Winter Hawks Open Home Schedule Saturday – Add a Player

The Portland Winter Hawks’ 31st home opener is set for this Saturday at 7:30 in Memorial Coliseum against the Kelowna Rockets.

Salem-News.com Sports

PORTLAND - Portland filled out its 20-year-old contingent Thursday morning by acquiring forward Rob Klinkhammer from the Seattle Thunderbirds in exchange for a 4th round choice in the 2007 WHL Bantam Draft.

“He adds maturity to our lineup and he also has re-dedicated himself to the game,” said Portland GM Ken Hodge. “He came to Seattle’s camp 20 pounds lighter than at Lethbridge’s camp in 2005 with much more attention to fitness than he had in the past.”

Klinkhammer, 6’3, 209 from Lethbridge, Alberta, had 8 goals, 12 assists for 20 points and 52 penalty minutes with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Seattle last season.

“Rob is in his fourth year in the league and we were looking to add some experience to our forward lines,” said Portland Coach Mike Williamson.

The Winter Hawks and Kelowna, both (0-2) on the young season, graduated a lot of key forwards from their teams last season and are looking to improve as their young players adapt to the WHL. The Hawks opened regular season play with losses in Kamloops and Vancouver last weekend.

Saturday night’s home opener will start with pre-game festivities at 7:30 and the actual puck-drop will probably occur about 7:45. Play by play audio of every home Winter Hawks’ game is transmitted within the arena on an FM transmitter. The game will be a “dry run” for television coverage for the Hawks this season, but not aired live. If things go well, the game may be replayed by Comcast CNW-14 at a later date.

The Hawks will telecast the first of at least 30 games on Comcast CNW Channel 14 on Sunday when the Kamloops Blazers visit the Coliseum for a 5:00 face off. The television broadcast will be delayed one hour to accommodate the University of Oregon Football Coach Mike Bellotti Show, aired at 5:00, on CNW-14 so the Hawks’ telecast will start at 6:00 p.m. with Dean Vrooman doing play by play and Andy Kemper providing color commentary. All Winter Hawks’ telecasts will be available ON DEMAND to all Comcast digital cable subscribers.

There are plenty of tickets left for this weekend’s games. Student tickets start at just $5 and adult tickets start at $10. Fans can purchase tickets at winterhawks.com or any Fred Meyer or GI Joe’s Ticketmaster location. Tickets are exactly the same price as they are at the door if purchased in person at Ticketmaster. Fans can also call 503-236-HAWK (4275) for tickets and information.

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