Portland Winterhawks
Game Recap, U.S. Division

Johnston earns milestone win as Portland bests Seattle

Written by Lizz Child on

 

Mike Johnston earned a milestone win behind the Winterhawks’ bench as Portland triumphed over the Seattle Thunderbirds Saturday night. In the first of six scheduled games between the two teams, the Winterhawks see their season improve to 1-0-1 while the Thunderbirds fall to 1-1

Giannuzzi continues to impress

Dante Giannuzzi (Photo- Portland Winterhawks/Keith Dwiggins)

Leading the way to the win with a second straight 30-save game was goaltender Dante Giannuzzi.

After the game, Giannuzzi gave some praise to his teammates in helping to secure the win.

“Definitely a bit of a busy first period, but overall I thought the team played well in front of me, we didn’t have a ton of time in the offensive zone, but in the defensive zone, I thought everyone really bought in. We were blocking shots, getting in the shooting lane, so I was definitely getting a lot of support from my team…”

Mike Johnston’s 400th win behind the Winterhawks’ bench

In only his 639th game behind the Winterhawks’ bench, Mike Johnston reached his milestone 400th win with a record of 400-195-19-25.

Johnston kept the focus on the team and the game, having this to say about his milestone win:

“Well, it’s certainly nice. I just liked the way that we played the game. I wasn’t fond of our game in Tri-City, but I thought tonight, especially for two periods, we showed some resiliency in the first, and then we responded with a good two periods. Any time you win a hockey game, it’s exciting for sure.”

However, Giannuzzi had a much different take on the accomplishment.

“Mike does a great job, you know. He runs our team so well and is always amazing in the room. He knows exactly what to say, and really, most nights, you find he can really out-coach the other team. So it’s definitely huge, but I don’t think any of us are surprised to see that win number.”

Portland firsts and notables

Kade Nolan scored his first goal of the season minutes into the second period. Seth Jarvis tallied his first point of the WHL season with an assist on Nolan’s goal.

Reece Newkirk registered his second goal of the season, with Aidan Litke finding the back of the net for his first career WHL goal 31 seconds later.

Mason Mannek found himself finishing the night with a Gordie Howe hat trick after scoring an empty-net goal. He has three points in two games, along with Newkirk.

Seattle firsts

Matthew Rempe scored his first of the season off a shot by Jordan Gustafson. It was Gustafson’s first career WHL point. Also assisting on the goal for his first point in the WHL was defenseman Kevin Korchinski.

Portland returns to face Seattle Saturday, March 26, in the first of back-to-back games between the two teams.