Sunday 29 January 2012

Calgary 4 Tri-City 1

The Calgary Hitmen extended their winning streak to six games with a 4-1 home ice win over the Tri-City Americans Sunday afternoon. 

The Hitmen scored four unanswered goals, including two second period markers 29 seconds apart.

Brady Brassart, Danny Gayle, Alex Gogolev and Chase Clayton each scored for Calgary while Collin Bowman led the Hitmen with three assists.  Brian Williams had the lone goal for Tri-City who opened the scoring early in the second period. 

Chris Driedger made 16 saves against his former team to record his sixth win in as many starts for a season total of 15.  Ty Rimmer made 31 saves in the loss.

The Hitmen are now 31-17-2-1 on the season.  At 65 points, Calgary moves into third in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of fourth place Medicine Hat and three points behind second place Moose Jaw.

Tri-City drops to 35-12-1-1.

                                                   Photo Credit:  Brad Watson

Tri-City Americans 1 at Calgary Hitmen 4
Sunday, January 29, 2012 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Tri-City 0 1 0 - 1
Calgary 0 2 2 - 4

1st Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Dallman T.c (high sticking, high sticking), 7:21; Yuen T.c (interference), 11:42; Humphries Cal (holding), 13:35; Roach Cal (interference), 18:42.

2nd Period
1, Tri-City, Williams 7 (Dallman, Topping), 4:21.
2, Calgary, Brassart 16   16:21 (PP).
3, Calgary, Gayle 10 (Bowman, Chase), 16:50.
Penalties-Rask Cal (inter. on goaltender), 1:47; Dallman T.c (interference), 8:04; Cheek Cal (holding), 8:45; Hughesman T.c (delay of game), 14:54.

3rd Period
4, Calgary, Gogolev 21 (Sylvester), 10:47.
5, Calgary, Clayton 11 (Gogolev, Bowman), 14:33.
Penalties-Yuen T.c (hooking), 1:48; Rask Cal (major-check/behind, game misconduct), 2:35; Strömwall T.c (hooking), 7:50; Mychan T.c (slashing), 19:41; Shinnimin T.c (slashing), 20:00.

Shots on Goal-Tri-City 6-7-4-17. Calgary 12-8-15-35.
Power Play Opportunities-Tri-City 0 / 5; Calgary 1 / 8.
Goalies-Tri-City, Rimmer 20-8-0-1 (35 shots-31 saves). Calgary, Driedger 15-7-2-1 (17 shots-16 saves).
A-11,236
Referees-Matt Kirk (4), Nathan Wieler (18).
Linesmen-Michael Roberts (87), Ian Shaver (74).

Tri-City at Calgary

The Calgary Hitmen (30-17-2-1) winners of five in a row and 13 of their last 14 host the Tri-City Americans (35-11-1-1) today in a 4:00 p.m. start at Scotiabank Saddledome.  Calgary is coming off last night's 5-2 win in Medicine Hat while the Americans dropped a 3-2 overtime decision Friday night in Red Deer.

Calgary enters the contest fourth in the WHL's Eastern Conference with 63 points, trailing Medicine Hat by a single point for third.  Tri-City is second in the Western Conference with 72 points, two points back of front running Kamloops.  The Americans are also ranked #3 in the Canadian Hockey League Top 10 Rankings this week. 

Today is the first and only meeting between the two clubs but there is a lot of familiarity between several players.  Four current Hitmen once played for Tri-City: Chris Driedger, Spencer Humphries, Brooks Macek and Brock Sutherland while the Americans line-up has former Hitmen forward Nathan MacMaster.

Over the last five seasons Calgary is 1-2-0-1 against the Americans including a 1-0-0-1 record at the 'Dome.

DID YOU KNOW?  Calgary is 16-3-0-0 when leading after the first period while Tri-City is 18-3-1-0 when leading after 20 minutes.

WHL LEADERS:  Tri-City's Adam Hughesman, Brendan Shinnimin and Patrick Holland are three of the Top 10 scorers in the WHL.  Americans goalie Ty Rimmer leads the WHL with a 2.19 GAA while teammate Eric Comrie is eighth at 2.62.  Hitmen puckstopper Chris Driedger is tied for 10th at 2.74.  Hitmen imports Victor Rask and Alex Gogolev are both Top 10 in rookie scoring.  Rask is tied for fifth while Gogolev is ninth. 

Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 17g 36a 53pts
Jimmy Bubnick 21g 26a 47pts
Victor Rask 21g 19a 40pts

Tri-City
Adam Hughesman 29g 47a 76pts
Brendan Shinnimin 29g 45a 74pts
Patrick Holland 20g 47a 67pts

Saturday 28 January 2012

Calgary 5 Medicine Hat 2

Medicine Hat, AB – Alex Gogolev and Trevor Cheek both scored in the first four minutes of the third period to break a 2-2 tie lifting the Calgary Hitmen to a 5-2 win over the Medicine Hat Tigers Saturday night at The Arena.

Joey Kornelsen into an empty net, Alex Roach and Danny Gayle also scored for the red hot Hitmen who have now won five in a row and 13 of their last 14 games.

Calgary built a 2-0 first period lead before the Tigers drew even on second period goals from James Bettauer and Hunter Shinkaruk.

Brandon Glover won the battle between the pipes making 28 saves in the Hitmen net to pick up the win.  Tigers goalie Tyler Bunz made 33 saves in the loss.

Special teams also played a large role with Calgary going 3-3 on the powerplay, while Medicine Hat went 2-5.

The win was Calgary’s first over the Tigers in four tries this season and improves their overall record to 30-17-2-1.  At 63 points the Hitmen pull within a point of Medicine Hat for third in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

Calgary returns to action tomorrow afternoon against the U-S Division leading Tri-City Americans.  Game time is 4:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome for the Wendy’s Novice Development Day game.

For information on ticket packages including Flex Packs, Group Tickets or Season Tickets, call Customer Service at 403-777-4646.

Click here to listen to a post game interview with Trevor Cheek

                                       Photo Credit:  Double E Photography and whl.ca


Calgary Hitmen 5 at Medicine Hat Tigers 2
Saturday, January 28, 2012 - Medicine Hat Arena

Calgary 2 0 3 - 5
Medicine Hat 0 2 0 - 2

1st Period
1, Calgary, Roach 3 (Bowman, Brassart), 15:59 (PP).
2, Calgary, Gayle 9 (Bowman, Bubnick), 17:47 (PP).
Penalties-Konan M.h (high sticking, high sticking), 15:30.

2nd Period
3, Medicine Hat, Bettauer 18 (Etem, Konan), 7:41 (PP).
4, Medicine Hat, Shinkaruk 36 (Etem, Valk), 12:03 (PP).
Penalties-Rissling Cal (hooking), 7:15; Brooks Cal (inter. on goaltender), 10:38; Gayle Cal (slashing), 16:23; Lewington M.h (tripping), 19:37.

3rd Period
5, Calgary, Gogolev 20 (Rask, Humphries), 1:28 (PP).
6, Calgary, Cheek 16 (Bubnick, Kosterman), 3:02.
7, Calgary, Kornelsen 8 (Humphries)  19:18 (EN).
Penalties-Brassart Cal (slashing), 7:28; Bubnick Cal (inter. on goaltender), 14:00; Roach Cal (roughing), 18:04; Konan M.h (roughing), 18:04.

Shots on Goal-Calgary 14-14-11-39. Medicine Hat 8-10-12-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Calgary 3 / 3; Medicine Hat 2 / 5.
Goalies-Calgary, Glover 16-9-0-0 (30 shots-28 saves). Medicine Hat, Bunz 29-13-2-2 (38 shots-34 saves).
A-4,006
Referees-Pat Smith (12), Colin Stefanyk (14).
Linesmen-Darren Holeha (47), Matthew Sanders (70).

Calgary at Medicine Hat

The Calgary Hitmen (29-17-2-1) are in Medicine Hat tonight to face the Tigers (30-16-2-2).  Radio Broadcast on Sportsnet 960 The Fan starts at 7:00 p.m. with a 30 minute pre-game show.  The Hitmen enter the contest having won 12 of their last 13 including last night's 2-0 home ice win over Vancouver.  Medicine Hat is riding a six game winning streak and coming off last night's 8-2 victory in Lethbridge

Calgary enters play with 61 points, tied with Saskatoon for fourth in the WHL's Eastern Conference.  The Tigers sit third with 64 points, just two back of second place Moose Jaw.

Tonight is the fourth of six meetings between the two teams.  Medicine Hat leads the season series 3-0 having outscored Calgary by a combined 12-2.  Tigers goalie and Edmonton Oilers prospect Tyler Bunz has been sensational against the Hitmen stopping 102 of 104 shots for a 3-0 record with a .67 goals against average and a .981 save percentage.  Anaheim Ducks first round pick Emerson Etem has also been a star with eight points (2g 6a) in three games. 
-Oct. 15 in MH: Tigers 5 Hitmen 0.  Tyler Bunz 36 save shutout.  Emerson Etem four assists.
-Dec. 4 in CAL: Tigers 2 Hitmen 1.  Tyler Bunz 37 saves.  Curtis Valk two goals, Emerson Etem two assists.
-Jan. 18 in CAL: Tigers 5 Hitmen 1.  Emerson Etem led the Tigers with a pair of goals.

Calgary is 14-9-2-0 on the road this season while Medicine Hat is 14-8-1-1 at home.

Top Scorers:

Cody Sylvester 17g 36a 53pts
Jimmy Bubnick 21g 24a 45pts
Victor Rask 21g 18a 39pts

Medicine Hat
Emerson Etem 44g 32a 76pts
Hunter Shinkaruk 35g 28a 63pts
James Bettauer 17g 26a 43pts

Friday 27 January 2012

Calgary 2 Vancouver 0

Chris Driedger made 32 saves for his second career Western Hockey League shutout as the Calgary Hitmen blanked the Vancouver Giants 2-0 Friday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Collin Bowman opened the scoring for Calgary at the 11:27 mark of the first period firing a puck into the top corner for his 12th goal of the season while on a 2 on 1 rush.

Trevor Cheek then added an insurance marker scoring into an empty net with 44 seconds left in regulation.

The win for Calgary is their 12th in their last 13 outings.

                                                 Photo Credit:  Brad Watson

Vancouver Giants 0 at Calgary Hitmen 2
Friday, January 27, 2012 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Vancouver 0 0 0 - 0
Calgary 1 0 1 - 2

1st Period
1, Calgary, Bowman 12   11:27.
Penalties-Makin Van (major-fighting), 1:51; Helgesen Cal (major-fighting), 1:51; Kulak Van (hooking), 4:06; Vannieuwenhuizen Van (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 11:11; Brassart Cal (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 11:11; Trzonkowski Cal (cross checking), 14:59; Clayton Cal (hooking), 15:40.

2nd Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Bowman Cal (high sticking), 0:52; Humphries Cal (roughing), 3:04; Orban Van (roughing, roughing), 6:20; Gallagher Van (roughing), 6:47; Vannieuwenhuizen Van (roughing, roughing, 10-minute misconduct), 6:47; Bubnick Cal (roughing, roughing, 10-minute misconduct, 10-minute misconduct), 6:47; Sylvester Cal (roughing), 6:47; Musil Van (boarding), 8:16; Cheek Cal (checking from behind), 18:23.

3rd Period
2, Calgary, Cheek 15 (Bubnick, Sylvester), 19:16 (EN).
Penalties-Rask Cal (tripping), 1:23; Orban Van (roughing, roughing), 6:36; Cheek Cal (roughing), 6:36; Kuvaev Van (cross checking), 11:05; Kuvaev Van (roughing), 14:56; Humphries Cal (roughing), 14:56.

Shots on Goal-Vancouver 12-16-4-32. Calgary 5-6-8-19.
Power Play Opportunities-Vancouver 0 / 6; Calgary 0 / 7.
Goalies-Vancouver, Morrison 24-10-1-1 (18 shots-17 saves). Calgary, Driedger 14-7-2-1 (32 shots-32 saves).
A-9,866
Referees-Ryan Bonnett (39), Sean Raphael (28).
Linesmen-Reid Anderson (53), Jeff Jobson (52).

Vancouver at Calgary

The Calgary Hitmen (28-17-2-1) wrap up a five game homestand tonight against the Vancouver Giants (28-18-1-2).  The Hitmen have won 11 of their last 12 games and are coming off Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings.  The Giants meanwhile have just two wins in their last seven games falling 4-2 in Red Deer on Wednesday in their last outing.

Calgary enters the contest with 59 points, tied with Saskatoon for fifth in the Eastern Conference, just a point back of Kootenay for fourth.  Vancouver is fourth in the Western Conference with 59 points trailing Portland by six points for third.

Tonight is their second and final regular season meeting.  The Hitmen posted a 6-4 victory on the West Coast on January 4th.  Six different Hitmen scored in the win while defenceman Collin Bowman had a monster game with a goal and two assists to go along with a +4 rating.  Calgary overcame a 2-0 first period deficit and out shot Vancouver 39-24.  The Hitmen went 1-3 on the powerplay while the Giants were 1-5.

Calgary is 5-0-0-1 in their last six home games against Vancouver.

Overall the Hitmen are 14-8-0-1 on home ice this season while the Giants are 10-11-1-1 on the road.

STREAKIN':  Brooks Macek (3g 4a), Victor Rask (4g 3a) and Chase Clayton (2g 2a) are all on a three game point streaks.  Trevor Cheek (1g 1a) has points in back-to-back games.  Brandon Glover is 7-1 in his last eight starts, while Chris Driedger is 5-0-1-0 in his last six starts.

DID YOU KNOW?  In Calgary's last 12 games that has seen the club post an 11-1 record, they have outscored their opponents by a combined 60-30...Vancouver Giants forward Brendan Gallagher, a Montreal Canadiens prospect, had six points (3g 3a) in six games helping Team Canada win Bronze at the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship.  Giants Head Coach Don Hay was also the bench boss for Team Canada.  Adam Morrison will get the start in the Giants net tonight after missing the last six games with an injury.

ALL-STARS:  This weekend the NHL All-Star game will take place in Ottawa with the AHL All-Star Classic also being held this weekend in Atlantic City, N.J.  Taking part in the AHL festivities will be two former members of both the Hitmen and the Giants. Paul Postma will dress for the Eastern All-Stars, while Alex Plante will patrol the Western All-Star’s blue line.  Both are alumni defencemen of Calgary.  Former Giants Kevin Connauton and Tyson Sexsmith will play for the East and West, respectively.  The last Hitmen player to take part in the NHL All-Star game was Ryan Getzlaf in 2008-09.

Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 17g 36a 53pts
Jimmy Bubnick 21g 23a 44pts
Victor Rask 21g 18a 39pts

Vancouver
Brendan Gallagher 28g 27a 55pts
Marek Tvrdon 18g 32a 50pts
Cain Franson 19g 25a 44pts

Thursday 26 January 2012

Chris Driedger named to CHL Top Prospects Game

Calgary Hitmen goaltender Chris Driedger will play in the 2012 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.

Driedger, a 17-year-old from Winnipeg, Manitoba, was ranked 12th among North American Goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting in their midterm rankings for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

At 6’2’’ and 186lbs, Driedger is playing in his second WHL season and first with the Hitmen. 

In 27 career games he carries a record of 13-7-2-1 with one shutout and a goals-against-average of 2.86 and save percentage of .894.

In his last seven appearances #33 has gone 5-0-0-1-0 in the Hitmen net with a 2.41GAA and .920 save percentage. 

Driedger will suit up for Team Orr and replaces Malcolm Subban of the Belleville Bulls who is unable to participate due to injury.

The 2012 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game will be played at Prospera Place in Kelowna, BC, on Wednesday February 1, 2012.
 
                                                    Photo Credit: Brad Watson

A trip down memory lane with Dean Clark

Dean Clark, now head coach of the Prince George Cougars, was behind the bench when the Calgary Hitmen won their first WHL Championship on May 7, 1999.  Ken Thrower and I had a chance to catch up with Dean who spoke very candidly about his days with the Hitmen.

Click here to listen

Wednesday 25 January 2012

Calgary 7 Brandon 2

Calgary, AB - Detroit Red Wings prospect Brooks Macek scored his first WHL career hat-trick and set up another goal lifting the Calgary Hitmen to a 7-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings Wednesday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Victor Rask, Spencer Humphries, Trevor Cheek and Greg Chase also scored for Calgary who built period leads of 3-0 and 6-0 en route to their third straight win.

Rask, Brady Brassart and Cody Sylvester each picked up a pair of assists in the victory.

Brandon Glover made 23 saves for Calgary as the Hitmen outshot the Wheat Kings 39-25.

The Hitmen, now 28-17-2-1 on the season, have won 11 of their last 12 games. 

At 59 points, Calgary is tied for fifth with Saskatoon in the WHL Eastern Conference.

The Hitmen end the month with three games in three days starting Friday night at home against the Vancouver Giants.  Game time is 7:00 p.m. for the Husky Hitmen 7th Man game. 

The Hitmen will then travel to Medicine Hat on Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. match-up followed by a Sunday afternoon home ice contest against the Tri-City Americans.  Puck drop is 4:00 p.m. on Sunday for the Wendy’s Novice Development Day game.

                                                 Photo Credit:  Brad Watson

Brandon Wheat Kings 2 at Calgary Hitmen 7
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Brandon 0 0 2 - 2
Calgary 3 3 1 - 7

1st Period
1, Calgary, Rask 21 (Brassart, Macek), 6:44.
2, Calgary, Humphries 6 (Sylvester), 13:28.
3, Calgary, Cheek 14 (Sylvester, Helgesen), 15:06.
Penalties-Kosterman Cal (hooking), 2:35; Sutherland Cal (hooking), 7:15; Miller Bdn (major-fighting), 15:25; Trzonkowski Cal (major-fighting), 15:25.

2nd Period
4, Calgary, Chase 3 (Rissling, Kornelsen), 2:23.
5, Calgary, Macek 12   12:18.
6, Calgary, Macek 13 (Rask, Clayton), 16:40 (PP).
Penalties-Miller Bdn (charging, major-fighting), 10:54; Kosterman Cal (slashing, major-fighting), 10:54; Dziurzynski Bdn (major-fighting), 12:26; Rissling Cal (major-fighting), 12:26; Meilleur Bdn (high sticking), 15:27; Honey Bdn (delay of game), 17:17.

3rd Period
7, Calgary, Macek 14 (Rask, Brassart), 3:50.
8, Brandon, Bertaggia 19 (Mraz, Swyripa), 8:44.
9, Brandon, Sundher 24 (Stone, Roy), 10:08.
Penalties-Nikkel Bdn (major-fighting), 18:50; Helgesen Cal (major-fighting), 18:50.

Shots on Goal-Brandon 11-8-6-25. Calgary 13-17-9-39.
Power Play Opportunities-Brandon 0 / 2; Calgary 1 / 2.
Goalies-Brandon, Boes 11-6-0-1 (21 shots-16 saves); Honey 1-2-0-1 (18 shots-16 saves). Calgary, Glover 15-9-0-0 (25 shots-23 saves).
A-6,947
Referees-Brett Montsion (54), Colin Watt (72).
Linesmen-Michael Roberts (87), Justin Slimm (105).

Brandon at Calgary

The Calgary Hitmen (27-17-2-1) play game four of a five game homestand tonight against Canadian World Junior Mark Stone and the Brandon Wheat Kings (24-22-1-2).  Game time is 7:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome.  The Hitmen enter play having won two in a row and 10 of their last 11 games.  Calgary is coming off Sunday's 4-2 home ice win over Red Deer.  Brandon meanwhile posted a 1-0 win in Cranbrook last night over the Kootenay Ice.  It snapped a two game losing streak for the Wheaties who have gone just 8-15-0-1 in their last 24 games.

The Hitmen enter play with 57 points, good for seventh in the WHL's Eastern Conference.  They sit six points ahead of Brandon, but trail Regina by a single point for sixth.  Brandon holds the eighth and final playoff spot with 51 points, six points ahead of ninth place Red Deer.

                                                Photo Credit:  Brad Watson

Tonight is the the fourth and final regular season meeting between the two teams.  The Hitmen lead the series 2-1.  Trevor Cheek tops all Hitmen with four points (3g 1a) against Brandon while Alessio Bertaggia (3g 2a) and Brendan Walker (2g 3a) both have five points to lead the Wheat Kings. 
-Nov. 4 in Brandon:  Wheat Kings 5 Hitmen 2.   The Brandon line of Brendan Walker (2g 2a), Mark Stone (1g 2a) and Michael Ferlund (2g 3a) combined for 11 points.
-Nov. 22 in Brandon:  Hitmen 6 Wheat Kings 3.  Alex Gogolev scored twice for Calgary while Cody Sylvester had three points (1g 2a)
-Dec. 11 in Calgary:  Hitmen 4 Wheat Kings 3.  Trevor Cheek scored twice for Calgary.
                                                             INSIDE THE SERIES
SHOTS ON GOAL: Cal 109  Bdn 78  POWERPLAYS: Cal 1-12 (8.3%)  Bdn 3-16 (18.8%)

DID YOU KNOW?  Brandon has three of the top 12 scorers in the WHL in Mark Stone (4th), Kevin Sundher (8th) and Michael Ferland (12th).  Calgary's top point producer, Cody Sylvester, is tied for 24th.

HOME AND AWAY:  Calgary is 13-8-0-1 on home ice this season while Brandon is 13-12-0-0.

STREAKIN':  Five Hitmen take point streaks into tonight's game: Danny Gayle (1g 4a), Victor Rask (3g 1a), Chase Clayton (2g 1a), Calder Brooks (1g 2a), and Brooks Macek (3a) have points in back-to-back games.  Chris Driedger is 5-0-0-1 in his last six starts.  No Brandon players are riding point streaks but Mark Stone has at least a single point in 36 of his 42 games this season

Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 17g 34a 51pts
Jimmy Bubnick 21g 23a 44pts
Victor Rask 20g 16a 36pts
Brady Brassart 15g 21a 36pts

Brandon
Mark Stone 31g 44a 75pts
Kevin Sundher 23g 46a 69pts
Michael Ferland 25g 34a 59pts

Brandon Wheat Kings Drafted/NHL Signed Players:
F Kevin Sundher (Buffalo, 3rd Round, 75th overall in 2010 – SIGNED)
F Michael Ferland (Calgary, 5th Round, 133rd overall in 2010 - SIGNED)
F Mark Stone (Ottawa, 6th Round, 178th overall in 2010 - SIGNED)
G Brandon Anderson (Washington, SIGNED as a Free Agent in September, 2010).

Tuesday 24 January 2012

Two Hitmen fan bus trips in February

The Junior Hockey Junkies are now accepting registrations for two upcoming bus trips. JHJ Bus trip #4 is a day trip up the QEII to Red Deer on Saturday Feb 04 where the boys will face the Red Deer Rebels. The second trip that we are accepting reservations is JHJ Bus Trip #5 on Friday Feb 17 to Sunday Feb 19 with overnight stops in Kelowna (Fri Feb 17) and Kamloops (Sat Feb 18). The first stop will see the Hitmen play the Kelowna Rockets and the next night will see the Hitmen battle the Kamloops Blazers. Full trip details can be seen below.

The Hitmen are fully engaged in the playoff hunt. They currently hold onto 7th place in the Eastern Conference only 2 points out of 5th spot and hold a four point cushion over Brandon who owns the 8th and final playoff position. These trips are yet another opportunity for the Hitmen fans to support their favourite team in an enemy barn as they strive to climb higher in the standings and with a strong finish to the season be the home team in the first round of the playoffs. The Hitmen players and coaches have told us over the years that the travelling Hitmen fans always give them a boost as they play in enemy barns.

“The junkies provide incredible support for our team. Our players always know where they are sitting and can hear them cheering for our team. The dedication they show provides extra motivation for our players.”
Mike Williamson (Head Coach of the Calgary Hitmen)

The itinerary for JHJ Bus Trip #4 to Red Deer is as follows:
Saturday Feb 04…
Leave Calgary 5:15 PM SHARP
Arrive Red Deer Enmax Centrium in plenty of time for warm-ups
Depart Enmax Centrium immediately after 3 stars and head back to Calgary

The itinerary for JHJ Bus Trip #5 to Kelowna & Kamloops is as follows:
Friday Feb 17
Depart Calgary 7:00 AM SHARP
Arrive in Kelowna and check into hotel
Bus departs hotel for Prospera Place and game vs. Kelowna Rockets
Bus departs Prospera Place back to the hotel immediately after the 3 stars announcement where you are on your own for the remainder of the evening
Saturday Feb 18
Bus departs hotel for Kamloops at 12:00 noon SHARP
Arrive in Kamloops and check into hotel
Bus departs hotel for Interior Savings Centre and game vs. Kamloops Blazers
Bus departs Interior Savings Centre back to the hotel immediately after the 3 stars announcement where you are on your own for the remainder of the evening
Sunday Feb 19
Bus departs hotel for Calgary at 8:00 am SHARP
Arrive back in Calgary approximately 6:00 – 6:30 PM
Reserve your seat on either or both of these trips by registering at the Junior Hockey Junkies booth at the Scotiabank Saddledome at any home games. Our booth is located in the concourse behind Sec 213. If you cannot make it to one of the Hitmen home games please call the Junior Hockey Junkies information number at 403-236-7560. We look forward to having you join the Junior Hockey Junkies on this junket down the QEII to Edmonton. If paying for your trip at the booth payment can be in the form of cash, cheque or money order payable to Junior Hockey Junkies. If mailing payment in the form of cheque or money order payable to Junior Hockey Junkies can be mailed to
Junior Hockey Junkies
71 Douglas Park Blvd.
Calgary, AB
T2Z 2K9

JHJ Bus Trip #4...
Destination: Red Deer
Date: Saturday Feb 04
Departure Time: 9:30 PM Sharp
Departure Location: Deerfoot Mall NE parking lot east of SportChek (map attached)
Price: $50 Adult
Deadline: Sunday Jan 29
Trip Includes:
Return transportation from the defined departure location to the Enmax Centrium and back, Game Ticket plus On Board activities.
Activities on the coach to Red Deer:
- Door Prize Draws
- Cribbage (card table set up on all JHJ Bus Trips)
- Hockey Talk
- 50/50 Draw (50% to the lucky ticket holder and 50% to the JHJ sponsorship of the – Hitmen Corporate Caring Corner)
- Videos and/or Music

JHJ Bus Trip #5...
Destination: Kelowna & Kamloops
Date: Friday Feb 17 – Sunday Feb 19
Departure Time: 7:00 AM Sharp
Departure Location: TBD
Price: $285 per person based upon double occupancy
Deadline: Sunday Feb 12
Trip Includes:
Return transportation from the defined departure location to Kelowna, Kamloops and back, two night’s hotel accommodation, one game ticket in each city, plus On Board activities.
Activities on the coach to Kelowna & Kamloops:
- Door Prize Draws
- Cribbage Tournament (card table set up on all JHJ Bus Trips)
- Hockey Talk
- 50/50 Draw (50% to the lucky ticket holder and 50% to the JHJ sponsorship of the – Hitmen Corporate Caring Corner)
- Videos and/or Music

Alex Roach gets three game suspension

When Alex Roach sat out Sunday's game against Red Deer the length of his suspension wasn't known.  The Western Hockey League has now ruled on the incident, and Roach has been handed a three game ban.  Roach was given a major on the play for a high hit on Cougars forward Greg Fraser.

Here's the posting from the league's website.

Alex Roach, Calgary:
-Three games for checking to the head major and g.m. versus Prince George on January 20

Roach won't be allowed to return to the line-up until Saturday night in Medicine Hat against the Tigers.


In a separate ruling from that same game Prince George forward Campbell Elynuik has been given a four game suspension.  Elynuik was given a major for fighting on the play for tracking down Hitmen defenceman Collin Bowman and delivering a blind sided punch.  Elynuik continued to throw punches after knocking Bowman to the ice.  Bowman did not receive a penalty on the play.

Here's the posting from the league's website on that incident.

Campbell Elynuik,  Prince George:

-Four games for one man fight at Calgary on January 20




Sunday 22 January 2012

Calgary 4 Red Deer 2

Chris Driedger made 41 saves in a first star performance as the Calgary Hitmen beat the Red Deer Rebels 4-2 Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Chase Clayton scored twice for Calgary and now has 10 goals on the season including seven in his last nine games.

Jimmy Bubnick with his 21st and Victor Rask into an empty net for his 20th also scored for Calgary who beat the Rebels for the second time in less than a week.

Matthew Dumba and Tyson Ness scored for Red Deer who trailed 1-0 after one and 2-0 after forty minutes.

Trevor Cheek led all Hitmen with seven shots on goal while John Persson topped the Rebels with nine.

Calgary has now won two in a row and 10 of their last 11 games to improve to 27-17-2-1.  At 57 points they remain seventh in the WHL's Eastern Conference, pulling one point back of Regina for sixth.

The Hitmen return to action Wednesday to host Team Canada World Junior Mark Stone and the Brandon Wheat Kings.  Game time is 7:00 p.m.

                                                    Photo Credit: Brad Watson

Red Deer Rebels 2 at Calgary Hitmen 4
Sunday, January 22, 2012 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Red Deer 0 0 2 - 2
Calgary 1 1 2 - 4

1st Period
1, Calgary, Clayton 9 (Cheek, Kosterman), 5:11 (SH).
Penalties-Humphries Cal (cross checking), 4:02; Trzonkowski Cal (interference), 10:20; Kambeitz R.d (roughing), 16:07; Helgesen Cal (cross checking), 16:27; Brooks Cal (holding), 16:57.

2nd Period
2, Calgary, Clayton 10 (Brooks, Bowman), 18:16 (PP).
Penalties-Petrovic R.d (slashing), 1:05; McCoy R.d (high sticking), 10:22; Kambeitz R.d (cross checking), 17:53; Gogolev Cal (tripping), 18:47.

3rd Period
3, Red Deer, Dumba 14 (Petrovic, Robinson), 0:40 (PP).
4, Calgary, Bubnick 21 (Rask, Macek), 6:13.
5, Red Deer, Ness 12 (Elson), 7:26.
6, Calgary, Rask 20 (Macek), 19:12 (EN).
Penalties-Macek Cal (tripping), 3:43; Inglis R.d (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 13:42; Brassart Cal (roughing), 13:42; Inglis R.d (10-minute misconduct), 19:12.

Shots on Goal-Red Deer 14-15-14-43. Calgary 9-13-12-34.
Power Play Opportunities-Red Deer 1 / 5; Calgary 1 / 3.
Goalies-Red Deer, Dubyk 8-7-1-1 (33 shots-30 saves). Calgary, Driedger 13-7-2-1 (43 shots-41 saves).
A-8,314
Referees-Trevor Hanson (19), Darren Spurgeon (131).
Linesmen-Aidan Henderson (78), Scott Sharun (103).

Red Deer at Calgary

The Calgary Hitmen (26-17-2-1) play the Red Deer Rebels (20-20-1-4) this afternoon in their second meeting in just six days.  Game time is 4:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome.  Both teams are coming off 5-1 wins over Prince George.  Calgary beat the Cougars Friday night, while the Rebels knocked off Prince George last night.

Calgary enters play with 55 points, sitting seventh in the Eastern Conference, three points back of Regina for sixth and six points ahead of Brandon for eighth.  Red Deer meanwhile is ninth, four point back of Brandon for a playoff spot.

Today is the third of six meetings between the two clubs.  The season series is tied 1-1.  Greg Chase (1g 2a), Jimmy Bubnick (3a) and Cody Sylvester (3a) all have three points each against Red Deer.  Matt Dumba (1g 1a), Colton Mayor (1g 1a), John Persson (1g 1a) and Flames prospect Turner Elson (2a) all have two points each against Calgary. 
-Oct. 7 in Cal: Rebels 4 Hitmen 2.  Colton Mayor and John Persson each had a goal and an assist for the Rebels.
-Jan. 17 in RD: Hitmen 5 Rebels 1.  Alex Gogolev scored twice, while Greg Chase had a career high three points (1g 2a).
                                                 Photo Credit: Brad Watson
Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 17g 34a 51pts
Jimmy Bubnick 20g 23a 43pts
Brady Brassart 15g 21a 36pts

Red Deer
John Persson 15g 25a 40pts
Turner Elson 16g 18a 34pts
Colton Mayor 13g 20a 33pts


Saturday 21 January 2012

Calgary 5 Prince George 1

Victor Rask netted two goals in a first star performance as the Calgary Hitmen defeated the Prince George Cougars 5-1 Friday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Joe Kornelsen, Alex Gogolev and Calder Brooks also scored for the Hitmen who built period leads of 2-0 and 4-1.

Brady Brassart (3a) picked up three points in the win while Spencer Humphries chipped in a pair of assists.

Chris Driedger made 18 saves for Calgary who outshot the Cougars 44-19.  Driedger recorded his third win in as many starts for a season total of 12.

The Hitmen, now 26-17-2-1 on the season, sit seventh in the WHL Eastern Conference with 55 points, six points ahead of eighth place Brandon and one point behind sixth place Regina.

Calgary hosts the Red Deer Rebels at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 22.  The Hitmen will also welcome Brandon on Wednesday, January 25 and Vancouver on Friday, January 27 before heading back out on the road.
                                                   Photo Credit:  Brad Watson

Prince George Cougars 1 at Calgary Hitmen 5
Friday, January 20, 2012 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Prince George 0 1 0 - 1
Calgary 2 2 1 - 5

1st Period
1, Calgary, Kornelsen 7 (Brooks, Humphries), 13:22.
2, Calgary, Rask 18 (Brassart), 14:25.
Penalties-Trzonkowski Cal (checking from behind), 5:51; Elynuik P.g (inter. on goaltender), 6:16; Brooks Cal (high sticking), 9:34; Trzonkowski Cal (major-fighting), 16:11; Jackson P.g (tripping), 16:22.

2nd Period
3, Prince George, Tkatch 11 (Fontaine), 2:55.
4, Calgary, Gogolev 19 (Brassart, Macek), 8:46 (PP).
5, Calgary, Rask 19 (Humphries, Brassart), 18:30 (PP).
Penalties-Rissling Cal (interference), 4:51; Elynuik P.g (interference), 6:13; Fontaine P.g (high sticking), 6:57; Humphries Cal (hooking), 12:35; Carlson P.g (hooking), 14:22; Asuchak P.g (roughing), 15:16; Bubnick Cal (roughing), 15:16; Forsberg P.g (hooking), 17:50.

3rd Period
6, Calgary, Brooks 5 (Trzonkowski, Clayton), 5:48.
Penalties-Mykitiuk P.g (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 6:33; Forsberg P.g (roughing, 10-minute misconduct), 6:57; Roach Cal (roughing, major - checking to the head, game misconduct), 6:57; Forsberg P.g (10-minute misconduct), 9:52; Siwak P.g (slashing), 9:52; Brooks Cal (high sticking, high sticking), 15:58; Fraser P.g (inter. on goaltender), 17:24; Elynuik P.g (major-fighting, game misconduct), 17:36; Carlson P.g (major-fighting), 19:38; Sutherland Cal (major-fighting), 19:38; Trzonkowski Cal (high sticking), 19:38.

Shots on Goal-Prince George 5-8-6-19. Calgary 15-13-16-44.
Power Play Opportunities-Prince George 0 / 5; Calgary 2 / 8.
Goalies-Prince George, Owsley 14-24-0-1 (44 shots-39 saves). Calgary, Driedger 12-7-2-1 (19 shots-18 saves).
A-9,624
Referees-Ryan Bonnett (39), Devin Klein (9).
Linesmen-Jeff Jobson (52), Steve Cochrane (125).

Friday 20 January 2012

Prince George at Calgary

The Calgary Hitmen (25-17-2-1) will look to start a new winning streak tonight when they host the Prince George Cougars (15-27-0-2) at Scotiabank Saddledome.  Game time is 7:00 p.m.  The Hitmen saw their eight game winning streak halted Wednesday with a 5-1 home ice loss to Medicine Hat.  The Cougars also last played Wednesday, falling 5-0 in Edmonton.

The Hitmen enter play seventh in the WHL's Eastern Conference with 53 points.  They are two points back of both Saskatoon and Regina for fifth, and four points ahead of Brandon for eighth.  Prince George is ninth in the Western Conference with 32 points, just one back of Victoria for the final playoff spot.

SEASON SERIES:  Tonight is the second and final regular season meeting.  Prince George posted a 3-1 home ice win in their only previous contest, December 28th in Northern BC.  Goaltender Drew Owsley made 37 saves in the victory.  Both teams were 0-4 on the powerplay.

STREAKIN':  Jimmy Bubnick (4g 4a)  is on a five game point scoring streak.  Cody Sylvester (2g 5a) has points in four straight.  Chris Driegder is 3-0-1-0 in his last four starts in goal. 

BEHIND THE BENCH:  The Cougars head coach is Dean Clark, the former bench boss of the Calgary Hitmen.  Clark ran the Hitmen bench from 1996/97 to 2000/01 posting a regular season record of 183-118-33.  He was also named WHL Coach of the Year in the 1998/99 season helping the Hitmen win their first WHL Title on May 7th, 1999.

NHL EYE:  Cougars top scorer Troy Bourke is ranked 107th among North American Skaters by Central Scouting for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Calgary is 11-8-0-1 at home this season while the Cougars are 9-14-0-1 on the road

Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 17g 34a 51pts
Jimmy Bubnick 20g 23a 43pts
Alex Gogolev 18g 16a 34pts

Prince George
Troy Bourke 9g 24a 33pts
Alex Forsberg 11g 18a 29pts
Cody Carlson  6g 23a 29pts

Thursday 19 January 2012

Medicine Hat 5 Calgary 1

The Medicine Hat Tigers scored three second period goals, including two in the opening minute, en route to a 5-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen Wednesday night at Scotiabank Saddledome. 

The loss ended Calgary’s season high eight-game winning streak that started on December 30, 2011 with a 6-3 win over the Kamloops Blazers.

Emerson Etem led the Tigers scoring attack with two goals to give him 39 on the season, while Brendan Hurley, Curtis Valk and Cole Grbavac each scored once for the visitors.

Jimmy Bubnick netted his team-leading 20th goal in the loss while Cody Sylvester and Spencer Humphries each chipped in an assist for Calgary.

After allowing five goals on 34 shots, Brandon Glover was relieved by Chris Driedger midway through the third period.  Driedger made 11 saves in the game.

Oilers prospect Tyler Bunz went the distance for Medicine Hat making 29 saves.  The 19-year-old has now stopped 101 of 103 Hitmen shots this season as the Tigers improve to 3-0 against Calgary.

Calgary, now 25-16-2-1 on the season, sits seventh in the WHL Eastern Conference with 53 points.

The Hitmen return to action Friday night at home to the Prince George Cougars.  Game time is 7:00 p.m.

                                                Photo Credits:  Allana Minchau


Medicine Hat Tigers 5 at Calgary Hitmen 1
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Medicine Hat 1 3 1 - 5
Calgary 0 1 0 - 1

1st Period
1, Medicine Hat, Hurley 4 (Bettauer, Konan), 10:56.
Penalties-Sylvester Cal (holding), 6:32; Kessy M.h (elbowing), 7:11; Konan M.h (checking from behind), 16:37; Shinkaruk M.h (checking from behind), 18:53.

2nd Period
2, Medicine Hat, Etem 38 (Bredo), 0:11 (SH).
3, Medicine Hat, Valk 15   0:54. 4,
Calgary, Bubnick 20 (Humphries, Sylvester), 3:48.
5, Medicine Hat, Etem 39   6:27.
Penalties-Hurley M.h (roughing), 1:43; Brassart Cal (roughing), 1:43; Bettauer M.h (roughing), 9:02; Clayton Cal (slashing), 10:21; served by Helgesen Cal (too many men), 11:24; Lewington M.h (hooking), 15:35; Etem M.h (major-fighting), 16:25; Rissling Cal (slashing, major-fighting), 16:25; Humphries Cal (cross checking), 19:57; Hart M.h (major-fighting, game misconduct), 20:00; Kessy M.h (inter. on goaltender, major-fighting), 20:00; Konan M.h (roughing), 20:00; Bowman Cal (roughing), 20:00; Kornelsen Cal (major-fighting, game misconduct), 20:00; Kosterman Cal (major-fighting), 20:00.

3rd Period
6, Medicine Hat, Grbavac 6 (Leier), 8:44.
Penalties-Sylvester Cal (hooking), 0:38; Lewington M.h (tripping), 9:32; Busenius M.h (major-fighting), 11:12; Trzonkowski Cal (instigator, major-fighting, 10-minute misconduct), 11:12; Leier M.h (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 16:15; Clayton Cal (slashing), 16:15; Chase Cal (interference), 17:46; Cheek Cal (slashing), 18:24.

Shots on Goal-Medicine Hat 9-17-19-45. Calgary 14-14-2-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Medicine Hat 0 / 9; Calgary 0 / 7.
Goalies-Medicine Hat, Bunz 25-12-2-2 (30 shots-29 saves). Calgary, Glover 14-9-0-0 (34 shots-29 saves); Driedger 11-7-2-1 (11 shots-11 saves).
A-7,230
Referees-Steve Papp (17), Kevin Webinger (6).
Linesmen-Sean Donnelly (109), Ian Shaver (74).

Wednesday 18 January 2012

Medicine Hat at Calgary

The Calgary Hitmen (25-16-2-1) open a five game home stand tonight against the Medicine Hat Tigers (25-16-2-2).  Game time is 7:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome.  The Hitmen are riding a season high eight game winning streak and are coming off last night's 5-1 victory in Red Deer.  The Tigers meanwhile have won just two of their last six games but picked up two points in their last outing, a 6-3 triumph over visiting Moose Jaw Saturday night.

Calgary enters play with 53 points, just one point back of Medicine Hat and Regina who share fifth place in the Eastern Conference with 54.

                                                Photo Credit: Avery Buye

Tonight is the third of six meetings between the two teams.  Medicine Hat leads the season series 2-0.  Tigers goalie and Edmonton Oilers prospect Tyler Bunz has been sensational against the Hitmen stopping 73 of 74 shots for a 2-0 record with a .50 goals against average and a .986 save percentage.  Anaheim Ducks first round pick Emerson Etem has also been a star with six assists in two games.
-Oct. 15 in MH: Tigers 5 Hitmen 0.  Tyler Bunz 36 save shutout.  Emerson Etem four assists.
-Dec. 4 in CAL: Tigers 2 Hitmen 1.  Tyler Bunz 37 saves.  Curtis Valk two goals, Emerson Etem two assists.

STREAKIN':  Five Hitmen take point scoring streaks into tonight's game.  Jimmy Bubnick (3g 4a) is on a four game run.  Cody Sylvester (2g 4a) has points in three straight. Danny Gayle (1g 4a), Alex Gogolev (2g 1a) and Calder Brooks (1g 1a) all have points in back-to-back games.  Collin Bowman is a combined +10 in his last five games.  Goaltender Brandon Glover has won his last six starts, while Chris Driedger has won two straight.

Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 17g 33a 50pts
Jimmy Bubnick 19g 23a 42pts
Alex Gogolev 18g 16a 34pts

Medicine Hat
Emerson Etem 37g 31a 68pts
Hunter Shinkaruk 32g 24a 56pts
James Bettauer 10g 16a 26pts

Calgary is 11-7-0-1 on home ice while the Tigers are 13-8-1-1 on the road.

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Calgary 5 Red Deer 1

The Calgary Hitmen extended their season high winning streak to eight games with a 5-1 victory over the Red Deer Rebels Tuesday night at Enmax Centruim.

Alex Gogolev scored twice for Calgary while Greg Chase led all Hitmen with a career high three points (1g 2a).

Joey Kornelsen, and Chase Clayton also scored for Calgary who overcame a 1-0 second period deficit while Cody Sylvester and Jimmy Bubnick both chipped in a pair of assists.

Calgary out shot the Rebels 34-30 as Brandon Glover made 29 saves to record his sixth straight win in goal.  He also passed the 2,000 career regular season saves mark to sit at 2,020.

Matt Dumba had the lone goal for Red Deer who drops a game below .500 at 19-20-1-4.  They remain four points out of a playoff spot.

The Hitmen, now 25-16-2-1 on the season, pull within a single point of both Medicine Hat and Regina for fifth in the WHL Eastern Conference with 53 points.

Calgary opens a five-game home stand tomorrow (Wednesday) against Team USA World Junior forward Emerson Etem and the Medicine Hat Tigers.  Game time is 7:00 p.m. at the Scotiabank Saddledome. 

The Hitmen will also host Prince George Friday (7pm) and Red Deer Sunday (4pm), before welcoming Brandon and Vancouver next week.

For information on ticket packages including Flex Packs, Group Tickets or Season Tickets, call Customer Service at 403-777-4646.

To watch the highlights, click here.

Calgary Hitmen 5 at Red Deer Rebels 1
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 - Enmax Centrium - Red Deer, AB

Calgary 0 2 3 - 5
Red Deer 0 1 0 - 1

1st Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Bubnick Cal (boarding, major-fighting), 2:27; Petrovic R.d (instigator, major-fighting, 10-minute misconduct), 2:27; Fafard R.d (holding), 6:30; Kambeitz R.d (slashing), 17:40.

2nd Period
1, Red Deer, Dumba 12 (Elson), 4:09.
2, Calgary, Kornelsen 6 (Chase, Clayton), 4:48.
3, Calgary, Gogolev 17 (Sylvester, Bubnick), 11:27.
Penalties-Brassart Cal (tripping), 6:19.

3rd Period
4, Calgary, Clayton 8 (Chase, Brooks), 1:42.
5, Calgary, Gogolev 18 (Sylvester, Bubnick), 9:47.
6, Calgary, Chase 2 (Rask), 15:46.
Penalties-Doetzel R.d (holding), 2:07; Humphries Cal (checking from behind), 5:24; Kosterman Cal (major-fighting), 5:24; Inglis R.d (instigator, major-fighting), 5:24; Inglis R.d (10-minute misconduct), 5:25; Bowman Cal (roughing), 13:00; Kambeitz R.d (high sticking), 13:00.

Shots on Goal-Calgary 12-8-14-34. Red Deer 9-9-12-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Calgary 0 / 3; Red Deer 0 / 1.
Goalies-Calgary, Glover 14-8-0-0 (30 shots-29 saves). Red Deer, Dubyk 7-6-1-1 (34 shots-29 saves).
A-4,022
Referees-Colin Watt (72), Derek Zalaski (8).
Linesmen-Cody Huseby (88), Chris Carlson (92).

Calgary at Red Deer

The Calgary Hitmen (24-16-2-1) put their season high seven game winning streak on the line tonight in Red Deer against the Rebels (19-19-1-4).  Internet Broadcast on http://www.sportsnet960.ca/ starts at 7:00 p.m.  Click here to listen http://player.rogersradio.ca/cfac-alt/on_air 

Tonight is just their second meeting this season.  Back on October 7th, Red Deer posted a 4-2 win at Scotiabank Saddledome.  Colton Mayor and John Persson each had a goal and an assist for the Rebels.

The Hitmen and Rebels have gone in different directions since the early part of the season.  Calgary started 6-8-0-1 but has gone 18-8-2-0 since.  Red Deer meanwhile got off to a 14-4-0-3 start, but is 5-15-1-1 since.
                                                 Photo Credit: Brad Watson

Calgary last played on Sunday posting a 4-3 home ice win over Edmonton while the Rebels dropped a 4-0 decision in Swift Current Saturday night.

The Hitmen have won four straight away from the 'Dome and are 13-9-2-0 on the road this season.  Red Deer has lost two straight extra time games in a row at Enmax Centrium, one in a shootout and a second in overtime.  Overall the Rebels are 10-9-1-2 on home ice.

STREAKIN':  Five Hitmen take point scoring streaks into tonight's game.  Jaynen Rissling (1g 3a) is on a four game run.  Jimmy Bubnick (3g 2a) has points in three straight.  Danny Gayle (1g 4a), Cody Sylvester (2g 2a) and Trevor Cheek (1g 3a) all have points in back-to-back games.  Collin Bowman is combined +9 in his last four games.  Goaltender Brandon Glover has won his last five starts, while Chris Driedger has won two straight.

Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 17g 31a 48pts
Jimmy Bubnick 19g 21a 40pts
Brady Brassart 15g 18a 33pts

Red Deer
John Persson 15g 24a 39pts
Colton Mayor 13g 20a 33pts
Alex Petrovic 4g 26a 30pts

DID YOU KNOW?  Rebels defenceman Matthew Dumba was ranked 7th by Central Scouting among North American Skaters for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.  Dumba will also suit up for Team Cherry at the CHL Top Prospects Game on February 1st in Kelowna.

Monday 16 January 2012

Hitmen Set Franchise Record

I did some digging this morning and discovered the Hitmen set a franchise record in Friday's 5-2 home ice win over Moose Jaw.

Not a single powerplay chance was awarded to Calgary that night, setting a new franchise record for fewest powerplay chances in a single game. 

On 13 previous occasions in the 17 year history of the Hitmen, Calgary was awarded just one powerplay chance.  The last occurred on March 8, 2011 in Medicine Hat. 

But never before had Calgary's powerplay unit not stepped on the ice until Friday night against the Warriors.

Sunday 15 January 2012

Calgary 4 Edmonton 3

Jimmy Bubnick scored two goals in a first star performance as the Calgary Hitmen edged the Eastern Conference leading Edmonton Oil Kings 4-3 Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Saddledome.

The win extended Calgary's season high winning streak to seven games.

Cody Sylvester (1g, 2a), who broke a 3-3 third period tie scoring the game winner with 8:33 remaining, led the Hitmen with three points while Calder Brooks also scored in the win. 

Spencer Humphries chipped in a pair of assists in his first game back off injury.

Trevor Cheek, Alex Gogolev and Jaynen Rissling, who has points in his last four consecutive games, each picked up one helper for Calgary.

                                                    Photo Credit:  Allana Minchau

Brandon Glover made 24 saves in the Hitmen net to record his 13th win of the season and fifth win in his last five starts. 

Calgary out shot the Oil Kings 39-27, including 18-11 in the second period.

The Hitmen, now 24-16-2-1 on the season, sit seventh in the WHL Eastern Conference with 51 points, just three points back of Medicine Hat and Regina for fifth.

Edmonton Oil Kings 3 at Calgary Hitmen 4
Sunday, January 15, 2012 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Edmonton 1 1 1 - 3
Calgary 0 3 1 - 4

1st Period
1, Edmonton, Maxwell 24 (Gernat), 14:30.
Penalties-Geertsen Edm (holding), 14:40; Rissling Cal (tripping), 16:54.

2nd Period
2, Calgary, Bubnick 18 (Sylvester, Humphries), 2:51.
3, Calgary, Brooks 4 (Cheek, Humphries), 4:58 (PP).
4, Calgary, Bubnick 19 (Sylvester)  8:47.
5, Edmonton, Moroz 10 (Legault), 11:03.
Penalties-Samuelsson Edm (major-charging, 10-minute misconduct), 2:51; Pysyk Edm (cross checking), 6:27; Sautner Edm (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 13:17; Bubnick Cal (roughing), 13:17; Sylvester Cal (inter. on goaltender), 18:10.

3rd Period
6, Edmonton, Lazar 12 (Moroz, Foster), 4:00 (PP).
7, Calgary, Sylvester 17 (Rissling, Gogolev), 11:27.
Penalties-Cheek Cal (boarding), 2:23; Brooks Cal (hooking), 2:49.

Shots on Goal-Edmonton 5-11-11-27. Calgary 9-18-12-39.
Power Play Opportunities-Edmonton 1 / 4; Calgary 1 / 3.
Goalies-Edmonton, Jarry 4-2-0-0 (39 shots-35 saves). Calgary, Glover 13-8-0-0 (27 shots-24 saves).
A-8,459
Referees-Tyler Adair (58), Adam Byblow (23).
Linesmen-Michael Roberts (87), Justin Slimm (105).

Edmonton at Calgary

The Calgary Hitmen (23-16-2-1) wrap up a three game home stand this afternoon against the Eastern Conference leading and Canadian Hockey League’s number eight ranked Edmonton Oil Kings (29-10-1-0).  Game time is 2:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome.  Today is also Dodge Skate with the Hitmen.  Fans are encouraged to bring their skates to today's matchup to join the Hitmen for a post-game skate.  Please note, all participants under the age of 18 must wear a helmet.

The Hitmen are coming off Friday’s 5-2 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors.  After giving up the opener, Calgary scored five unanswered goals from five different players: Brady Brassart, Trevor Cheek, Collin Bowman, Cody Sylvester and Rob Trzonkowski.  Brandon Glover made 27 saves to record the win.  Cheek finished the game with a team leading three points (1g 2a).  He was also +4.  The Oil Kings were on home ice last night and needed overtime to beat the Kootenay Ice 3-2.  Jordan Peddle scored the game winner 3:06 into sudden death.

The Hitmen enter play with 49 points.  They sit seventh in the WHL Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Brandon for eighth and four points back of Saskatoon for sixth.  Calgary has two games in hand on the Wheat Kings and Blades who also both play today.  Edmonton meanwhile leads the Eastern Conference by eight points over both Moose Jaw and Kootenay.  However the Oil Kings are third overall trailing Kamloops by two points and Tri-City by three.

VS. EDMONTON:  Today is the fourth of six meetings with the Oil Kings.  Edmonton leads the season series 3-0 will all three previous meetings in the provincial capital.  Cody Sylvester (1g, 2a) and Trevor Cheek (1g, 2a) both have three points each to lead the Hitmen in the series while Cody Corbett (5a) tops the Oil Kings with five points.  Last season Edmonton won five of six meetings with Calgary. 
- Dec. 1 in EDM: Oil Kings 6 Hitmen 1.  Mark Pysyk led the Oil Kings with three assists.
- Dec. 6 in EDM: Oil Kings 6 Hitmen 2.  Griffen Reinhart had 1g 2a for Edmonton.
 -Dec. 17 in EDM: Oil Kings 2 Hitmen 1.  Cody Corbett had two assists for the Oil Kings who out shot Calgary 33-22.
                                                         INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CAL 71  EDM 83     Power Plays: CAL 2-17  (11.8%)  EDM 5-17 (29.4%)    

SIX AND COUNTING:  During the Hitmen's current season high six game winning streak they have outscored their opponents by a combined 34-16 while also holding a 205-162 shot clock advantage.  In that span Calgary has gone 8-29 on the powerplay (27.5%) while killing 22 of 27 (81.2%) opposition chances.  .  The last time Calgary won six in a row came as part of a nine-game winning streak to conclude the 2009-10 regular season from February 26 to March 14, 2010.

TOP SCORERS:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 16g 29a 45pts
Jimmy Bubnick 17g 21a 38pts
Brady Brassart 15g 18a 33pts

Edmonton
Michael St. Croix 25g 42a 67pts
Dylan Wruck 17g 40a 57pts
Tyler Maxwell 23g 20a 43pts


STREAKIN':  Four Hitmen take point scoring streaks into today's game.  Victor Rask (2g 5a) is on a six game run.  Brady Bassart (4g 3a) has points in four straight while Jaynen Rissling (1g 2a) has points in three straight.  Danny Gayle (1g 4a) and Jimmy Bubnick (1g 2a) both have points in back-to-back games.  Alex Roach is a combined +8 during his last six games while Collin Bowman is +8 in his last three games.  Goaltender Brandon Glover has won his last four starts, while Chris Driedger has won two straight.

WHL LEADERS:  Alex Gogolev (16g 15a) and Victor Rask (17g 14a) are tied with each other for seventh WHL rookie scoring with 31 points.  Rask’s 17 goals has him fifth among WHL rookie snipers in that category.  Hitmen defenceman Collin Bowman is tied for 15th among WHL defencemen with 28 points.  His 11 goals are tied for the third most among WHL rearguards.

CAREER WATCH:  Cody Sylvester is one goal shy of 50.  Brandon Glover is 33 saves shy of 2,000 while Chris Driedger needs 73 saves for 1,000.

HITMEN ALUMNUS:  T.J. Galiardi, who played one season with the Hitmen (2007-08) picking up 70 points in 72 games is now in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche.  The 23-year-old left winger has 12 points (7g 5a) in 43 games.  Galiardi also has 79 shots on goals.

Friday 13 January 2012

Calgary 5 Moose Jaw 2

The Calgary Hitmen stretched their season high winning streak to six games with a 5-2 home ice win over the Moose Jaw Warriors Friday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.

It's the first time the Hitmen have won six straight since the 2009/10 season, when they rattled off nine straight to end the regular season.

After giving up the lone goal of the first period to the Warriors Shayne Gwinner, the Hitmen struck for five unanswered.

Brady Brassart started the comeback scoring his 15th of the season while Trevor Cheek with his 13th and Collin Bowman with his 11th helped Calgary strike for three goals in a span of 5:48 early in the second period.

In the third, Cody Sylvester with his 16th and Rob Trzonkowski with his first of the season extended the Hitmen lead to 5-1.

Travis Brown then rounded out the scoring for Moose Jaw who out shot the Hitmen 29-26.

Trevor Cheek led the Calgary scoring attack with three points (1g 2a) while Brady Brassart (1g 1a) and Jimmy Bubnick (2a) both had two points each.

Brandon Glover made 27 saves to record his fourth straight win in the Calgary net. 

                                                  Photo Credit: Brad Watson
The game also featured an oddity for Calgary, not one powerplay chance.

The Hitmen will host the Edmonton Oil Kings Sunday afternoon.  Game time is 2:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Moose Jaw Warriors 2 at Calgary Hitmen 5Friday, January 13, 2012 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Moose Jaw 1 0 1 - 2
Calgary 0 3 2 - 5

1st Period
1, Moose Jaw, Gwinner 2 (Arnold, Johnson), 5:20.
Penalties-No Penalties

2nd Period
2, Calgary, Brassart 15 (Rask, Cheek), 1:05.
3, Calgary, Cheek 13 (Brassart), 3:55.
4, Calgary, Bowman 11 (Rissling, Bubnick), 6:53.
Penalties-Gogolev Cal (tripping), 14:44.

3rd Period
5, Calgary, Sylvester 16 (Bubnick) 10:38.
6, Calgary, Trzonkowski 1 (Cheek, Helgesen), 13:40.
7, Moose Jaw, Brown 4 (Edmundson, Wyton), 18:47.
Penalties-Trzonkowski Cal (checking from behind), 11:30; Arnold M.j (roughing, 10-minute misconduct), 17:17; Johnson M.j (roughing, 10-minute misconduct), 17:17; McIlrath M.j (roughing, interference, 10-minute misconduct), 17:17; White M.j (roughing, 10-minute misconduct), 17:17; Brooks Cal (high sticking, roughing, 10-minute misconduct), 17:17; Chase Cal (roughing, misconduct-helmet), 17:17; Clayton Cal (roughing, 10-minute misconduct), 17:17; Helgesen Cal (roughing, 10-minute misconduct), 17:17.

Shots on Goal-Moose Jaw 8-10-11-29. Calgary 6-12-10-28.
Power Play Opportunities-Moose Jaw 0 / 2; Calgary 0 / 0.
Goalies-Moose Jaw, Siemens 21-9-3-2 (28 shots-23 saves). Calgary, Glover 12-8-0-0 (29 shots-27 saves).
A-8,104
Referees-Andy Thiessen (11).
Linesmen-Reid Anderson (53), Aidan Henderson (78).

Moose Jaw at Calgary

The Calgary Hitmen (22-16-2-1) put a season high five game winning streak on the line tonight as they host the Moose Jaw Warriors (25-14-4-1).  Game time is 7:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome.  Both teams enter play off healthy breaks.  The Hitmen haven't played since Sunday's 6-3 come from behind win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes while Moose Jaw has been idle since Saturday's 3-2 victory in Kootenay.

The Hitmen enter play with 47 points to sit seventh in the Eastern Conference, one point up on Brandon and two points back of Saskatoon for sixth.  Moose Jaw has 55 points to sit second in the conference, a point ahead of Kootenay, but six points back of Edmonton for top spot.

Calgary and Moose Jaw have met twice this season with both meetings in Saskatchewan.  Cody Sylvester leads the Hitmen with three points (2g 1a) in the season series, while Canadian World Junior Quinton Howden tops Moose Jaw with four points (2g 2a).
-Nov. 6 in MJ: Warriors 3 Hitmen 2 OT.  The Warriors overcame a 2-0 first period deficit with Quinton Howden scoring the winner 1:22 into sudden death.
-Nov. 23 in MJ: Hitmen 5 Warriors 2.  Cody Sylvester led the way for Calgary with 2g 1a.
                                                    INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on goal: Calgary 67 Moose Jaw 61  Powerplays: Calgary 1-12 Moose Jaw 3-14

DRIVE FOR FIVE:  During the Hitmen's current season high five game winning streak they have outscored their opponents by a combined 29-14 while also holding a 177-133 shot clock advantage.  In that span Calgary has gone 8-29 on the powerplay (27.5%) while killing 20 of 25 (80%) opposition chances.

STREAKIN':  Seven Hitmen take point scoring streaks into tonight's game.  Brooks Macek (4g 4a), Alex Gogolev (3g 3a) and Victor Rask (2g 4a) are all riding five game runs.  Brady Bassart (3g 2a) and Chase Clayton (5g) have points in three straight while Danny Gayle (1g 4a) and Jaynen Rissling (1g 1a) have points in back-to-back games.  Alex Roach is a combined +7 during his last five games.  Goaltender Brandon Glover has won his last three starts, while Chris Driedger has won two straight.

FORMER TEAMMATES SQUARE OFF:  The Calgary roster features four former Moose Jaw Warriors: Collin Bowman, Danny Gayle, Brandon Glover and Joey Kornelsen.  Meanwhile Moose Jaw has three former Hitmen: Cody Beach, Justin Kirsch and Kenton Miller.

MILLER TIME:  Former Hitmen Kenton Miller is riding a two game point streak (1g 2a).  He also has a combine six goals in his last 10 games.

HOME AND AWAY:  Calgary is 9-7-0-1 on home ice, while Moose Jaw is 8-9-2-0 on the road.

Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 15g 29a 44pts
Jimmy Bubnick 17g 19a 36pts
Alex Gogolev 16g 15a 31pts
Brady Brassart 14g 17a 31pts

Moose Jaw:
Cam Braes 24g 21a 45pts
James Henry 6g 35a 41pts
Sam Fioretti 14g 19a 33pts

UP NEXT:  The Hitmen will host Calgary Flames prospect, Laurent Brossoit and the Eastern Conference leading Edmonton Oil Kings in a Sunday matinee.  Game time is 2:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome.


Wednesday 11 January 2012

Two Hitmen in Mid-Term Rankings

NHL Central Scouting has released its Mid-Term Rankings for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.  The list includes two members of the Calgary Hitmen.

Chris Driedger is ranked 12th among North American goalies.  The 17-year-old from Winnipeg, Manitoba is in his second season in the Western Hockey League, joining the Hitmen in an off-season trade with the Tri-City Americans.  Driedger recorded his first career WHL shutout on New Year's Day making 27 saves in Kelowna.  In 24 appearances this season he's posted a record of 11-7-2-1 with a 3.01 goals against average and a .886 save percentage.


Bio:  #33- Chris Driedger, G (6’2.5” 186lbs)    (DREE-gurr)
- Acquired from the Tri-City Americans on July 20/2011 in exchange for a third round pick in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft.
- Attended the 2011 Hockey Canada Program of Excellence goaltending camp where he was one of just 16 invites, including four from the WHL
- Backstopped Manitoba to a silver medal at the 2009 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup.
- Was one of 36 top rated prospects for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft who attended the 2011 NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp in Toronto this past August.
- Currently the number two ranked WHL goaltender by Central Scouting for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Jaynen Rissling is ranked 165th among North American Skaters.  The 18-year-old from Edmonton, AB has a late birthday and therefore was not eligible for the draft last season.  Rissling has been an anchor on the Hitmen blueline this season eating a lot of big minutes while paired with 20-year-old Collin Bowman.  In 39 games the left handed rearguard has 17 points (3g 14a) to go along with 83 penalty minutes.  


 #9- Jaynen Rissling, D (6’4” 222lbs)   (RIZZ-ling)
- Drafted by the Hitmen in the 6th round (129th overall) of the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft
- His father, Kelly, played in the WHL with the Lethbridge Broncos (’78-’80) and Portland Winterhawks (’80-’81)
- In his third season in the WHL
- Was a member of the 2010 WHL Champion Hitmen

The 2012 NHL Entry Draft will be held at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from June 22 to 23.

Click here to see the complete draft rankings list
 

Tuesday 10 January 2012

Hitmen stand pat at WHL Trade Deadline

The Western Hockey League Trade Deadline has passed with no transactions to report out of Calgary.

CTV's Glenn Campbell and I caught up with Hitmen General Manager Kelly Kisio post deadline to get his thoughts.

Click here to listen to the interview.

Something to keep in mind as well, after a rough 1-4-0-1 start to the season, Calgary has gone 21-12-2-0.

WHL Trade Deadline Day

The Western Hockey League Trade Deadline will pass at 3:00 p.m. MST this afternoon.  I'll be heading to the rink to interview Hitmen GM Kelly Kisio to talk about any moves the Hitmen did or didn't make.  I'll post the interview on this blog likely before 4:00 p.m.

In the meantime you can follow the WHL Trade Deadline Tracker Here!

Sunday 8 January 2012

Calgary 6 Lethbridge 3

The Calgary Hitmen extended their season high winning streak to five games with a 6-3 home ice victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Saddledome.

The Hitmen scored six unanswered goals erasing a 3-0 second period deficit.

Brady Brassart and Brooks Macek led the Calgary scoring attack with three points each.  Brassart had two goals and an assist while Macek had a goal and two assists.

Victor Rask, in his first game back since winning a Gold Medal for Team Sweden at the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship, Chase Clayton and Jimmy Bubnick also scored for the Hitmen who trailed 3-2 after forty minutes.

Brock Sutherland chipped in a pair of assists for Calgary who tied a season high with 47 shots on goal, including 19 in the third period.

Brandon Glover made 21 saves in the Hitmen net to pick up his 11th win of the season.

Calgary, now 22-16-2-1 on the season, pulls into a tie with the Saskatoon Blades for sixth in the WHL Eastern Conference with 47 points.

The Hitmen will wrap up this three game home stand next weekend hosting Canadian World Junior Quinton Howden and the Moose Jaw Warriors on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. before welcoming Calgary Flames prospect Laurent Brossoit and the Edmonton Oil Kings Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

For information on ticket packages including Flex Packs, Group Tickets or Season Tickets, call Customer Service at 403-777-4646.
 

Lethbridge Hurricanes 3 at Calgary Hitmen 6
Sunday, January 8, 2012 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Lethbridge 1 2 0 - 3
Calgary 0 2 4 - 6

1st Period
1, Lethbridge, Tot 6 (Sutter, Hood), 17:15.
Penalties-Brassart Cal (interference), 3:52; Oslanski Let (tripping), 7:45; Rissling Cal (slashing), 11:32; Braes Let (slashing), 18:22.

2nd Period
2, Lethbridge, Braes 24 (Ramsay, Buonassisi), 4:21.
3, Lethbridge, Buonassisi 11 (Braes, Johnston), 7:31 (PP).
4, Calgary, Brassart 13 (Rissling, Macek), 17:10 (PP).
5, Calgary, Rask 17 (Macek), 19:43.
Penalties-Helgesen Cal (holding), 2:18; Gogolev Cal (tripping), 5:52; Maxwell Let (roughing), 8:09; Sylvester Cal (roughing), 8:09; Sutter Let (inter. on goaltender), 9:10; Yakubowski Let (checking from behind), 15:47; Hood Let (roughing), 18:55; Brassart Cal (roughing), 18:55; Blomqvist Let (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 19:39; Bubnick Cal (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 19:39.

3rd Period
6, Calgary, Clayton 7 (Gogolev, Brassart), 7:24.
7, Calgary, Brassart 14 (Chase, Sutherland), 11:59.
8, Calgary, Macek 11   13:50.
9, Calgary, Bubnick 17 (Sutherland)  18:58 (SH).
Penalties-Hood Let (charging), 1:26; Erkamps Let (cross checking), 5:14; Blomqvist Let (interference), 9:57; Galbraith Let (boarding), 14:28; Mckechnie Let (roughing), 14:28; Kornelsen Cal (roughing), 14:28; Blomqvist Let (checking from behind), 16:09; Clayton Cal (slashing), 17:54; Watson Let (roughing), 19:42; Helgesen Cal (roughing), 19:42.

Shots on Goal-Lethbridge 8-12-4-24. Calgary 14-12-21-47.
Power Play Opportunities-Lethbridge 0 / 4; Calgary 1 / 9.
Goalies-Lethbridge, Ketlo 12-14-0-0 (47 shots-41 saves). Calgary, Glover 11-8-0-0 (24 shots-21 saves).
A-10,153
Referees-Colin Stefanyk (14), Matt Thurston (64).
Linesmen-Steve Cochrane (125), Scott Sharun (103).

Lethbridge at Calgary

HITMEN HEADLINES:  The Calgary Hitmen (21-16-2-1) are back in Scotiabank Saddledome this afternoon to host the Lethbridge Hurricanes (16-26-0-1) in their first home game since December 16th.  The Hitmen are fresh off a BC Division road trip where they won four of five games.  After dropping the opener in Prince George, Calgary rattled off wins in Kamloops, Kelowna, Victoria and Vancouver tying their season high four game winning streak.  The trip came to a close Wednesday night in Vancouver with a 6-4 victory.  Collin Bowman led the way with a goal and two assists.  He was also +4.  Chase Clayton scored the game winner with 4:15 remaining snapping a 4-4 third period tie.  Calgary is seven points ahead of Red Deer for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but trail Brandon by just a single point for seventh and Saskatoon by two points for sixth.

VS. LETHBRIDGE:  Today is the fourth of six meetings with the Hurricanes.  Calgary is 1-1-1-0 against the ‘Canes.  The Hitmen have twice fired a season high 47 shots in a single game against Lethbridge.  The team scoring first has won all three meetings.  Alex Gogolev tops the Hitmen with seven points (3g 4a) in the season series while Victor Rask (2g 3a) and Cody Sylvester (1g 4a) have five points each.  Cam Braes leads Lethbridge in scoring against the Hitmen with six points (4g 2a) while Brody Sutter is next with five (2g 3a). 
-Sept. 30 in Leth: Hurricanes 6 Hitmen 5.  Brandon Anderson made 42 saves in the ‘Canes net.  Jay Merkely 2g 1a.
-Nov. 13 in Cal: Hitmen 6 Hurricanes 2.  Alex Gogolev 2g 2a.
- Dec. 14 in Leth: Hurricanes 6 Hitmen 5 OT.  Cam Braes forced sudden death with 25 seconds remaining leading to Graham Hood’s winner 21 seconds into the extra session
                                                        INSIDE THE SERIES
SHOTS ON GOAL: Cal 123 Leth 96  POWERPLAYS: Cal 6-11 (54.5%) Leth 4-12 (33.3%)
They will close out their season series with a pair of games in March: The 9th in Lethbridge followed by the 14th in Calgary.

HOME SWEET ‘DOME:  Today marks the start of a stretch that will see the Hitmen play eight of their next nine games at Scotiabank Saddledome.  Heading into this afternoon, the Hitmen have played only 16 games at home compared to 24 on the road.

GOLD MEDALIST:  Rookie Victor Rask won a Gold Medal for Team Sweden at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship.  It marked the 13th straight year a Hitmen player has been part of this prestigious tournament.  Rask finished the tournament with one assist in six games to go along with 14 shots on goal.

TEAM PACIFIC:  Greg Chase, the only 16-year-old rookie on the team this season, helped Team Pacific to a fifth place finish at the 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Windsor, Ontario.  In five games, Chase finished the tournament with six points (1g 5a).  Two current Calgary Hitmen, Chase Clayton and Rob Trzonkowski, represented Team Pacific at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg, Manitoba one year ago.

CAREER YEARS:  Cody Sylvester has 44 points, 12 more than his previous career best of 32 set last season.  Danny Gayle has 27 points, six more than his previous high of 21 set last season.  Brady Brassart has 12 goals, three more than his previous best of nine in his rookie campaign two seasons ago.  Second year forward Chase Clayton has 13 points, four more than his nine point rookie season.

STREAKIN:  Ten Hitmen take point scoring streaks into today’s game.  Alex Gogolev (3g 2a), Brooks Macek (3g 2a) and Victor Rask (1g 4a) are riding four game streaks.  Cody Sylvester (1g 5a), Collin Bowman (1g 4a), Chase Clayton (4g), Danny Gayle (1g 4a), Joey Kornelsen (1g 2a), Brady Brassart (1g 1a) and Peter Kosterman (2a) all have points in back-to-back games.  Defencemen Alex Roach and Jaynen Rissling are both a combined +6 over their last four games.

DID YOU KNOW?  Chris Driedger recorded his first WHL shutout New Year’s Day in Kelowna.  The 27 save milestone came in his 45th appearance for the 17-year-old.  Chase Clayton recorded his first WHL hat-trick January 3rd in Victoria.  Jimmy Bubnick played his 300th career regular season game December 30th in Kamloops.  Calgary’s top two picks from the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft both played on the BC road trip.  Jake Virtanen had a pair of goals in five games, while Josh Thrower has an assist in two games.

MAJOR IMPROVEMENT:  The Hitmen have won 21 games, one more than their win total from all of last season. 

WHL LEADERS:  Alex Gogolev is eighth in WHL rookie scoring with 30 points while teammate Victor Rask is ninth with 29 points.  Hitmen defenceman Collin Bowman is tied for 13th among WHL defencemen in points with 27.

CAREER WATCH:  Cody Sylvester is two goals shy of 50 while Trevor Cheek needs on point for 50.

HITMEN ALUMNUS:  Paul Postma, who played parts of two seasons with the Hitmen (2007-08 to 2008-09), is in the American Hockey League with the St. John’s IceCaps.  The 22-year-old defenceman has 27 points (6g 21a) in 26 games.  He has also played three games with the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets this season.

UP NEXT:  The Hitmen will wrap up this three game home stand next weekend hosting Canadian World Junior Quinton Howden and the Moose Jaw Warriors on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. before welcoming Calgary Flames prospect Laurent Brossoit and the Edmonton Oil Kings Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Thursday 5 January 2012

Calgary 6 Vancouver 4

The Calgary Hitmen extended their winning streak to four games, matching their previous season high, with a 6-4 win over the Vancouver Giants Wednesday night at Pacific Coliseum.

Six different Hitmen scored in the win as Jake Virtanen, Jaynen Rissling, Brooks Macek, Danny Gayle, Chase Clayton and Collin Bowman all found the back of the net.

Clayton’s goal was the game winner breaking a 4-4 third period tie with 4:15 remaining.

Cody Sylvester and Joey Kornelsen both chipped in a pair of assists as 11 different Hitmen had at least a single point.  Collin Bowman led the charge with three (1g 2a).

The Hitmen wrapped up their five game tour of the BC Division picking up eight of a possible 10 games improving their overall record to 21-16-2-1.

The win also moves Calgary past Brandon and into a tie with the Saskatoon Blades for sixth in the Eastern Conference with 45 points.

The Hitmen will now play eight of their next nine games at Scotiabank Saddledome starting Sunday afternoon.  Calgary welcomes the Lethbridge Hurricanes in a 2:00 p.m. start.

For information on ticket packages including Flex Packs, Group Tickets or Season Tickets, call Customer Service at 403-777-4646.
                                                      Click on picture to expand

Calgary Hitmen 6 at Vancouver Giants 4
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 - Pacific Coliseum - Vancouver, BC

Calgary 2 1 3 - 6
Vancouver 2 1 1 - 4

1st Period
1, Vancouver, Martinook 23 (Kuvaev), 0:39.
2, Vancouver, Manning 5 (Bellerive, Henry), 7:56 (PP).
3, Calgary, Virtanen 2 (Kornelsen, Bowman), 12:10.
4, Calgary, Rissling 3 (Gayle, Sylvester), 15:09 (PP).
Penalties-Sylvester Cal (boarding), 5:52; Roach Cal (roughing), 7:29; Burns Van (slashing), 9:29; Fenske Van (holding), 14:48; Trzonkowski Cal (major-fighting), 18:32; Walker Van (major-fighting), 18:32; Vetterl Van (hooking), 19:53.

2nd Period
5, Calgary, Macek 10 (Sylvester, Gogolev), 2:47.
6, Vancouver, Nielsen 1 (Bews, Makin), 4:29.
Penalties-Brooks Cal (major-fighting), 5:26; Makin Van (major-fighting), 5:26; Kornelsen Cal (inter. on goaltender), 14:49; Macek Cal (holding), 15:00; served by Bubnick Cal (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 15:59.

3rd Period
7, Calgary, Gayle 8 (Kornelsen, Kosterman), 13:27.
8, Vancouver, Martinook 24 (Henry, Kuvaev), 14:40.
9, Calgary, Clayton 6 (Brassart, Bowman), 15:45.
10, Calgary, Bowman 10   19:03 (EN).
Penalties-Sylvester Cal (roughing), 7:31; Henry Van (interference), 7:31.

Shots on Goal-Calgary 7-15-17-39. Vancouver 8-10-6-24.
Power Play Opportunities-Calgary 1 / 3; Vancouver 1 / 5.
Goalies-Calgary, Driedger 11-7-2-1 (24 shots-20 saves). Vancouver, Morrison 23-8-1-1 (38 shots-33 saves).
A-4,615
Referees-Matt Kirk (4), Nick Swaine (35).
Linesmen-Ron Dietterle (121), Justin Hull (49).

Wednesday 4 January 2012

Calgary at Vancouver

The Calgary Hitmen (20-16-2-1) wrap up a five game in nine days BC Division road trip tonight in Vancouver against the Giants (24-13-1-1).  Radio Broadcast on Sportsnet 960 starts at 7:30pm MST with a 30 minute pre-game show.  After dropping the opener of the trip, the Hitmen have won three straight posting victories in Kamloops, Kelowna and last night in Victoria.  The Giants last played Saturday night beating visiting Prince George 5-1.  Overall Vancouver has won four of their last five.

Calgary enters play eighth in the Eastern Conference with 41 points.  The Hitmen are 12-9-2-0 on the road.  Vancouver is fourth in the Western Conference with 50 points.  The Giants are 14-3-0-1 on home ice.

VS. VANCOUVER:  Tonight is the first of two meetings with the Giants.  Last season Calgary grabbed three of a possible four points, posting a 4-3 win in Vancouver on December 3rd before a 4-3 home ice shootout loss on February 4th.  Over the last five seasons Calgary is 4-0-0-1 at the Pacific Coliseum.  The two clubs will wrap up their season series later this month on January 27th in Calgary.

           Lifetime Calgary is 8-4 at Pacific Coliseum, the former home of the Vancouver Canucks.

REGULAR SEASON DEBUTS:  Josh Thrower, Calgary’s second round pick (23rd overall), made his WHL debut last night in Victoria against the Royals.  Wearing number 21, Thrower had one assist and was +2.  Meanwhile Jake Virtanen, the number one overall pick in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft, has played all four games for the Hitmen on this road trip.  He scored his first WHL goal Friday night in Kamloops. The 15-year-old Abbotsford native is in the BC Major Midget League with the Fraser Valley Bruins where he leads the team in scoring with 33 points (14g, 19a) in 24 games. 

CAREER YEARS:  Cody Sylvester has 42 points, nine more than his previous career best of 32 set last season.  Danny Gayle has 25 points, four more than his previous high of 21 set last season.  Brady Brassart has 12 goals, three more than his previous best of nine in his rookie campaign two seasons ago. 

300 CLUB: Centre Jimmy Bubnick played his 300th career regular season game Friday night in Kamloops.  Bubnick played his first game on December 29, 2006 when he suited up for the Kamloops Blazers against the Moose Jaw Warriors.

STREAKIN:  Jimmy Bubnick (3g 4a) is riding a four game point streak.  Alex Gogolev has scored in three straight games and in four of his last five.  Brooks Macek has points in three straight (2g1a).  Alex Roach is a combined +5 in his last three games.  Victor Rask (1g, 4a) is on a four-game point streak. 

REGULAR SEASON CAREER WATCH:  Collin Bowman needs one helper for 100 career assists.  Cody Sylvester is two goals away from 50 in his career. 

DID YOU KNOW?  Chris Driedger recorded his first WHL shutout Sunday in Kelowna.  The 27 save milestone came in his 45th appearance for the 17-year-old.

MAJOR IMPROVEMENT:  The Hitmen have won 20 games, equalling their win total from all of last season. 

WHL LEADERS:  Hitmen imports Victor Rask and Alex Gogolev are both tied for eighth in WHL rookie scoring with 29 points.  Hitmen defenceman Collin Bowman is tied for 16th among WHL defencemen in points with 24.

WORLD JUNIORS:  Rookie Victor Rask is playing for Team Sweden at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Calgary.  This is the 13th straight year a Hitmen player has been part of this prestigious tournament.  Sweden will face Russia in Thursday’s Gold Medal Game.  Rask has an assist to go along with 11 shots on goal thus far.

TEAM PACIFIC:  Greg Chase, the only 16-year-old rookie on the team this season, helped Team Pacific to a fifth place finish at the 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Windsor, Ontario.  In five games, Chase finished the tournament with six points (1g 5a).  Two current Calgary Hitmen, Chase Clayton and Rob Trzonkowski, represented Team Pacific at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg, Manitoba one year ago.

HITMEN ALUMNUS:  Keith Seabrook, who played parts of two seasons with the Hitmen (2007-08 to 2008-09) is in the American Hockey League with the San Antonio Rampage.  The 23-year-old defenceman has six points (1g 5a) in 22 games.

UP NEXT:  The Hitmen will play three straight at home and eight of their next nine, starting Sunday afternoon against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.  Puck drop is 2:00 p.m. for the Tim Hortons Minor Hockey Day game.
Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 15g 26a 41pts
Jimmy Bubnick 16g 19a 35pts
Victor Rask 16g 13a 29pts
Alex Gogolev 16g 13a 29pts

Vancouver
Brendan Gallagher 24g 22a 46pts
Marek Tvrdon 14g 23a 37pts
Cain Franson 15g 21a 36pts

The Giants are without the following players
Anthony Ast – Team Pacific (U-17)
Brendan Gallagher – Canada (WJ)
Jackson Houck – Team Pacific (U-17)
David Musil – Czech Republic (WJ)
Marek Tvrdon – Slovakia (WJ)
Calgary is without:
Greg Chase – Team Pacific (U-17)
Victor Rask – Sweden (WJ)

Calgary 9 Victoria 4

Chase Clayton scored his first career hat-trick lifting the Calgary Hitmen to a 9-4 win over the Victoria Royals Tuesday night at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.

Jimmy Bubnick (2g 2a) and Cody Sylvester (1g 3a) both had four points each as the Hitmen scored a season high nine goals en-route to their third straight win.

Joey Kornelsen, Brady Brassart, and Alex Gogolev also struck for Calgary who built period leads of 4-1 and 6-2.

Danny Gayle chipped in three assists while Collin Bowman had a pair of helpers as 12 different players had at least a single point.

Brandon Glover made 22 saves in his first start in his hometown to pick up the win.

The game also saw the WHL debut for 2011 Hitmen second round bantam pick Josh Thrower.  The 15-year-old wore number 21 and saw plenty of ice time on the blueline.  He finished the game with one assist and was +2.

Calgary is now 3-1 on their current five game road trip through the BC Division.

Overall the Hitmen are 20-16-2-1, matching their win total from all of last season.  At 43 points they move six points ahead of Red Deer for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but sit only one point back of the Brandon Wheat Kings for seventh. 

Calgary wraps up the road trip tonight in Vancouver against the Giants.  Radio Broadcast on Sportsnet 960 The Fan starts at 7:30 p.m. MST with a 30 minute pre-game show.

The Hitmen will then play their first home game in 22 days when they open a three game home stand Sunday afternoon against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.  Game time is 2:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome.

For information on ticket packages including Flex Packs, Group Tickets or Season Tickets, call Customer Service at 403-777-4646.
                                                     Click image to enlarge

Calgary Hitmen 9 at Victoria Royals 4

Tuesday, January 3, 2012 - Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena - Victoria, BC

Calgary 4 2 3 - 9
Victoria 1 1 2 - 4

1st Period
1, Calgary, Clayton 3 (Helgesen, Bowman), 2:49.
2, Calgary, Sylvester 15   3:20.
3, Victoria, Nelson 15 (Rintoul, Rathjen), 7:39 (PP).
4, Calgary, Bubnick 15 (Sylvester, Macek), 13:15 (PP).
5, Calgary, Kornelsen 5 (Bubnick, Gayle), 19:47.
Penalties-Macek Cal (cross checking), 6:29; Nelson Vic (interference), 13:08.

2nd Period
6, Calgary, Bubnick 16 (Gayle, Sylvester), 11:57 (PP).
7, Victoria, Nelson 16 (Magee, Jones), 12:17.
8, Calgary, Clayton 4 (Bowman, Glover), 16:27 (PP).
Penalties-Rissling Cal (high sticking, major-fighting), 0:33; Soudek Vic (roughing, major-fighting), 0:33; Bowman Cal (slashing), 4:36; Jones Vic (roughing), 4:36; Rissling Cal (major-fighting), 11:25; Traber Vic (slashing, major-fighting), 11:25; Pauls Vic (delay of game), 12:47; Nelson Vic (inter. on goaltender), 15:20; Sutherland Cal (high sticking), 19:44.

3rd Period
9, Calgary, Brassart 12 (Gayle, Kosterman), 13:29.
10, Victoria, Nelson 17 (Sundher, Crooks), 13:52.
11, Calgary, Gogolev 16 (Bubnick, Sylvester), 15:04.
12, Calgary, Clayton 5 (Gogolev, Thrower), 18:36 (SH).
13, Victoria, Jones 11 (Carroll, Forsyth), 19:45.
Penalties-Brassart Cal (major-fighting), 16:48; Kosterman Cal (hooking), 16:48; Sundher Vic (major-fighting), 16:48.

Shots on Goal-Calgary 10-9-8-27. Victoria 8-9-9-26.
Power Play Opportunities-Calgary 3 / 4; Victoria 1 / 3.
Goalies-Calgary, Glover 10-8-0-0 (26 shots-22 saves). Victoria, Rathjen 0-4-1-0 (27 shots-18 saves).
A-5,204
Referees-Andy Thiessen (11).
Linesmen-Riley Friesen (76), Kirk Van Helvoirt (107).