Reader poll: showdown

Published 10:09 am Monday, March 9, 2015

Regular season games don’t get much bigger than Wednesday’s game between Everett and Portland.

Here’s how things stand in the race for the WHL’s U.S. Division heading into Wednesday:

STANDINGS

1. Everett, 87 points, six games remaining

2. Portland, 83 points, eight games remaining

REMAINING GAMES

Everett: Por, @Sea, Sea, @Vic, Vic, @Spo.

Portland: @Evt, @Spo, PG, Spo, @Spo, @TC, @Sea, TC.

It’s very possible that Wednesday’s head-to-head result could ultimately determine which team claims the division banner. It’s the 10th of 10 meetings between Everett and Portland this season. The Tips lead the season series 5-4, and Everett won the last meeting 4-3 in overtime at home on Feb. 8, a game that was an absolute thriller. However, Portland has been on a roll since that last meeting, going 8-0-1-0 in its past nine games, and the Winterhawks are 16-1-2-0 in their past 19.

So what happens Wednesday?