Tipped Off
04-24-2006, 12:22 PM
Hawks assess inconsistent season
There were high points that give coach Mike Williamson reason for optimism next fall -
Sunday, April 23, 2006
MOLLY BLUE
It's been a week since the Portland Winter Hawks' season ended. Most of the players have scattered after cleaning out their lockers at Memorial Coliseum, where the ice already is gone.
Along with their personal belongings, they took with them the memories of the 2005-06 season, which started with promise, was punctuated by a couple of losing streaks, then ended in the high drama of the second round of the Western Hockey League playoffs.
At times, the Hawks put it all together. They won nine of their first 15 games, then beat Seattle in a thrilling Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs. Portland forward Kyle Bailey went down with a leg injury that left him writhing in pain, the Hawks trailing 3-0. But they came back to win 4-3 in overtime, and advanced to the second round for the first time in five seasons. They also shocked Vancouver with a 1-0 win in the first game of the Western Conference semifinals.
At other times, however, things fell apart. The Hawks endured an 11-game losing streak through February that came on the heels of a five-game losing streak leading up to Christmas. Portland also set a franchise record with more than 240 man-games lost to injuries.
Finally, it all came to a close last Sunday when Portland lost 2-0 in Game 5 to powerful Vancouver. To reach the playoffs, the Hawks finished third in the U.S. Division with a 32-32-3-5 regular season record.
Hawks coach Mike Williamson offered these perspectives on the season:
Goaltenders: "Our team didn't help our goalies this year," Williamson said. "They never really played solid in front of them. At least, not consistently."
At the start of camp, veteran Dustin Butler was No. 1, 16-year-old rookie Kurtis Mucha was the presumptive backup and 18-year-old Luke Shier was the unknown entity. Shier had an outstanding camp and did well in the preseason tournaments. Mucha didn't have a great training camp. What to do? The Hawks stuck with all three.
Williamson said that Butler (14-12-1-2, 3.23 goals-against average, .897 save percentage) fought through bad outings, would gain some momentum, then he'd get hurt.
Shier (4-10-1-0, 4.38, .875) had discipline problems early in the season and was sent home once, but was allowed to return. He never seemed to get on track, put up less than modest statistics and struggled with injuries. "There was always something in Luke's way," Williamson said.
Mucha (14-10-1-3, 2.86, .885 regular season) emerged as the go-to goaltender by default, when Shier and Butler were hurt at the same time. He made the most of his chance, sparking the Hawks in the playoffs, going 5-6-1-0 with two shutouts.
"In camp, we thought he had a little ways to go with size and strength," Williamson said. "But he worked hard in practice to get a little better every day. We talked to him about perseverance and it paid off. When he got his chance, he built up confidence and ran with it."
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Defense: Anchored by veterans Michael Sauer and Michael Funk, but thinned at times with injuries to both, the Hawks had to cobble together different pairs from game to game. Cameron Cepek missed more than 50 games with an injured wrist; Jordie Fike had knee problems and mononucleosis. Portland traded for Max Gordichuk, Scott Gabriel, Lenny Thunderchild and Garth Collins (who quit the team during the playoffs), and brought in Ty Ariss, a list player, to bolster the defense during the playoffs.
"Depth was a problem for us. Cepek missing so many games hurt, too," Williamson said. "Our team should have made more progress on defense, but it seemed like we never had the same guys one night to the next."
Offense: Portland's first line was potent in the regular season: Brandon Dubinsky led the Hawks with 67 points in 51 games, Jannik Hansen added 64 points in 64 games, and Jon Bubnick had 58 points in 64 games.
After that, the Hawks struggled.
"With new guys and new rules, everything seemed pretty open to start. There was a lot of ice time available," Williamson said. "But after a while, things started to tighten up. After the first line, things really dropped off, and that put a lot of pressure on the top line."
That was even more apparent in the playoffs, where Dubinsky led all scorers through the first two rounds, with five goals -- including all three in a 3-2 win against Seattle where he scored shorthanded, even strength and on a power play -- and 15 points. Hansen was next on the team with 13 points in the playoffs, and Bubnick added eight points. But next on that list isn't a forward, it's Sauer, who had four goals and six points.
Leaving, coming back: Dubinsky already is competing in the American Hockey League after coming to contract terms with the New York Rangers. He's gone from one playoffs to another, going the Rangers' AHL affiliate in Hartford, Conn., which is in the hunt for the Calder Cup.
Williamson also expects Hansen (Vancouver) and Funk (Buffalo) to move on and play for their NHL organizations. He said Brian Woolger and Bubnick probably will play in college in Canada.
Williamson said Czech national Stanislav Balan (Nashville) is a question mark for the Hawks, but they'll probably draft two more European players. Bailey (Minnesota) also is questionable to return.
But there are plenty of returning forwards with potential, led by Colton Sceviour, who was sidelined with a jaw injury in midseason, and Thomas Frazee, a list player who skated regular shifts and got his first WHL goal during the playoffs. The other forwards are Kelly Friesen, Libor Gazdik, Sasha Golin, Nick Hotson, Frazer McLaren and Brayden Nargang. Matt Betker, another list player, also joined the Hawks during the playoffs.
Williamson expects depth on defense, with the return of Sauer, Cepek, Fike, Gabriel, Gordichuk and Thunderchild, along with Ariss.
Mucha is expected to be back in goal for the Hawks, but Williamson said the other two will have to work hard over the summer.
Notes: The Bantam draft is May 4; the European draft is June 28. The WHL's rookie camp in Calgary is June 9-11 and the league's schedule meeting is in July. Teams open training camps at the end of August. . . . Williamson said he hasn't had a sit-down meeting with the new owners, but expects to be back next season.
There were high points that give coach Mike Williamson reason for optimism next fall -
Sunday, April 23, 2006
MOLLY BLUE
It's been a week since the Portland Winter Hawks' season ended. Most of the players have scattered after cleaning out their lockers at Memorial Coliseum, where the ice already is gone.
Along with their personal belongings, they took with them the memories of the 2005-06 season, which started with promise, was punctuated by a couple of losing streaks, then ended in the high drama of the second round of the Western Hockey League playoffs.
At times, the Hawks put it all together. They won nine of their first 15 games, then beat Seattle in a thrilling Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs. Portland forward Kyle Bailey went down with a leg injury that left him writhing in pain, the Hawks trailing 3-0. But they came back to win 4-3 in overtime, and advanced to the second round for the first time in five seasons. They also shocked Vancouver with a 1-0 win in the first game of the Western Conference semifinals.
At other times, however, things fell apart. The Hawks endured an 11-game losing streak through February that came on the heels of a five-game losing streak leading up to Christmas. Portland also set a franchise record with more than 240 man-games lost to injuries.
Finally, it all came to a close last Sunday when Portland lost 2-0 in Game 5 to powerful Vancouver. To reach the playoffs, the Hawks finished third in the U.S. Division with a 32-32-3-5 regular season record.
Hawks coach Mike Williamson offered these perspectives on the season:
Goaltenders: "Our team didn't help our goalies this year," Williamson said. "They never really played solid in front of them. At least, not consistently."
At the start of camp, veteran Dustin Butler was No. 1, 16-year-old rookie Kurtis Mucha was the presumptive backup and 18-year-old Luke Shier was the unknown entity. Shier had an outstanding camp and did well in the preseason tournaments. Mucha didn't have a great training camp. What to do? The Hawks stuck with all three.
Williamson said that Butler (14-12-1-2, 3.23 goals-against average, .897 save percentage) fought through bad outings, would gain some momentum, then he'd get hurt.
Shier (4-10-1-0, 4.38, .875) had discipline problems early in the season and was sent home once, but was allowed to return. He never seemed to get on track, put up less than modest statistics and struggled with injuries. "There was always something in Luke's way," Williamson said.
Mucha (14-10-1-3, 2.86, .885 regular season) emerged as the go-to goaltender by default, when Shier and Butler were hurt at the same time. He made the most of his chance, sparking the Hawks in the playoffs, going 5-6-1-0 with two shutouts.
"In camp, we thought he had a little ways to go with size and strength," Williamson said. "But he worked hard in practice to get a little better every day. We talked to him about perseverance and it paid off. When he got his chance, he built up confidence and ran with it."
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Defense: Anchored by veterans Michael Sauer and Michael Funk, but thinned at times with injuries to both, the Hawks had to cobble together different pairs from game to game. Cameron Cepek missed more than 50 games with an injured wrist; Jordie Fike had knee problems and mononucleosis. Portland traded for Max Gordichuk, Scott Gabriel, Lenny Thunderchild and Garth Collins (who quit the team during the playoffs), and brought in Ty Ariss, a list player, to bolster the defense during the playoffs.
"Depth was a problem for us. Cepek missing so many games hurt, too," Williamson said. "Our team should have made more progress on defense, but it seemed like we never had the same guys one night to the next."
Offense: Portland's first line was potent in the regular season: Brandon Dubinsky led the Hawks with 67 points in 51 games, Jannik Hansen added 64 points in 64 games, and Jon Bubnick had 58 points in 64 games.
After that, the Hawks struggled.
"With new guys and new rules, everything seemed pretty open to start. There was a lot of ice time available," Williamson said. "But after a while, things started to tighten up. After the first line, things really dropped off, and that put a lot of pressure on the top line."
That was even more apparent in the playoffs, where Dubinsky led all scorers through the first two rounds, with five goals -- including all three in a 3-2 win against Seattle where he scored shorthanded, even strength and on a power play -- and 15 points. Hansen was next on the team with 13 points in the playoffs, and Bubnick added eight points. But next on that list isn't a forward, it's Sauer, who had four goals and six points.
Leaving, coming back: Dubinsky already is competing in the American Hockey League after coming to contract terms with the New York Rangers. He's gone from one playoffs to another, going the Rangers' AHL affiliate in Hartford, Conn., which is in the hunt for the Calder Cup.
Williamson also expects Hansen (Vancouver) and Funk (Buffalo) to move on and play for their NHL organizations. He said Brian Woolger and Bubnick probably will play in college in Canada.
Williamson said Czech national Stanislav Balan (Nashville) is a question mark for the Hawks, but they'll probably draft two more European players. Bailey (Minnesota) also is questionable to return.
But there are plenty of returning forwards with potential, led by Colton Sceviour, who was sidelined with a jaw injury in midseason, and Thomas Frazee, a list player who skated regular shifts and got his first WHL goal during the playoffs. The other forwards are Kelly Friesen, Libor Gazdik, Sasha Golin, Nick Hotson, Frazer McLaren and Brayden Nargang. Matt Betker, another list player, also joined the Hawks during the playoffs.
Williamson expects depth on defense, with the return of Sauer, Cepek, Fike, Gabriel, Gordichuk and Thunderchild, along with Ariss.
Mucha is expected to be back in goal for the Hawks, but Williamson said the other two will have to work hard over the summer.
Notes: The Bantam draft is May 4; the European draft is June 28. The WHL's rookie camp in Calgary is June 9-11 and the league's schedule meeting is in July. Teams open training camps at the end of August. . . . Williamson said he hasn't had a sit-down meeting with the new owners, but expects to be back next season.