An active defence and the winner of the transition game should prevail when the likeminded Portland Winterhawks face the Kelowna Rockets on Friday Night Hockey.
The Rockets and Winterhawks will recognize their styles when they meet in Game 1 of the Western Hockey League’s Western Conference final. The West’s top two teams each like to activate their defence offensively while using a fast-break to catch the opposition off guard.
“Their skill-set really separates them from a lot of teams we’ve faced,” Rockets head coach Ryan Huska says. “They’re by far the best team in our league in regards to being able to play the game with pace and still having the ability to make plays at a high level. Their top two lines, in particular, are as good as any in that regard. They can move the puck really well and they have great vision and the ability to find later guys coming into the play.”
“I consider them to be a very similar team to our team,” echoes Winterhawks head coach and GM Mike Johnston. “They’re mobile, they really are dangerous off the rush, they can score, they are a puck-possession, puck-moving team. I think it’s two similar styles playing each other.”
WHAT’S ON THE LINE?
With so little separating the two teams on the ice, home-ice advantage could be the game-changer. No team defends home ice better than the Rockets. Kelowna reeled off 23 straight victories on home ice last season, the third-best streak in WHL history. The Rockets continued that success this season with 31 victories in 41 home games through the regular season and playoffs combined.
“You play 72 games to try to get that extra game at home,” Huska says. “We put ourselves in a position where we want to take advantage of our building.”
This is the first time in two years the Winterhawks will start a series on the road. The Winterhawks are 15-2 in their last 17 road games. Taking the first game not only switches home ice advantage to Portland, but sets the tempo in the series.
“It is really important to try to steal a game,” Johnston says. “Sometimes it puts a little bit of pressure — especially in a close series like this – on the home team because they know how important it is to get off to a good start on their home rink.”
KEY MATCHUP
Jordon Cooke vs Brendan Burke
For the first time in five years, Portland’s starting goaltender is no longer the enigmatic, emotional Mac Carruth. The ball is now Brendan Burke’s to roll with, and the 18-year-old son of former NHL goaltender Sean Burke has a lot to prove in this series.
Burke had three of his worst outings of the season when facing the Rockets earlier this year. He allowed 15 goals on 74 shots through parts of three games, although it’s worth noting the Winterhawks were missing their top players in most of those contests due to timing with the world juniors.
The matchup works in Cooke’s favour. The overage goaltender stole the show the last time the Rockets were on Friday Night Hockey in Game 5 of the opening round series against Tri-City. Cooke will face his toughest test yet against the vaunted Winterhawks offence. His reputation dictates he plays his best in the toughest circumstances.
“He’s not going to have to make every save here, but he’s going to have to make the timely ones,” Huska says. “He has done it for us all year long and the important games we’ve had here and playoffs included, he has been our best player.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Portland: D, Mathew Dumba
Johnston rolled the dice when he traded for Dumba’s junior rights while he was still with the Minnesota Wild prior to the world juniors. The gamble paid off for the Winterhawks, who were now able to add Dumba to a core that included Derrick Pouliot, the player they chose ahead of Dumba in the 2009 WHL bantam draft.
Johnston and his staff debated between Pouliot and Dumba in 2009 for the first overall pick. The familiarity gained through the process made Johnston comfortable with Dumba.
“I knew he would bring energy to our team,” Johnston says. “He’s a mobile defenceman that plays the way we like our defencemen to play with puck possession and skating with the puck. He also has a dangerous shot, a big-time shot on the power play. Overall, you’ve got a player coming back from the NHL with that maturity – I think that’s really important to have at this time of the year in the playoffs.”
Kelowna: C, Nick Merkley
The Rockets’ 2012 first round pick is a quick study. Merkley is perhaps already Kelowna’s most skilled forward as a 16-year-old rookie. His playmaking ability forces not only the opposition to adjust, but his teammates as well.
“I feel like he sees the game quite a bit differently than most of our players do where he always seems to be one step ahead,” Huska explains. “It’s taken a little while for his linemates to get used to him. Nick can make plays that most guys don’t expect. He’s one of our players that does have the ability to see the ice really well and he can make the high end play while he’s moving at fast speed and I think that’s one thing that has separated Nick from a lot of first- or second-year guys from the league this year.”
