-20 in 20 games... Shifty player with good vision having a solid start to the major midget schedule in BC...
• Corbin Boes (16 year old goaltender, 10th round bantam pick) Has played 8 games in Saskatchewan Major Midget league with the Saskatoon Blazers. 3 and 3 record thus far, with a 3.56 GAA and a .916 save percentage...
• Taylor Peters (17 year old Forward, 4th round bantam pick 2007) Playing with Penticton in the BCHL... 1-4-5 in 8 games... Of course Taylor started the year with the Hawks, before being sent down to the BCHL, but is still very much a part of Mike Johnston and the Hawks' long term plans...
• Teal Burns (17 year old Forward, 8th round bantam pick 2007) Playing with Nanaimo in the BCHL... 8-11-19 in 23 games... 43 penalty minutes shows good grit... Overall good numbers in a league that is the top choice for WHL prospects, cast-offs, and NCAA hopefuls... A truly strong league overall...
• Keith Hamilton (17 year old Goaltender, 2nd round bantam pick 2007) Playing with Merritt in the BCHL... Has made 9 appearances, with a 6.48 GAA and .848 Save Percentage...
• Ross Baadsvik (17 year old Goaltender, Listed as Free agent) Playing with Comox Valley in Junior B, has made 6 appearances, posting a 3.9 GAA and .869 Save Percentage...
• Matt Maleshuk(18 year old Defenseman, 5th round bantam pick 2007) Playing in Alberta Junior Hockey League with Calgary Royals, 1-7-8 in 24 games. Alberta Junior League is a highly competitive league with players ages 16-20, as a 17 year old in this league, numbers are difficult to come by...
• David Watt (18 year old Defenseman, 6th round bantam pick 2006) 1-3-4 in 18 games... 88 PIMs a clear indication that his role on the team is of a physical, in your face nature...

There you have it... If you have any more information, such as further statistics, or just have a question, leave a comment...

Two BC Foes to Visit Hawks

The Portland Winterhawks will host the Kelowna Rockets on Saturday and the Chilliwack Bruins Sunday in a weekend that will conclude the Hawks 5 game homestand. Thus far, the Hawks are (1-2-0-0) on this homestand, with back-to-back shutout losses to Spokane and Vancouver to open the spell at home, before the thrilling 4-3 shootout victory against Seattle last Saturday on Dash for Cash night in the Garden. The Hawks were led offensively that night by Chris Francis, whose three goals in regulation gave him his first career WHL hat trick. Francis would cap off the night in style, scoring the Shootout winning goal. Kurtis Mucha had another strong outing in net, making the key saves when he had to, but the story on Saturday had to be the finish to the game. The Hawks, on an attacking zone faceoff with 2.6 seconds left, got a bit of "puck-luck" when the bouncing disk shot by Francis skipped off the ice and past Seattle netminder Calvin Pickard to tie the game with 0.9 seconds remaining. There was absolute pandemonium in the building, and with the circumstances of the win following two straight shutout losses, myself and Andy Kemper both talked off-air about how that victory could propel the Hawks forward into some spirited play.

Saturday this theory will be put to the test, as the Hawks welcome the defending WHL champion Kelowna Rockets to the Memorial Coliseum. Kelowna currently sit second in the B.C. division (before play friday) with 23 points, 8 back of the surging Vancouver Giants. With the losses of some key players from last season's Championship team, this season has seen a jump in young players making the Kelowna roster, and they would be considered in a "rebuilding" year. However, there are a few teams in the WHL with such solid programs they don't really rebuild in the sense that they get bad, then build back up. Rather they reload, still keeping in solid playoff position while they build for the future. Kelowna is one of these franchises, and this team has a couple of young players that will surely be dominant WHL players for years to come. 16 year-old Shane McColgan is a player to watch, leading the Rockets in scoring with 24 points in 20 games. He possesses great speed and skill, and is likely to end up a high NHL draft pick in the future. Another player to watch is Stepan Novotny, the 19 year old winger who has played yin to McColgan's yang. The two have been combining all season, with McColgan often setting up Novotny, who has a quick release and a nose for the net, which has him leading the rockets in goal-scoring with 12 goals thus far.

Then Sunday the Hawks head back next-door to host the Bruins in the Rose Garden. Chilliwack is currently in fourth in the BC division, but with 20 points are only 4 points out of second place. The Bruins have also snuck up on a few teams of late, and have been playing more solid in all phases of the game. Chilliwack seemingly will be a franchise on the rise as well, with Marc Habscheid taking over as General Manager. Habscheid had previously been with Hockey Canada, helping them claim World Junior Championship after Championship. Before his stint with them, he was at the helm of the Kelowna Rockets, guiding them to multiple league championships. Habscheid knows what it takes to succeed at this level, and his direction will surely provide stability to the fledgling Chilliwack franchise.

And finally, the Hawks recruited 17 year-old goaltender Mac Carruth from the Wenatchee Wild this week. Carruth, rated as a potential 2nd-4th round NHL draft pick this summer. For a full write-up on Carruth, check Andy Kemper's blog. All I will say on this topic is this: great teams in the WHL not only identify great talent, but are able to recruit that talent to come and play for the team. With the Hawks already recruiting the likes of Taylor Aronson, Spencer Bennett, Ryan Johansen and Gasper Kopitar since Mike Johnston took over, it's clear that Johnston knows how to recruit top talent to come to Portland. This kind of recruiting is how the Winterhawks will seemingly rise in the next couple of years to the upper echelon of the WHL.

Quick thoughts...

Just a couple thoughts on Winterhawk hockey in general...

• There is an outcry going on in message boards regarding protection of Kurtis Mucha. In the situation being referred to most, with Mucha getting hit hard in the second period, the Hawks turned and let the penalty stand, electing to go on the powerplay rather than retaliate and give an even up call. This scenario is a complicated one, when a team hadn't scored a goal in nearly 5 periods, the Hawks perhaps were thinking of scoring first and thus didn't want to even up the call, instead wanting to generate offense through the powerplay. The decision among the players on the ice can be questioned, is it better to defend your goaltender at the risk of costing your team an opportunity to tie the game? Or to take the 2 minutes and get your revenge in the powerplay? I don't have the answer, and I think it depends on the situation, but in that situation I'd tend to agree with what the Hawks did. working on back-to-back shutouts and only 2 goals in three games, the Hawks had to emphasize trying to score some goals. However, early in the season and especially with an emergency backup on the bench, I can also see where they may have been better served to pummel the offender. There is no easy answer to this situation in my opinion, It's a split-second decision for a couple guys on the ice.
• The Hawks are again in a 2 game losing streak, and again it seems like the end of the World among fans and players alike. All I have to say to that is this: Isn't it nice to have the quality of team and players that a 2 game losing streak against two western conference powerhouses can seem like the end of the world?
• Peaking at the right time example: Last season at the midway point of the NHL season, the Pittsburgh Penguins were languishing in 9th place in the east and on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. 5 months later, they were Stanley Cup Champions. It is early November, there are 50 games remaining in the season. I'd rather see the Hawks play poorly now and learn from their mistakes than to play poorly in April and be eliminated in the playoffs. The hard drives of the coaches' laptops are being filled with examples of what not to do, what happens when players get too cute and abandon hard-nosed hockey, and how you cannot lose focus for even a second in this league and expect to win. Yes the Hawks have had a bad couple games, but these two games don't spell doom for the season, but rather may be the example needed to show this young hockey team that you cannot win in the WHL on talent alone, that it takes heart and hard-work and commitment night in and night out.

Welcome to the Garden

Tonight will be the first game in the Rose Garden for the hawks, which I like to call the Hawks' "Home Road Game". The first game in the Rose Garden is always an adjustment for the team, the ice is bigger which effects the game. But more than that, the atmosphere is very different. You walk through the security entrance below the building in the loading dock, with multiple security guards and banks of computer monitors, you immediately realize you've stepped up from the Coliseum to a different animal entirely. Then walking out onto that bench, looking up and seeing 20,000 seats, a state-of-the-art video board, it gets the blood flowing a little differently. I'm interested to see how this Hawks team treats it's Rose Garden games, in particular the big Saturday Night games with large crowds. In the past, some good Hawks teams have got away from their game when playing in the Garden, and had issues with trying to be too pretty or too physical. Hopefully it's all a moot point and the Winterhawks will go out and have a strong game against a quality opposition.

The Hawks split a home and home weekend with the Spokane Chiefs, winning 2-0 on Halloween in Spokane, then getting shut out at home Sunday night 3-0. First off, the caliber of goaltending for both teams on both nights was incredible. Kurtis Mucha played one of the best games as a goaltender I've ever seen, not only stopping 35 shots, but controlling his rebounds and battling for every loose puck in front of the net. On Sunday night, the Hawks fell victim to a highly motivated James Reid, who came out to challenge well, and earned a 3-0 victory in the Coliseum.

There was controversy on Sunday, with Luke Walker's apparent game tying goal in the second period disallowed because the referee ruled that he was in the crease interfering with the goaltender. On Andy Kemper's blog (afterthewhistle.blogspot.com) he talks about the situation and states that he felt that it was a questionable call at best. So perhaps the Hawks were robbed of a goal that could have tied the game on Sunday. But on Saturday night, the Hawks were the benefactors of a similar call. On the play resulting in the Penalty Shot given to Mitch Holmberg, after he was pulled down he managed to send the puck to the net. Mucha made the save, and the referee blew the whistle without a Hawk player touching the puck. He actually blew the whistle right as a Spokane forward who was following the play shelved the puck behind Kurtis Mucha for what looked like the Chiefs first goal. On a delayed penalty, even if the penalty is a penalty shot, the team that took the penalty has to get possession and control of the puck in order for the whistle to blow. The Hawks didn't, the whistle blew, and Portland dodged a bullet as it looked to be a 1-0 advantage to the Chiefs at that point. Spokane benefited on Sunday from a similar call, and it just speaks to that old hockey adage that all the calls will even up eventually.
For today's stat page, i thought I'd try something different. I'll be sorting the stats this time by bantam draft position. If the Hawks weren't the ones who drafted the player, I'll put the original drafting team in parenthesis.

Skater stats by Bantam Draft Position:

First round: Rattie-Ross-Boychuck: (18-17-35)(+16)

Second round: Wotherspoon-Morrow-Ponich: (3-18-21)(+17)

Third Round: Reddin: (3-3-6)(-2)

Fifth Round: Jordan-Johnston: (0-8-8)(+15)

Seventh Round: Johansen: (7-9-16)(+4)

Tenth Round: Swenson: (0-0-0)(-1)

Listed after Draft: Rutkowski-Francis-Walker-Gabriel-Kopitar (24-40-64)(+26)

Acquired from other team: Bobbee(Lethbridge)-Schneider(Vancouver)-Bennett(Kamloops): (13-14-27)(+5)

Import Selection: Niederreitter-Berglund: (9-12-21)(+7)

Goaltender Stats (saves/shots against (Sv%)):

Kurtis Mucha (2nd round): 1st per- 100/107 (.934) 2nd per- 116/133 (.872) 3rd per- 99/108 (.916) OT-1/1 (1.00)

Ian Curtis (Acquired in trade): 1st per- 95/103 (.922) 2nd per- 87/96 (.906) 3rd per- 71/80 (.888) OT- 2/2 (1.00)

Team Statistics:

Goals for by period: 24-23-28-2-1=78 goals for (4.1 Goals/G)

Goals against by period: 14-26-19-0-0 =59 goals against (3.1 Goals/G)

Shots for by period: 194-234-218-12-1= 659 shots for (34.7 shots/G)

Shots against by period: 210-229-188-3-0= 630 shots against (33.2 shots/G)

Powerplay: 22/96 (22.9%)

Penalty Kill: 85/107 (79.4%)

Three-star points for the Hawks this season (1 point for 3rd star, 2 points for 2nd star, 3 points for 1st star):

Nino Neiderreiter- 11 points

Luke Walker- 8 points

Troy Rutkowski- 7 points

Joe Morrow- 6 points

Chris Francis- 6 points

Ty Rattie- 6 points

Ryan Johansen- 5 points

Kurtis Mucha- 3 points

Brad Ross- 3 points

Daniel Johnston- 3 points

Collin Reddin- 3 points

Stefan Schneider- 2 points

Riley Boychuck- 2 points

Spencer Bennett- 2 points

Shootout Statistics: Shooters (Goals/Attempts):

Chris Francis: 1/1

Jacob Berglund: 0/1

Ryan Johansen: 0/1

Goaltenders (Saves/Attempts):

Kurtis Mucha: 3/3

Thoughts on Spokane Halloween, as well as Random Ramblings

The Portland Winterhawks have headed up to Spokane for their Saturday night date with the Chiefs at Spokane Arena. The Hawks have only played the Chiefs once this year, coming out on top in Spokane 5-3 behind the two goals of Nino Niederreiter. The Hawks jumped out to a 4-1 lead after two periods, before giving up two third period goals to cut their lead to 4-3, before Colin Reddin's empty net goal sealed the victory for the Hawks. This type of late comeback sounds eerily familiar to Tuesday night's game versus the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings, in which the Hawks had a 4-1 lead in the second period, but eventually were chased down by the Wheaties, and ended up having to pull it out by the smallest of margins thanks to Chris Francis' shootout winner.

But now it's on to Spokane, who are coming off a 4-3 victory in Kelowna Friday night. Kyle Beach and Tyler Johnson accounted for all the goals for the Chiefs, scoring two each. Shots in the game were 35-34 in favor of Spokane. The Chiefs were the best on the specialty teams, going 2 for 4 on the power play, and not allowing a goal shorthanded in 4 opportunities. Kyle Beach is a familiar foe for the Winterhawks, having seen him in Everett before he was traded last season to Lethbridge. The Hurricanes dealt him back to the U.S. division earlier this year, and since joining the Chiefs he's averaged a goal a game, with 10 markers in the 10 games he's played. Beach is known as a volatile personality, and the Chiefs, despite the increased offensive talent Beach brings, are only 5-5-0-0 since the trade, a trade they made to signal to the rest of the U.S. division that the division title will go through Spokane.

On a side note, Luca Sbisa played his first game with the Lethbridge Hurricanes Friday night, notching one assist in the Hurricanes 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Seattle Thunderbirds. Sbisa was returned to the league this week from the Anaheim Ducks, and speculation was rampant throughout the league that Sbisa would be dealt to a Western Conference team. But the Hurricanes are going to hang on to Sbisa. Whether that holds from now until the trading deadline remains to be seen, but it looks like the self-perpetuating Sbisa speculation (never get tired of those alliterations) looks to be on the backburner, at least for now.

On a second side note, Alex Ovechkin has 14 goals in 13 games Should he continue on this meteoric pace, he would finish with 88 goals and an astounding 38 multi-goal games. In case you were wondering, Wayne Gretzky currently holds the record for most goals in a season with 92. In addition Gretzky also holds the record for most hat-tricks in a season with 10. Ovechkin currently has 6 two-goal games this season, but no hat-tricks. Anze Kopitar, the older brother of Gasper Kopitar of the Hawks, is tied for second in the league in scoring with 10 goals in 14 games.

And finally, a quick personal story. Today I was talking with an old friend from what I refer to as "The Hockey World". The conversation quickly turned to my new job with the Winterhawks, and he said that it must feel good to be back at the rink and working with the team again. I responded yes of course, but the offhand comment stuck with me and I just wanted to say how lucky i feel to get to go to all these games and attempt to illustrate the game and hopefully pass along some knowledge that the listeners didn't previously know. With that thought, to those of you who have been listening to my broadcasts, please drop me a line in the comments section with suggestions for improvements to the broadcast, or things you like that I do which you would like to hear more of. The comments are anonymous if you so choose, so don't hold back if you feel like I'm failing you miserably. And also don't hold back if you think I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread either...

Forwards aggregate stats by age:
20 year olds: Francis-Schneider (9-21-30) (+13)
19 year olds: Walker-Bennett-Jordan-Reddin (21-17-38) (+11)
18 year olds: Gabriel-Berglund-Boychuck (7-5-12) (+9)
17 year olds: Neiderreiter-Johansen-Ross-Kopitar (23-26-49) (+15)
16 year olds: Swenson-Rattie (3-5-8) (+1)

Defense aggregate stats by age:
19 year olds: Bobbee (2-4-6) (-1)
18 year olds: Ponich-Aronson (1-16-17) (-3)
17 year olds: Rutkowski-Johnston-Morrow (8-31-39) (+36)
16 year olds: Wotherspoon (1-1-2) (+5)

Goaltender Stats (saves/shots against (Sv%)):
Kurtis Mucha: 1st per- 71/77 (.922) 2nd per- 93/109 (.853) 3rd per- 84/92 (.913) OT-1/1 (1.00)
Ian Curtis: 1st per- 95/103 (.922) 2nd per- 87/96 (.906) 3rd per- 71/80 (.888) OT- 2/2 (1.00)

Team Statistics:
Goals for by period: 24-22-27-2-1=76 goals for (4.5Goals/G)
Goals against by period: 13-25-18-0-0 =56 goals against (3.3 Goals/G)
Shots for by period: 180-210-196-12-1= 599 shots for (35.2 shots/G)
Shots against by period: 180-203-172-3-0= 558 shots against (32.8 shots/G)
Powerplay: 22/89 (24.7%) Penalty Kill: 78/99 (78.8%)

Three-star points for the Hawks this season (1 point for 3rd star, 2 points for 2nd star, 3 points for 1st star):
Nino Neiderreiter- 11 points
Luke Walker- 8 points
Troy Rutkowski- 7 points
Joe Morrow- 6 points
Chris Francis- 6 points
Ty Rattie- 6 points
Ryan Johansen- 5 points
Brad Ross- 3 points
Daniel Johnston- 3 points
Collin Reddin- 3 points
Stefan Schneider- 2 points
Riley Boychuck- 2 points
Spencer Bennett- 1 point

Shootout Statistics:
Shooters (Goals/Attempts):
Chris Francis: 1/1
Jacob Berglund: 0/1
Ryan Johansen: 0/1

Goaltenders (Saves/Attempts):
Kurtis Mucha: 3/3

The Sbisa Situation

Today's news coming out of Anaheim that Luca Sbisa will return to the Lethbridge Hurricanes may send shockwaves throughout the WHL. First off, the issue of whether Sbisa can challenge the CHL agreement where those players under 20 years of age cannot be sent to the AHL if they have played in the Canadian Hockey League. There has been historical precedent of players leaving the Canadian League for European professional leagues, Michal Sivik leaving Prince Albert after the 2000 season for the Czech Premier League. Sbisa's case is unique given the fact that he's from Italy (born in Ozieri, Italy, moved to Switzerland as a young man), and both the Swiss and Italian Hockey leagues probably wouldn't be best for his development. However, he could latch on in another European league, he's not bound to go back to a native country. Sbisa's case also is unique given that he's played a combined 47 NHL games over the last two seasons. So first off, it must be decided just where he will be reassigned, and whether or not Sbisa or the Anaheim Ducks will challenge the CHL's agreement.

Should everything go as anticipated and Sbisa returns to Lethbridge, the Hurricanes will have to make some quick decisions. Lethbridge already has two import players, Goaltender Ville Kolppanen and Forward Radim Valchar. Valchar went to Lethbridge early this season from the Portland Winterhawks to fill the void left by Sbisa's departure to the NHL. Should Sbisa return, the Hurricanes will have to decide quickly whether they believe they can contend with Sbisa added to their lineup, or whether they can serve their team better by dealing him.

If they decide Sbisa would be the kind of impact player that could make them contend, the issue becomes which of their current players to move or drop. Valchar has the "double whammy" against him, being both an import player and an overage. So if the Hurricanes look to move him, the only available roster that makes sense is the Kelowna Rockets, with both an overage and import slot available. If they decide to keep Sbisa and Valchar, then the odd man out would be Kolppanen, who has played 7 games and has a 4.81 GAA and 85.8% Save Percentage.

Kolppanen and Valchar wouldn't draw anywhere near the trade value that Sbisa would, and there are a few places in the WHL where Sbisa would seemingly make a good fit. One of these places is Tri-City, where their Russian goaltender has yet to report. This leaves a spot open for an import, and I'm sure Bob Tory would be drooling over the possibility of adding Sbisa to their already potent Powerplay. Kelowna would also seemingly be a good fit, as they also have an import slot available, but will have to decide given the youth of their team if this season is the year that they are looking to load up. Calgary, Saskatoon and Swift Current also have a spot available for an import, but it seems less likely that Lethbridge would trade them in-conference. I'm sure that Sbisa is a player that a lot of WHL teams would love to slot into their back-end, and what may make the most sense for Lethbridge is to try and move him to get a stockpile of young talent or picks as they look to reload in Lethbridge.

The return of Sbisa will without a doubt lead to some pretty interesting decisions in Lethbridge. If he stays in Lethbridge or is dealt to a contending team, an impact player like Sbisa back in the league will definitely result in a shift in power.

P.S... After posting this originally, the Lethbridge Hurricanes played host to the Moose Jaw Warriors, and Radim Valchar was a scratch. To the best of my knowledge, he was a healthy scratch. This combined with Valchar's benching Wednesday night against Portland, and the fact Sbisa looks Lethrbidge bound, it appears that Valchar may be on the way out in Lethbridge. However, goaltender Ville Kolppanen was also a healthy scratch, so perhaps I don't know what they're going to do. But it looks like they have no issues with plugging Sbisa back into their lineup...

Hawks down Kootenay 5-1, finally heading home

The Portland Winterhawks, behind the strength of a two goal night from Luke Walker, finished their Central Swing with a 5-1 win against the Kootenay Ice Friday. The Hawks now will head home for a battle against Memorial Cup host team Brandon on Tuesday. A successful Central swing for the Hawks, with a record of 4 wins and 2 losses for the trip. And now, finally, the Hawks get to play a few home games. The month of November features 7 home games and 5 road games. The Hawks are currently in first place in the U.S. division with 22 points, followed by Tri-City with 18 points with 5 games at hand.

Forwards aggregate stats by age:
20 year olds: Francis-Schneider (8-20-28) (+15)
19 year olds: Walker-Bennett-Jordan-Reddin (20-16-36) (+15)
18 year olds: Gabriel-Berglund-Boychuck (7-5-12) (+9)
17 year olds: Neiderreiter-Johansen-Ross-Kopitar-Peters (23-23-46) (+14)
16 year olds: Swenson-Rattie (3-4-7) (+1)

Defense aggregate stats by age:
19 year olds: Bobbee (2-4-6) (0)
18 year olds: Ponich-Aronson (1-15-16) (-1)
17 year olds: Rutkowski-Johnston-Morrow (6-31-37) (+37)
16 year olds: Wotherspoon (1-1-2) (+5)

Goaltender Stats (saves/shots against (Sv%)):
Kurtis Mucha: 1st per- 71/76 (.934) 2nd per- 82/95 (.863) 3rd per- 72/79 (.911)
Ian Curtis: 1st per- 84/92 (.913) 2nd per- 87/96 (.906) 3rd per- 71/80 (.888) OT- 2/2 (1.00)

Team Statistics:
Goals for by period: 23-19-27-2=71 goals for (4.4 Goals/G)
Goals against by period: 13-22-17-0 =52 goals against (3.3 Goals/G)
Shots for by period: 173-196-193-10= 572 shots for (35.75 shots/G)
Shots against by period: 168-189-159-2= 518 shots against (32.4 shots/G)
Powerplay: 19/83 (%)
Penalty Kill: 72/91 (79.7%)

Three-star points for the Hawks this season (1 point for 3rd star, 2 points for 2nd star, 3 points for 1st star):
Nino Neiderreiter- 11 points
Luke Walker- 8 points
Troy Rutkowski- 7 points
Joe Morrow- 6 points
Chris Francis- 5 points
Ryan Johansen- 5 points
Ty Rattie- 3 points
Brad Ross- 3 points
Daniel Johnston- 3 points
Collin Reddin- 3 points
Stefan Schneider- 2 points
Riley Boychuck- 2 points
Spencer Bennett- 1 point