A look back at the Winterhawks in Brandon

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This article was published 09/01/2025 (338 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Here’s a capsule look at every regular season game played in the Western Hockey League between the Brandon Wheat Kings and Portland Winterhawks in the Internet era.

2022-23

Brandon 3, Portland 2

• Date: Jan. 6, 2023.

• BWK goal scorers: Nate Danielson, Brett Hyland, Quinn Mantei.

• Portland scorers: Jack O’Brien, James Stefan.

• BWK goalie: Carson Bjarnason.

• Portland goalie: Jan Špunar.

• Shots: 36-25 POR.

• PP: BWK 0-4. POR 1-7.

• Attendance: 2,595.

• RECAP: Brandon scored exactly 14:41 into the first and second periods, and Mantei gave the hosts a 3-0. Portland roared back with goals five minutes apart in the third period, but couldn’t find the tying goal despite 55 seconds of power-play time to end the game.

2018-19

Portland 4, Brandon 3

• Date: Jan. 8, 2019.

• BWK goal scorers: Ben McCartney (2), Braden Schneider.

• Portland scorers: Michal Kvasnica, Seth Jarvis, Jaydon Dureau, Joachim Blichfeld.

• BWK goalie: Jiri Patera.

• Portland goalie: Shane Farkas.

• Shots: 51-35 POR.

• PP: BWK 0-3. POR 0-3.

• Attendance: 3,110.

• RECAP: McCartney scored twice in the opening 3:45 of the game and Brandon seemed to be rolling, but the game was tied after 20 minutes and the visitors already had 22 shots on net. Portland went up 4-2 midway through the third on Blichfeld’s 37th goal, which proved to be the winner.

2016-17

Portland 7, Brandon 6

• Date: Oct. 11, 2016.

• BWK goal scorers: Tanner Kaspick (2), Jordan Wharrie, Ty Lewis, Reid Duke, Nolan Patrick.

• Portland scorers: Lane Gilliss, Joachim Blichfeld, Keoni Texeira, Alex Overhardt, Keegan Iverson, Cody Glass, Evan Weinger.

• BWK goalie: Jordan Papirny.

• Portland goalie: Cole Kehler.

• Shots: 46-36 BWK.

• PP: BWK 2-9. POR 5-9.

• Attendance: 3,420.

• RECAP: If you like five-on-five play, this was a great game to miss. The teams had a combined 18 power plays, with Portland connecting on five of their nine chances in a game that never had any flow. The Wheat Kings were up 2-0 after the first period, the game was tied 4-4 after 40 minutes but Portland scored twice in the opening 2:26 of the final frame en route to the win.

2014-15

Brandon 10, Portland 3

• Date: Oct. 18, 2014.

• BWK goal scorers: Jayce Hawryluk (4), Rihards Bukarts, Ivan Provorov, Nolan Patrick, Peter Quenneville, Reid Duke, Kale Clague.

• Portland scorers: Chase De Leo (2), Dominic Turgeon.

• BWK goalie: Jordan Papirny

• Portland goalie: Brendan Burke. Bolton Pouliot.

• Shots: 48-30 BWK.

• PP: BWK 2-4. POR 1-2.

• Attendance: 4,533.

• RECAP: Brandon took a 4-0 lead, and after De Leo’s two goals narrowed the gap to 5-2, Brandon scored three more in the rout. Duke also has three assists as he and Hawryluk both enjoyed four-point nights.

2012-13

Portland 2, Brandon 1

• Date: Oct. 5, 2012.

• BWK goal scorers: Richard Nejezchleb.

• Portland scorers: Derrick Pouliot, Alex Schoenborn.

• BWK goalie: Corbin Boes.

• Portland goalie: Cam Lanigan.

• Shots: 43-19 POR.

• PP: BWK 0-3. POR 0-2.

• Attendance: 4,120.

• RECAP: The score flattered the hosts, who were badly outplayed all night but bailed out by their netminder. Pouliot gave Portland the lead 7:32 in, Nejezchleb tied it seven minutes later and Schoenborn had the winner 12:15 into the second. The hosts were outshot 14-3 in the third period as they tried to tie the game.

2010-11

• Portland 4, Brandon 2

• Date: Nov. 16, 2010.

• BWK goal scorers: Scott Glennie, Shayne Wiebe.

• Portland scorers: Troy Rutkowski, Ryan Johansen, Nino Niederreiter, Derrick Pouliot.

• BWK goalie: Liam Liston.

• Portland goalie: Mac Carruth.

• Shots: 37-35 BWK.

• PP: BWK 1-8. POR 0-2.

• Attendance: 3,708.

• RECAP: Brandon scored in the first two minutes of the first two periods to take 1-0 and 2-1 leads, but the WInterhawks tied it up in the second and scored goals two minutes apart midway through the third period. Brandon’s power play was the difference as they scored just once in eight chances.

2008-09

• Brandon 5, Portland 1

• Date: Oct. 17, 2008.

• BWK goal scorers: Jay Fehr (2), Brayden Schenn, Scott Glennie, Jesse Hall.

• Portland scorers: Luke Walker.

• BWK goalie: James Priestner. Portland goalie: Kurtis Mucha.

• Shots: 46-22 BWK.

• PP: BWK 3-6. POR 0-4.

• Attendance: 3,680.

• RECAP: Brandon outshot Portland 24-4 in the first period but only led 1-0 after 20 minutes. After Schenn and Walker traded goals midway through the second period, Fehr’s second power-play goal made it 3-1, with the Wheat Kings adding two insurance markers in the third period. Hall’s goal was the only one of his WHL career.

2006-07

Brandon 6, Portland 2

• Date: Nov. 17, 2006.

• BWK goal scorers: Andrew Clark (3), Bryan Kauk, Juraj Simek, Codey Burki.

• Portland scorers: Tristan King, Robert Klinkhammer.

• BWK goalie: Joe Caligiuri.

• Portland goalie: Chris Ward.

• Shots: 28-25 POR.

• PP: BWK 2-7. POR 0-7.

• Attendance: 3,913.

• RECAP: Brandon scored goals 52 seconds apart early in the game and led 4-0 early in the second period, Portland’s goals came 36 seconds apart in the second period, with one of them coming from the future Wheat Kings forward Klinkhammer. Brandon added goals 23 seconds apart late in the game to salt it away as goals continued to come in bunches.

2004-05

Brandon 2, Portland 1

• Date: Jan. 12, 2005.

• BWK goal scorers: Corey Courchene, Eric Fehr.

• Portland scorers: Cody McLeod.

• BWK goalie: Mike Nichol.

• Portland goalie: Blake Grenier.

• Shots: 31-19 POR.

• PP: BWK 0-7. POR 1-10.

• Attendance: 2,007.

• RECAP: You don’t run into many 2-1 games with just 50 combined shots on net when there are 17 power plays. Courchene’s goal came early in the first, Fehr scored a shortie in the second and McLeod, a Binscarth product who enjoyed a long NHL career, sniped in the third period on the power play.

2002-03

Brandon 3, Portland 0

• Date: Feb. 7, 2003.

• BWK goal scorers: Reagan Leslie, Ryan Craig, Derek Werenka.

• Portland scorers: None.

• BWK goalie: Geoff McIntosh. Portland goalie: Lanny Ramage, Krister Toews.

• Shots: 25-16 BWK.

• PP: BWK 0-7. POR 0-4.

• Attendance: 3,928.

• RECAP: McIntosh made 16 saves for one of his seven career WHL shutouts and the Wheat Kings scored once in each period en route to the win. The former Wheat Kings netminder Toews came in for Ramage after the third goal.

2000-01

Portland 3, Brandon 2

• Date: Jan. 12, 2001.

• BWK goal scorers: Brett Girard, Travis Young.

• Portland scorers: Marcel Hossa (2), Dean Beuker.

• BWK goalie: Jamie Hodson.

• Portland goalie: Jomar Cruz.

• Shots: 28-24 POR.

• PP: BWK 0-3. POR 1-4.

• Attendance: 3,716.

• RECAP: Hossa gave the visitors a 2-0 lead and Beuker added to the lead 15:39 into the middle frame. Girard scored three minutes later and Young made it a one-goal game midway through the third period, but the hosts were unable to tie in the battle between Brandon’s longtime goaltending tandem of Hodson and Cruz.

1999-2000

Portland 5, Brandon 4 (OT)

• Date: Feb. 23, 2000.

• BWK goal scorers: Colin McRae (2), Kevin Harris, Brett Thurston.

• Portland scorers: Michael Kiesman (2), Shawn Roed, Paul Gaustad, Nick Marach.

• BWK goalie: Robert McVicar.

• Portland goalie: Lanny Ramage.

• Shots: 36-34 BWK.

• PP: BWK 0-3. POR 0-2.

• Attendance: 1,882.

• RECAP: Portland was up 3-0 early in the second period, but Brandon rallied to tie 10:41 into the third period on McRae’s second goal. Kiesman seemed to have the winner at the 17:03 mark, but Thurston tied it with 18 seconds remaining in regulation. The dagger came 1:42 into overtime off the stick of Marach.

1998-99

Brandon 2, Portland 2

• Date: Oct. 16, 1998.

• BWK goal scorers: Dan Tetrault, Andrei Lupandin.

• Portland scorers: Dean Beuker, Blake Robson.

• BWK goalie: Jamie Hodson.

• Portland goalie: Shaun Lee.

• Shots: 41-25 BWK.

• PP: BWK 0-9. POR 0-7.

• Attendance: 2,985.

• RECAP: Beuker scored 79 seconds into the game to give the visitors the lead, Tetrault tied it, Robson gave Portland the lead again in the second period and Lupandin tied it up in the third period. Both teams had three shots in overtime but they settled for a tie in the good old days before the shootout.

1997-98

Brandon 5, Portland 5

• Date: Nov. 14, 1997.

• BWK goal scorers: Kelly Smart, Darren Van Oene, Ryan Robson, Cory Cyrenne, Kirby Law.

• Portland scorers: Bobby Russell, Josh Green, Bobby Duncan, Todd Robinson, Marty Standish.

• BWK goalie: David Haun.

• Portland goalie: Brent Belecki.

• Shots: 43-34 POR.

• PP: BWK 2-6. POR 1-6.

• Attendance: 3,607.

• RECAP: In a wild game, Portland led 3-1 when Brandon went up 4-3 with three goals in four minutes. They added another in the third period to go up 5-3, but the Winterhawks scored twice in the final eight minutes of the third period to tie it up. The visitors had three of the four shots in overtime but neither squad scored.