Here come the Hawks!

Portland, as a sports city, is known primarily for having just one major league squad in the Trail Blazers. This year, the Winterhawks gave sports nuts in the City of Roses just as much reason to cheer—and they aren’t done yet.

The Hawks play in the Western Hockey League and have graduated more than 100 players to the NHL in 34 seasons. Forward Stefan Schneider and defenseman Brett Ponich signed this year with the Vancouver Canucks and St. Louis Blues, respectively.

Portland defeated the Spokane Chiefs Wednesday night in the first round of playoff contention, a series during which the visiting squad won each of the seven games. The series ended with an electric sudden-death overtime period on Spokane’s ice, and wingman Ty Rattie knocked in his first postseason goal after 17 minutes of OT-play for the win.

The Hawks now face the Vancouver Giants, who swept the Kamloops Blazers in their first-round series. The Giants scored 20 goals over four games, whereas the Hawks scored 22 in seven. During the regular season, the Giants outscored the Hawks 15–10 as they split the series 2–2 with two wins each.

The 2009–10 campaign marks Portland’s first winning record (44–28) and playoff berth since 2006–07, after a combined 47–177 over the prior three seasons. Meanwhile, Vancouver has had winning seasons since 2006–07 and made the postseason each year, and their current squad’s playoff experience gives them a definite edge.

The second round begins in the Memorial Coliseum, with game one starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday and game two at 5 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets to the second round are available on Ticketmaster or through the Hawks box office by calling 503-236-4295.

WHL playoffs,
First round results

Away        Score        Home

Spokane     5–4         Portland
Spokane     4–2         Portland
Portland     2–1         Spokane
Portland     4–2         Spokane
Portland     4–3         Spokane
Spokane     4–3         Portland
Portland     5–4 (OT)     Spokane