Ryan Miller’s goal with 24 seconds left breaks the Portland Winterhawks’ record for latest goal to force regulation, then the Winterhawks play their longest game in team history. Diego Buttazzoni’s goal, beating the icing and taking a long pass by Kyle Chyzowski off the end boards, with 2:03 left in the 2nd overtime defeats the Prince George Cougars 5-4, and gives Portland a 3-1 lead in their best-of-7 Western Hockey League 1st round playoff series.
Miller broke the record by John Badduke, who scored with 43 seconds left in 1992 to force overtime. The previous longest game lasted 16:21 into the 2nd overtime in 2003 (all via the Winterhawks media guide).
The Winterhawks overcame the best effort of the series to date by Prince George, playing without captain and best player Riley Heidt and veteran defenseman Bauer Dumanski. It would have been a missed opportunity for Portland, and it looked like it was going to be until the late heroics.
| 1st 2:16 POR (PP) Carter Sotheran (Diego Buttazzoni, Kyle Chyzowski) 1-0 |
| 1st 17:35 PG Borya Valis (Koehn Ziemmer) 1-1 |
| 1st 18:50 POR Kyle Chyzowski (Tyson Jugnauth, Ryan Miller) 2-1 |
| 2nd 18:13 PG (PP) Matteo Danis (Jett Lajoie, Carson Carels) 2-2 |
| 3rd 2:37 POR (PP) Hudson Darby (Joel Plante, Max Pšenička) 3-2 |
| 3rd 6:38 PG (PP) Koehn Ziemmer (Terik Parascak, Lee Shurgot) 3-3 |
| 3rd 18:06 PG (PP) Carson Carels (Ben Riche, Jett Lajoie) 3-4 |
| 3rd 19:36 POR Ryan Miller (Kyle Chyzowski, Tyson Jugnauth) 4-4 |
| 2nd OT 17:57 POR Diego Buttazzoni (Kyle Chyzowski, Tyson Jugnauth) 5-4 |
| Portland leads by 2+ | 0:00 |
| Portland leads by 1 | 38:43 |
| Tied | 57:44 |
| Portland trails by 1 | 1:30 |
| Portland trails by 2+ | 0:00 |
Pregame: Riley Heidt’s suspension was the big story, with Prince George going into their biggest game of the season without their captain. Then they scratched Bauer Dumanski, who eats a lot of minutes on defense. The Winterhawks were trying to get a tight grip on a series where through 3 games they’ve been by far the best team.
1st period: Playing in a back-to-back with a lot of travel, the Winterhawks weren’t nearly as fast as they were in Game 3 on Tuesday, but they still took their opportunities and took a 2-1 lead to the break.
2nd period: Fatigue really set in for both teams, and in a pretty low-shot period the Cougars tied it late on a Matteo Danis power play goal. Portland went through a 15-minute stretch with only 1 shot.
3rd period: A low-shot period as even more fatigue set in, dominated by power plays. Portland got one early to take the lead but the Cougars quickly matched it. Carson Carels looked like he had the game winner on a power play goal with 1:54 left. But Ryan Miller came through:
Overtime: Portland had 2 power play chances, which helped them to a 15-7 shot advantage, and their speed advantage finally came up as the game opened up. But Joshua Ravensbergen in goal was very good, helped by a save by defenseman Corbin Vaughan. And we had no goals.
Double overtime: A fairly even period, with Prince George getting a power play chance, and they had a lot of chances on it. But they couldn’t beat Ondrej Štěbeták, and then Portland won it on a quintessential Winterhawks goal:
How it was won: Mainly, the hockey gods smiling down on Portland. Also, Portland’s big three of Kyle Chyzowski, Buttazzoni, and Tyson Jugnauth coming through again, with 9 points total.
Key stretch/moment: Buttazzoni’s winner.
Surprising: a 3-for-5 power play for the Cougars, which had been struggling, almost go them over the line.
Not surprising: Portland winning the shot total for the 4th time in 4 games in the series. They had to work at it, getting 1 shot in a 15-minute stretch in the 3rd.
Controversies: It was a contentious, hard-to-officiate game where both teams had gripes.
Best team won?: 50-50.
Injuries/suspensions: Huge for the Cougars, missing Heidt to suspension and Dumanski to injury. Would have made a big difference.
| Top 10 | Stat line | |
|---|---|---|
| Diego Buttazzoni | POR | 1 goal, 1 assist |
| Joshua Ravensbergen | PG | 51 saves-56 shots |
| Ryan Miller | POR | 1 goal, 1 assist |
| Kyle Chyzowski | POR | 1 goal, 3 assists |
| Tyson Jugnauth | POR | 3 assists |
| Carson Carels | PG | 1 goal, 1 assist |
| Koehn Ziemmer | PG | 1 goal, 1 assist |
| Ondrej Štěbeták | POR | 49 saves-53 shots |
| Borya Valis | PG | 1 goal |
| Matteo Danis | PG | 1 goal |
| Winterhawks | Cougars | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 39-29-3-1 (.569) | 42-24-4-2 (.625) |
| Goals/game | 3.9 | 3.7 |
| Goals allowed/game | 4.0 | 3.4 |
| Team shooting % | .109 | .115 |
| Team save % | .886 | .893 |
| Power play | 25.0% | 22.3% |
| Penalty kill | 74.8% | 78.2% |
| Power plays for/game | 4.1 | 3.4 |
| Power plays against/game | 3.6 | 3.7 |
| Outshooting opponents | 36-34-2 | 35-35-2 |
| After 1 period | 24-30-18 | 29-20-23 |
| After 2 periods | 28-34-10 | 29-26-17 |
| Score, last 10 games | 44-35 (+9) | 37-42 (-5) |
| Score, last 20 games | 76-77 (-1) | 76-75 (+1) |
Portland Winterhawks
A big win, the difference between having a stranglehold and probably being underdogs. They would really like to end the series on Friday, avoiding a trip back to Prince George.
Prince George Cougars
They have to feel completely snakebit against Portland this season. On the bright side, they’ll get Heidt back, and he’ll be by far the freshest player on the ice. A 3-1 deficit with 2 games at home
Friday 4/4 vs. Prince George, 7pm PDT (Game 5)
Sunday 4/6 at Prince George, 6pm PDT (Game 6 if necessary)
Monday 4/7 at Prince George, 7pm PDT (Game 7 if necessary)