Portland Winterhawks at Kelowna Rockets: Preview, updates, chat, how to listen and watch the stream

What: The Portland Winterhawks (1-0) are up against the Kelowna Rockets (0-0) in the Western Hockey League.

When: Saturday, September 24, 7 p.m.

Where: Prospera Place, Kelowna, British Columbia.

Watch: You can stream the game via CHL TV’s pay-per-view program (C$6.10 per game).

Listen: Winterhawks audio.

Consequences:

• The box score.
• Get updates and chat before, during and after the game.

A good start to the season for the Portland Winterhawks. They took advantage of an undermanned Kamloops Blazers team, completely controlling the first two periods and then playing in the 3rd with a defensive lead. Gabe Klassen led by two goals and Dante Giannuzzi recorded a 24-save shutout, the fourth of his career.

With the win, the 2-game road trip is already a success, but they could make it even bigger with a win over the Kelowna Rockets. It’s a fairer fight than the Kamloops game, against a team that will likely be battling for playoff spot.

Great contributions from the veterans, led by the Klassen and O’Brien centers. Sotas and Buttazzoni made their WHL debuts.

Stefan is still in the pro camp.

Lead forward: Klassen (2 points/1 game), O’Brien (2/1), Nguyen (1/1), Chyzowski (1/1), Fromm-Delorme (1/1).

They covered well that two of their top three defenders, McCleary and Alscher, were absent. Sotheran and Alex Thompson made their WHL debuts; They looked like beginners, but the veterans covered them well. That looks like a pretty solid group.

Leading Defenders: Ryder Thompson (1/1).

Giannuzzi was a spectator for two periods, then was heavily relied on in the 3rd.

Do you go back to back with Giannuzzi out of the shutout or with the rested Špunar in the second of a straight?

Donavan Bodnar was sent down, which makes sense if they go with Giannuzzi and Špunar on short notice. It’s hard to believe this will be the setup leading up to playoff time.

Save percent: Giannuzzi 1,000.

The Rockets begin their 28th season in Kelowna. Their 27th game ended in a 5-game loss to the Seattle Thunderbirds in the first round of the playoffs, after a 5th-place finish in the conference and a 42-26 record.

Colton Dach is their biggest star, but he’s in pro camp. So their big players are two senior NHL draft contenders, forward Andrew Cristall and defenseman Caden Price. Cristall was second in points in the Western Hockey League to 16-year-olds last year, behind only Connor Bedard.

They have more in the prospects department, the Winterhawks have a little more in their veterans, but overall the teams look pretty even.

They have a residual advantage since they didn’t play on Friday.

Behind Cristall, they have Kydd, who had 33 points in 39 games after his takeover, and then many middle-numbered players behind him who they hope will move up.

You must find something lewd here. Their leading recurring defensive scorers are Babcock with 23 points and Price with 21 points.

Talyn Boyko is with the pros and is pushing for a pro contract. Kykkanen played 13 games behind him last season with a 0.897% save percentage. Cristiano’s only game was a 31v32 game against Victoria during the COVID season.

League power play numbers have gone haywire, apparently because of the Tri-City Prince George game. Kinks in the pre-season…

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