This weekend, it?s about more than the games

On Saturday night, the Portland Winterhawks became the WHL?s U.S Division Champions and they finished first in the Western Conference, giving them the number one seed for the playoffs. This weekend was the key to clinching those honors. A big win against Everett kept the team in the number one spot, and it was either some magic math on Saturday or a nailbiter on Sunday that would decide things for the team. The Winterhawks did their part by beating the Seattle Thunderbirds 5-4. But for the magic math to work, the Tri-City Americans had to beat the team that was one point behind us: the Spokane Chiefs. It may be the only time Portland fans rooted for the Ams, who beat the Chiefs 6 - 4. And just like that, the Portland Winterhawks return from the road trip to Seattle as the conquering heroes. Tonight they will play the Spokane Chiefs in a sold out game to close out the regular season. But it wasn?t that long ago that the story had a very different ending. In 2009, the Winterhawks ended the season dead last in the Western Conference and the U.S. Division, with 19 wins and 48 losses. So you see, here in the Pacific Northwest this weekend was about far more than the banner that will be hung in the Memorial Coliseum for the first time since 2002.

Source: http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/atg/comments/this_weekend_its_about_more_than_the_games/

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