WINTERHAWKS: Johnston wants one more

But coach says his young Portland team has performed well overall on its long road trip

By Steve Brandon

The Portland Tribune, Oct 22, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

BRYAN HEIM

Nino Niederreiter has eight goals and eight assists in 15 games for the Portland Winterhawks, who are 10-5-0-0 going into Friday's game at Kootenay.

Must have been about as nice a 5 1/2-hour bus ride from Lethbridge, Alberta to Kootenay, British Columbia as possible Wednesday night/Thursday morning for the Portland Winterhawks.

The Hawks were flying high emotionally after beating Lethbridge 4-3 in overtime.

It was Portland's second straight win on the road and guaranteed no worse than a .500 finish on the longest trip the Hawks will take this season. They are 3-2-0-0 in a six-games-in-nine-nights journey through the Western Hockey League Central Division, with the finale set for Friday at Kootenay.

A successful trip already?

Coach Mike Johnston, speaking by phone as the team prepared to leave Lethbridge, stopped just short of that, saying he wanted the Winterhawks to take care of one final order of business.

"We need one more big win in Kootenay," he said, sounding hopeful and optimistic. "We'll get our rest tomorrow and try to summon every ounce of energy we can for that game."

• The Winterhawks have some of the best rookies in the WHL. It's not easy, from one night to the next, to say which one is having the most impact.

It's hard to overlook the recent offensive accomplishments of Nino Niederreiter, though. the 6-2, 200-pound left winger from Chur, Switzerland, has scored at least one point in the past nine games, notching five goals and six assists in that period. He got the OT winner Wednesday at Lethbridge.

Johnston pointed out that "he didn't start very well in the game, and neither did we. But that line (Niederreiter, Brad Ross and Ryan Johansen) has been playing well, even if (the Lethbridge game) wasn't one of their best nights, overall."

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