Monday 30 December 2013

Calgary beats Edmonton to retain Eastern Conference lead

The Calgary Hitmen scored four unanswered goals en-route to a 6-2 win over the Edmonton Oil Kings Saturday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.

It was the first time in three tries this season the Hitmen beat the team that eliminated them from the WHL playoffs a year ago in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Elliott Peterson led the way with his first career hat trick, capping the performance with an empty net goal.  Peterson now has four goals in his last two games giving him eight on the season.

Jake Virtanen, Chase Lang and Pavel Padakin also scored for Calgary who got out-shot 36-16.

Chris Driedger made 34 saves in a second star performance behind Peterson.

Brady Brassart and Colby Harmsworth both had a pair of assists for the Hitmen who improved to 23-8-2-3.

Calgary has now played exactly half of their 72 game regular season schedule and are on pace for 46 wins and 102 points.

The Eastern Conference leading Hitmen will welcome the Kootenay Ice (19-17-2-1) to the Saddledome Monday night for a 7 o'clock start.

                                         Photo Credit:  Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Edmonton Oil Kings 2 at Calgary Hitmen 6
Saturday, December 28, 2013 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Edmonton 2 0 0 - 2
Calgary 2 2 2 - 6

1st Period
1, Calgary, Virtanen 19 (Jones), 0:59.
2, Calgary, Peterson 6 (Brassart, Chase), 8:52.
3, Edmonton, Eller 3 (Petryk, Samuelsson), 15:23.
4, Edmonton, Pollock 13 (Mayo, Samuelsson), 19:43 (PP).
Penalties-Petryk Edm (checking from behind), 2:14; Jarry Edm (roughing), 4:04; served by Babych Cal (too many men), 6:04; Virtanen Cal (hooking), 18:48.

2nd Period
5, Calgary, Peterson 7 (Brassart), 3:28.
6, Calgary, Lang 3 (Mahon, Helgesen), 16:19.
Penalties-Samuelsson Edm (interference), 13:59.

3rd Period
7, Calgary, Padakin 12 (Lang, Harmsworth), 13:49 (SH).
8, Calgary, Peterson 8 (Harmsworth), 18:17 (EN).
Penalties-Samuelsson Edm (slashing), 6:36; Brassart Cal (cross checking), 6:36; Padakin Cal (hooking), 10:51; Mayo Edm (holding), 11:07; Jones Cal (checking to the head), 13:03; Helgesen Cal (hooking), 14:31.

Shots on Goal
Edmonton 12-13-11-36. Calgary 6-4-6-16.
Power Play Opportunities
Edmonton 1 / 5; Calgary 0 / 4.
Goalies-Edmonton, Jarry 22-10-0-1 (15 shots-10 saves). Calgary, Driedger 15-7-2-3 (36 shots-34 saves).
A-9,909
Referees-Jonathan Spurgeon (7), Derek Zalaski (8).
Linesmen-Reid Anderson (53), Sean Donnelly (109).




Hitmen swing a deal with PA to improve scoring depth

From the Hitmen Office:

Calgary, AB - Upon the conclusion of the WHL trade moratorium, the Calgary Hitmen Hockey Club announced they have acquired 19-year-old forward Mike Winther from the Prince Albert Raiders in exchange for 19-year-old forward Calder Brooks and a second round pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft.

Winther, a native of Trochu, Alberta, was drafted by Prince Albert in the first round, sixth overall, in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft.  Over four seasons (2010-13) with the Raiders, he has recorded 66 goals and 64 assists for 130 points over 218 career games played. 

In 2012, the Dallas Stars selected the 6-0, 191-pound forward in second round, 54th overall, in the NHL Entry Draft.

“As difficult as it is to move a character player like Calder, we are very excited to acquire the goal-scoring and offensive attributes Mike (Winther) will bring to our lineup,” said Hitmen General Manager and Vice President, Business Operations Mike Moore. 

“Mike possesses terrific speed and will be a nice addition to our team.”

Winther is expected to play in early January following his recovery from an upper body injury.

Hitmen fall in Red Deer

In their first game following a nine day Christmas Break, the Calgary Hitmen dropped a 3-2 decision in Red Deer against the Rebels.

Heading in, Calgary had won the three previous meetings holding the Rebels in the process to a combined 58 shots but on this night the Rebels found a new gear firing 40 shots on goal.

Cole Chorney, Rhyse Dieno and Conner Bleackley scored for Red Deer who never trailed building leads of 1-0 and 3-1. 

Elliott Peterson and Greg Chase replied for the Hitmen who saw their run of points in at least 10 games in a row (9-0-1) come to an end.

The Hitmen had thought they have opened the scoring in the first period, but after a lengthy review the goal was overturned with officials saying the puck was kicked in.

From @WHLHitmen Twitter Feed:  Pre-Game Warm-Up in RD 

Calgary Hitmen 2 at Red Deer Rebels 3
Friday, December 27, 2013 - Enmax Centrium - Red Deer, AB

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

1st Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Sutter R.d (hooking), 16:45; Jones Cal (tripping), 19:54.

2nd Period
1, Red Deer, Chorney 4 (Polei), 8:43.
2, Calgary, Peterson 5 (Brassart, Chase), 10:14.
Penalties-Penner Cal (hooking), 0:54; Fleury R.d (tripping), 13:25; Dixon R.d (cross checking), 15:30.

3rd Period
3, Red Deer, Bleackley 18 (Mpofu, Fleury), 5:34.
4, Red Deer, Dieno 12 (Mpofu, Fleury), 16:25.
5, Calgary, Chase 20 (Peterson, Brassart), 17:23.
Penalties-Helgesen Cal (tripping), 2:55; Fafard R.d (tripping), 10:18; Bartosak R.d (tripping), 12:28; Thomas Cal (delay of game), 17:36.

Shots on Goal
Calgary 10-12-11-33. Red Deer 13-16-11-40.
Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 0 / 5; Red Deer 0 / 4.
Goalies
Calgary, Driedger 15-7-2-3 (40 shots-37 saves). Red Deer, Bartosak 17-12-0-2 (33 shots-31 saves).
A-5,623
Referees-Ryan Benbow (62), Chris Schlenker (90).
Linesmen-Chad Huseby (59), Cody Huseby (88).

Sunday 22 December 2013

Hitmen head into Christmas Break atop Eastern Conference

The Calgary Hitmen will have lots to celebrate during the Christmas Break as they will enjoy all nine days as leaders of the Western Hockey League Eastern Conference.

The Hitmen booked their ticket into the penthouse with a 6-3 win over the Regina Pats on Tuesday night.

Calgary jumped out to a 6-0 lead en-route to victory scoring twice on the powerplay and also twice shorthanded.

Greg Chase led the scoring parade with a pair of goals while Radel Fazleev had three assists.

The Hitmen have now picked up at least a point in 10 straight games (9-0-1) to improve their record to 22-7-2-3.

Calgary is back on WHL ice December 27th in Red Deer before hosting Edmonton on December 28th
                                       Photo Credit:  Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Regina Pats 3 at Calgary Hitmen 6 - Status
Tuesday, December 17, 2013 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Regina 0 0 3 - 3
Calgary 3 2 1 - 6

1st Period
1, Calgary, Thomas 3 (Sanheim, Lang), 2:57.
2, Calgary, Chase 18 (Padakin, Fazleev), 8:58 (PP).
3, Calgary, Virtanen 18 (Fazleev), 16:41 (SH).
Penalties-Zgraggen Reg (interference), 8:12; Brassart Cal (slashing), 14:53; Roach Cal (cross checking), 19:17.

2nd Period
4, Calgary, Roach 2 (Harmsworth), 12:08 (SH).
5, Calgary, Chase 19 (Fazleev, Roach), 14:26 (PP).
Penalties-Padakin Cal (tripping), 3:23; Williams Reg (interference), 4:06; Brooks Cal (delay of game), 7:05; Roach Cal (roughing), 8:06; served by Zimmer Reg (too many men), 10:02; Jones Cal (high sticking), 10:25; Reagan Reg (high sticking), 12:39.

3rd Period
6, Calgary, Penner 3 (Harmsworth, Thrower), 2:09.
7, Regina, Gay 7 (Hunt, Leier), 7:17 (PP).
8, Regina, Williams 3 (Wagner, Stephenson), 13:08.
9, Regina, Brooks 3 (Christoffer, Hunt), 13:57.
Penalties-Sanheim Cal (delay of game), 2:19; Thrower Cal (tripping), 6:25.

Shots on Goal
Regina 7-8-13-28. Calgary 11-5-9-25.
Power Play Opportunities
Regina 1 / 8; Calgary 2 / 4.
Goalies
Regina, MacAuley 16-9-2-0 (17 shots-14 saves); Schneider 2-2-0-2 (8 shots-5 saves). Calgary, Driedger 14-6-2-3 (28 shots-25 saves).
A-6,808
Referees-Tyler Adair (58), Shaun Harris (43).
Linesmen-Jared Mackey (52), Scott Sharun (103).

Tuesday 17 December 2013

Hitmen extend streak to nine games

The Calgary Hitmen have now picked up points in nine straight games (8-0-1-0) following Sunday's 5-2 home ice win over the Swift Current Broncos.

Kenton Helgesen was named the first star topping all Hitmen with three points with a goal and two assists.  Helegesen was one of five different players to score for Calgary as Radel Fazleev, Travis Sanheim, Linden Penner, and Zane Jones also found the back of the net.

For Sanheim it was his first career goal in the Western Hockey League.

Calder Brooks had a pair of assists to continue his strong play of late extending his point streak to three games (4g 2a).

Chris Driedger made 24 saves to pick up the victory helping Calgary improve to 4-0 against the Broncos this season.

                                       Photo Credit:  Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Swift Current Broncos 2 at Calgary Hitmen 5
Sunday, December 15, 2013 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Swift Current 0 2 0 - 2
Calgary 1 2 2 - 5

1st Period
1, Calgary, Fazleev 5 (Chase, Helgesen), 7:15.
Penalties-Thrower Cal (interference), 16:35.

2nd Period
2, Calgary, Sanheim 1 (Padakin, Brooks), 0:42.
3, Swift Current, Mackay 7 (LeSann, Johnson), 9:24.
4, Calgary, Penner 2 (Brooks, Helgesen), 11:43.
5, Swift Current, Lernout 4 (Cave, Martin), 13:40.
Penalties-Bevan S.c (major-fighting), 14:57; Babych Cal (major-fighting), 14:57.

3rd Period
6, Calgary, Helgesen 5 (Brassart, Virtanen), 9:56 (PP).
7, Calgary, Jones 8 (Fazleev, Padakin), 17:37 (EN).
Penalties-Bevan S.c (tripping), 8:58; Thomas Cal (cross checking), 11:56.

Shots on Goal
Swift Current 9-11-6-26. Calgary 9-17-6-32.
Power Play Opportunities
Swift Current 0 / 2; Calgary 1 / 1.
Goalies
Swift Current, Bow 8-3-1-1 (31 shots-27 saves). Calgary, Driedger 13-6-2-3 (26 shots-24 saves).
A-8,823
Referees-Kevin Webinger (6), Chad Williams (60).
Linesmen-Sean Donnelly (109), Michael Roberts (87).

Virtanen and Thomas named to Top Prospects Game

From the Hitmen Office:

Calgary, AB - The Calgary Hitmen Hockey Club would like to congratulate second-year forward Jake Virtanen and rookie defenceman Ben Thomas on being named to Team Orr for the 2014 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, held Wednesday, January 15 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.  With the addition of Virtanen and Thomas, the Hitmen have now been represented in this event by 26 players since 1996, a CHL-high.

“This is a great opportunity for Jake and Ben,” said Hitmen head coach Mike Williamson.  “Both players are playing big roles on our hockey team and we’re excited for them to be recognized. Being selected to play in the Top Prospects Game and having it right here in Calgary in front of our fans will be a great experience.”

Virtanen, a native of Abbotsford, British Columbia, was selected by Calgary first overall in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft.  He has appeared in 30 games this season, recording 15 goals and nine assists for 24 points over that span.  The 6-1, 210-pound forward was recently given an ‘A’ level rating by NHL Central Scouting in their November Players to Watch list. 

Thomas, a native of Calgary, Alberta, has recorded two goals and 13 assists for 15 points over 31 games played this season.  Calgary selected the 6-2, 193-pound defenceman in the third round, 45th overall, in the 2011 draft.  NHL Central Scouting rated Thomas as a ‘C’ level prospect in their Players to Watch list for November.

The CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game will be broadcast live on Sportsnet and TVA Sports beginning at 7:00 p.m. MT, and is also available on the NHL Network in the United States and on Sportsnet 960 The FAN.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased for as little as $12.00 for a child ticket and $17.00 for an adult ticket (plus applicable fees) at all Ticketmaster locations and the Scotiabank Saddledome box office.  Order online at www.ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 1-855-985-5000.  Group ticket pricing is also available by calling 403-777-4646.




Here are both rosters:

Team Orr:
Goaltenders:
 Julio Billia (Chicoutimi Sagueneens)
 Mason McDonald (Acadie-Bathurst Titan)

Defencemen:
 Aaron Ekblad (Barrie Colts)
 Aaron Haydon (Niagara IceDogs)
 Julius Honka (Swift Current Broncos)
 Brycen Martin (Swift Current Broncos)
 Alex Peters (Plymouth Whalers)
 Ben Thomas (Calgary Hitmen)

Forwards:
 Sam Bennett (Kingston Frontenacs)
 Clark Bishop (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles)
 Blake Clarke (North Bay Battalion)
 Eric Cornel (Peterborough Petes)
 Leon Draisaitl (Prince Albert Raiders)
 Nikolaj Ehlers (Halifax Mooseheads)
 Josh Ho-Sang (Windsor Spitfires)
 Brendan Lemieux (Barrie Colts)
 Jared McCann (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
 Brendan Perlini (Niagara IceDogs)
 Jake Virtanen (Calgary Hitmen)
 Spencer Watson (Kingston Frontenacs)

Staff:
 Lanny McDonald – Head Coach
 Mike Vernon – Assistant Coach
 Joel Otto – Assistant Coach
 Will McMillan – Athletic Therapist
 Jason Monnery – Equipment Manager

Team Cherry:
Goaltenders:
 Ty Edmonds (Prince George Cougars)
 Alex Nedeljkovic (Plymouth Whalers)

Defencemen:
 Anthony DeAngelo (Sarnia Sting)
 Haydn Fleury (Red Deer Rebels)
 Aaron Irving (Edmonton Oil Kings)
 Roland McKeown (Kingston Frontenacs)
 Nelson Nogier (Saskatoon Blades)
 Alexis Vanier (Baie-Comeau Drakkar)

Forwards:
 Daniel Audette (Sherbrooke Phoenix)
 Ivan Barbashev (Moncton Wildcats)
 Conner Bleackley (Red Deer Rebels)
 Michael Dal Colle (Oshawa Generals)
 Chase De Leo (Portland Winterhawks)
 Robby Fabbri (Guelph Storm)
 Nikolay Goldobin (Sarnia Sting)
 Ryan MacInnis (Kitchener Rangers)
 Matt Mistele (Plymouth Whalers)
 Sam Reinhart (Kootenay Ice)
 Nick Ritchie (Peterborough Petes)
 Nikita Scherbak (Saskatoon Blades)

Staff:
 Jim Peplinski – Head Coach
 Paul Reinhart – Assistant Coach
 Tim Hunter – Assistant Coach
 Brian Cheeseman – Athletic Therapist
 Rogan Dean – Equipment Manager

Hitmen rout Tigers

Friday the 13th was anything but bad luck for the Calgary Hitmen as they thumped the Medicine Hat Tigers 7-0 at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Brady Brassart led the way with his first WHL regular season hat trick while Jake Virtanen and Calder Brooks both scored twice to round out the scoring.

Greg Chase had three assists setting up all three Brassart goals while Cal Babych recorded his first career WHL point drawing an assist on the first Brooks goal.

Chris Driedger made 29 saves to record his second shutout of the season and seventh of his career.

It was 1-0 after the opening period and 2-0 after 40 minutes before Calgary blew the game open with five third period goals.

                                       Photo Credit:  Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Medicine Hat Tigers 0 at Calgary Hitmen 7
Friday, December 13, 2013 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Medicine Hat 0 0 0 - 0
Calgary 1 1 5 - 7

1st Period
1, Calgary, Brassart 11 (Chase, Helgesen), 19:03. Penalties-No Penalties

2nd Period
2, Calgary, Brassart 12 (Chase), 6:42.
Penalties-Stanton M.h (interference), 8:45; Labelle M.h (major-fighting), 11:04; Thrower Cal (major-fighting), 11:04.

3rd Period
3, Calgary, Brooks 7 (Babych, Padakin), 10:03.
4, Calgary, Brassart 13 (Chase), 13:15.
5, Calgary, Virtanen 16 (Fazleev), 14:07.
6, Calgary, Virtanen 17   17:32 (PP).
7, Calgary, Brooks 8 (Peterson, Thomas), 18:19.
Penalties-Harmsworth Cal (holding), 5:19; Doty M.h (instigator, major-fighting, 10-minute misconduct), 15:59; Thrower Cal (major-fighting), 15:59.

Shots on Goal-
Medicine Hat 11-10-8-29. Calgary 8-12-16-36.
Power Play Opportunities
Medicine Hat 0 / 1; Calgary 1 / 2.
Goalies
Medicine Hat, Wapple 12-6-1-0 (29 shots-24 saves); Tai 1-2-0-0 (7 shots-5 saves). Calgary, Driedger 13-6-2-3 (29 shots-29 saves).
A-6,956
Referees-Colin Watt (72), Derek Zalaski (8).
Linesmen-Scott Sharun (103), Justin Slimm (105).
 
                 


Thursday 12 December 2013

Calgary wraps up road trip with a win in Lethbridge

Calder Brooks scored a pair of goals leading the Calgary Hitmen to a 5-3 win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes Wednesday night at Enmax Centre.

Chase Lang, Jake Virtanen and Brady Brassart into an empty net also scored for Calgary.

Kenton Helgesen and Colby Harmsworth both had two assists for the Hitmen who built period leads of 2-0 and 4-2.

Mack Shields made 32 saves to record the victory as Lethbridge outshot Calgary 34-33.

The Hitmen won the special teams battle going 1-3 on the powerplay while killing all five Hurricanes chances including a 5-on-3 for 55 seconds.

Calgary has now picked up points in seven straight games going 6-0-1-0 in that span.

At 43 points, they sit tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings for top spot in the WHL’s Eastern Conference Standings.

The Hitmen now return home for their final three games prior to the Christmas Break starting Friday against the Medicine Hat Tigers.  A reminder the December 13th contest at Scotiabank Saddledome originally scheduled to begin at 7 o’clock is now a 7:30 start.

                                                      Photo Credit:  CanesCast

Calgary Hitmen 5 at Lethbridge Hurricanes 3
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 - Enmax Centre - Lethbridge, AB

Calgary 2 2 1 - 5
Lethbridge 0 2 1 - 3

1st Period
1, Calgary, Lang 2 (Jones, Thomas), 8:59.
2, Calgary, Brooks 5 (Harmsworth, Virtanen), 18:55.
Penalties-Jensen Let (hooking), 4:16; Penner Cal (roughing), 12:25; Peterson Cal (hooking), 19:28; Olynek Let (hooking), 19:51.

2nd Period
3, Lethbridge, Derko 8 (Watson, Erkamps), 3:46.
4, Calgary, Brooks 6 (Rissling, Harmsworth), 5:33.
5, Calgary, Virtanen 15 (Helgesen, Brassart), 10:01 (PP).
6, Lethbridge, Watson 9 (Erkamps, Olynek), 17:44.
Penalties-Derko Let (high sticking), 8:25; Jones Cal (hooking), 11:02; Roach Cal (tripping), 18:20; served by Jones Cal (too many men), 19:24.

3rd Period
7, Lethbridge, Duke 4 (Wong, Cooper), 3:42.
8, Calgary, Brassart 10 (Helgesen, Chase), 19:38 (EN). Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal
Calgary 13-13-7-33. Lethbridge 13-10-11-34.
Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 1 / 3; Lethbridge 0 / 5.
Goalies
Calgary, Shields 8-1-0-0 (34 shots-31 saves). Lethbridge, Sacher 2-3-0-0 (32 shots-28 saves).
A-2,615
Referees-Matt Cassidy (93), Chris Crich (20).
Linesmen-Michael Roberts (87), Justin Slimm (105).

Hitmen deal Oleksyn to Victoria

From the Hitmen Office:

The Calgary Hitmen Hockey Club announced today that they have acquired 17-year-old forward Landon Welykholowa (“well-uh-call-uh-wa”) from the Victoria Royals in exchange for 17-year-old forward Braden Oleksyn.

Welykholowa, a native of Calgary, Alberta, has recorded one goal along with four penalty minutes over 18 games played with the Royals. 

The rookie forward was originally selected by the Prince Albert Raiders in the third round (58th overall) in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft. 

He appeared in 34 games with the Calgary Buffaloes of the AMHL last season, tallying 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) along with 78 penalty minutes over that span.

                                                                Braden Olesksyn

Tigers need OT to top Hitmen

Logan McVeigh scored 27 seconds into overtime lifting the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 1-0 win over the Calgary Hitmen Tuesday night at The Arena.

Daniel Wapple made 39 saves for the Tigers to record his second shutout of the season in a first star performance.

Hitmen goaltender Chris Driedger was named second star after making 33 saves.

Both teams hit two goal posts each with Medicine Hat going 0-2 with the extra attack on the games only two powerplay chances.

The loss snaps Calgary’s season high five game winning streak dropping their record to 18-7-2-3.

At 41 points, the Hitmen now sit in a four-way tie for top spot in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with Medicine Hat, Edmonton and Swift Current.

                                                  Photo Credit:  Eugene Erick

Calgary Hitmen 0 at Medicine Hat Tigers 1 (OT)
Tuesday, December 10, 2013 - Medicine Hat Arena

Calgary 0 0 0 0 - 0
Medicine Hat 0 0 0 1 - 1

1st Period
No Scoring.Penalties-Harmsworth Cal (tripping), 9:34; Brooks Cal (inter. on goaltender), 14:21.

2nd Period
No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

3rd Period
No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

OT Period
1, Medicine Hat, McVeigh 5 (Valk, Bredo), 0:27. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal
Calgary 17-8-14-0-39. Medicine Hat 15-10-8-1-34.
Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 0 / 0; Medicine Hat 0 / 2.
Goalies
Calgary, Driedger 11-6-2-3 (34 shots-33 saves). Medicine Hat, Wapple 10-5-1-0 (39 shots-39 saves).
A-4,006
Referees-Jason Cramer (57), Fraser Lawrence (10).
Linesmen-Darren Holeha (47), Matthew Sanders (70).

Friday 6 December 2013

Hitmen move December 13th tilt with Tigers to 7:30

From the Hitmen Office:

The Calgary Hitmen have announced the start time for their Friday, December 13th home game against the Medicine Hat Tigers has been moved to 7:30 p.m. at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

The contest, originally scheduled for 7:00 p.m., will now air live on Sportsnet West, Pacific and ONE as well as Sportsnet 960 The FAN.

                                            Photo Credit: Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Hitmen score five unanswered to beat Red Deer

The Calgary Hitmen ran their winning streak to three games with a come-from-behind 5-2 win over the Red Deer Rebels Tuesday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.

The Rebels jumped out to a 2-0 lead, just 67 seconds in scoring twice on a 5-on-3 powerplay.

But it was all Calgary after that.

Linden Penner and Chase Lang both scored their first goals of the season for the Hitmen while Pavel Padakin, Radel Fazleev and Jake Virtanen also found the back of the net.

For Penner it was his first career goal in the Western Hockey League while Lang and Padakin both added an assist to lead the Hitmen with two points each.

Calgary dominated on the shot clock 40-18 in winning their third straight meeting with the Rebels this season.

The Hitmen, 16-7-1-3, will now host Lethbridge Saturday at 7pm and Portland on Sunday at 4 o'clock.

                                          Photo Credit:  Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Red Deer Rebels 2 at Calgary Hitmen 5
Tuesday, December 3, 2013 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

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

1st Period
1, Red Deer, Dieno 11 (Fleury, Bleackley), 0:52 (PP).
2, Red Deer, Volek 13 (Gaudet), 1:07 (PP).
3, Calgary, Penner 1 (Lang, Mahon), 7:51.
4, Calgary, Padakin 8 (Chase, Helgesen), 13:40 (PP).
Penalties-Thrower Cal (tripping), 0:36; Roach Cal (delay of game), 0:39; Fafard R.d (roughing), 2:42; Penner Cal (roughing), 2:42; Jones Cal (cross checking), 10:49; Gaudet R.d (hooking), 11:48; Fafard R.d (checking from behind, roughing), 14:24; Virtanen Cal (roughing), 14:24; Roach Cal (holding), 18:58.

2nd Period
5, Calgary, Lang 1 (Roach, Peterson), 5:54.
Penalties-Jones Cal (hooking), 10:03; Doetzel R.d (holding), 13:32.

3rd Period
6, Calgary, Fazleev 3 (Thomas, Padakin), 1:12.
7, Calgary, Virtanen 12 (Brooks, Sanheim), 15:52.
Penalties-Fafard R.d (major-fighting), 2:31; Penner Cal (major-fighting), 2:31; Sutter R.d (roughing), 4:02; Virtanen Cal (high sticking), 4:02; Fleury R.d (high sticking), 5:29; Dixon R.d (10-minute misconduct), 12:16; Doetzel R.d (roughing), 12:16; Mahon Cal (10-minute misconduct), 12:16; Fafard R.d (roughing), 20:00; Rissling Cal (roughing, roughing), 20:00.

Shots on Goal
Red Deer 7-8-3-18. Calgary 13-15-12-40.
Power Play Opportunities
Red Deer 2 / 5; Calgary 1 / 5.
Goalies
Red Deer, Bartosak 12-11-0-2 (31 shots-27 saves); Burman 2-3-0-0 (9 shots-8 saves).
Calgary, Driedger 10-6-1-3 (18 shots-16 saves); Shields 6-1-0-0 (0 shots-0 saves).
A-5,707

Referees-Tyler Adair (58), Chris Schlenker (90).
Linesmen-Sean Donnelly (109), Michael Roberts (87).

Monday 2 December 2013

Hitmen produce a win in 19th annual Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss

It was a case of deja vu Sunday at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.

For the second year in a row, import Pavel Padakin scored the goal that brought the teddy bears down onto the ice, helping the Calgary Hitmen beat the Medicine Hat Tigers 4-1 in the 19th annual Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss.

Padakin proceeded to celebrate the big goal by making snow angels on the ice among the raining teddy bears.

Greg Chase scored a pair of goals in the win while Joe Mahon added his first as a Hitmen.

Steven Owre broke Chris Driedger's shutout bid with 4:29 remaining.

The goal was the lone blemish on what otherwise was a brilliant performance by Driedger who made 39 saves in a second star performance.

The victory was a big one for the Hitmen, moving them to within three points of the Eastern Conference co-leading Tigers and Swift Current Broncos.  Calgary also has a pair of games in hand on Medicine Hat and five games in hand on Swift Current.

The Hitmen will host Red Deer Tuesday night at the 'Dome in a 7 o'clock start.

TEDDY BEAR TALLY:  A total of 25,921 stuffed toys were collected after Padakin's goal 3:42 into the second period.  Those teddy bears will now be shared among over 50 local charities.

                                           Photo Credit:  Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Medicine Hat Tigers 1 at Calgary Hitmen 4
Sunday, December 1, 2013 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Medicine Hat 0 0 1 - 1
Calgary 0 3 1 - 4

1st Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Doty M.h (major-fighting), 12:43; Rissling Cal (major-fighting), 12:43; Becker M.h (roughing), 18:34; Padakin Cal (roughing), 18:34; Rissling Cal (interference), 18:47.

2nd Period
1, Calgary, Padakin 7 (Fazleev, Roach), 3:42.
2, Calgary, Mahon 1 (Lang, Draude), 16:03.
3, Calgary, Chase 15 (Harmsworth, Thomas), 19:55.
Penalties-Brassart Cal (roughing), 13:01.

3rd Period
4, Calgary, Chase 16 (Brassart, Roach), 3:07 (PP).
5, Medicine Hat, Owre 8 (Butcher, Becker), 15:31.
Penalties-Shinkaruk M.h (high sticking), 1:09; Thomas Cal (interference), 1:16; McVeigh M.h (high sticking), 2:09; Lewington M.h (major-fighting), 8:53; Mahon Cal (major-fighting), 8:53; Chase Cal (interference), 9:27; Padakin Cal (major-slashing, game misconduct), 20:00.

Shots on Goal
Medicine Hat 13-12-15-40. Calgary 12-11-6-29.
Power Play Opportunities
Medicine Hat 0 / 3; Calgary 1 / 2.
Goalies
Medicine Hat, Wapple 8-4-1-0 (29 shots-25 saves). Calgary, Driedger 9-6-1-3 (40 shots-39 saves).
A-17,199
Referees-Derek Zalaski (8), Jason Cramer (57).
Linesmen-Jared Mackey (52), Justin Slimm (105).

Hitmen 3 Broncos 1

Brady Brassart and Jake Virtanen scored third period goals to break a 1-1 tie leading the Calgary Hitmen to a 3-1 win over the Swift Current Broncos Friday night at Credit Union iPlex.

Colby Harmsworth also scored for the Hitmen who have now won all three regular season meetings against Swift Current this season.

Calgary outshot the Broncos 40-23, including 9-3 in the third period, to improve to 14-7-1-3 good for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with 32 points.

Glenn Gawdin had the lone goal for Swift Current.


Calgary Hitmen 3 at Swift Current Broncos 1
Friday, November 29, 2013 - Credit Union i-plex - Swift Current, SK

Calgary 1 0 2 - 3
Swift Current 1 0 0 - 1

1st Period
1, Calgary, Harmsworth 2 (Peterson, Virtanen), 15:13.
2, Swift Current, Gawdin 3 (Cave, Leth), 18:10. Penalties-No Penalties

2nd Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-LeSann S.c (cross checking), 0:00; Helgesen Cal (major-fighting), 0:10; LeSann S.c (major-fighting), 0:10; Padakin Cal (tripping), 6:45.

3rd Period
3, Calgary, Brassart 9 (Helgesen, Thomas), 10:18 (PP).
4, Calgary, Virtanen 11 (Rissling), 11:19.
Penalties-Lernout S.c (slashing), 10:06.

Shots on Goal
Calgary 16-15-12-43. Swift Current 12-8-18-38.
Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 1 / 1; Swift Current 0 / 1.
Goalies-Calgary, Driedger 9-6-1-3 (38 shots-37 saves). Swift Current, Laurikainen 9-9-0-2 (43 shots-40 saves).
A-2,006
Referees-Jeff Ingram (82), Jon Stephenson (38).
Linesmen-Curtis Funk (117), Ian Schafer (56).

Friday 29 November 2013

Big need for Teddy Bears on Sunday

The 19th annual Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss is this Sunday at Scotiabank Saddledome as the Calgary Hitmen welcome the Medicine Hat Tigers. 

Game time is 4:00 p.m. with fans asked to bring a stuffed toy (or 2 or 3) to the game and toss it on the ice when the Hitmen score their first goal. 

This year the demand for stuffed toys has increased, partly due to the flood Calgary experienced this past summer.  Over 50 local agencies have requested more than 28,000 teddy bears. 

Teddy Bear Toss tickets are still available at all Ticketmaster locations and the Saddledome box office. 

Order online at www.ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 1-855-985-5000.


Here's a list of the charities who will receive the stuffed toys.

Care Connect
Ronald McDonald House
Souper Stars
Special Olympics
St. Vincent de Paul
Wood’s Homes (Exit Outreach)
YWCA
Aids Calgary
Alexander Center Society
Boys and Girls Club of Calgary
Calgary Bridge Foundation
Canadian Mental Health Association
Change of Heart
Closer to Home
Cornerstone of Hope
Pace Kids
Red Cross
Southwest Community Resource Centre
Stephan's Backpacks
All Nations Treatment Centre Alumni
Bowness Montgomery Daycare
Bowest Community Resource Centre
Brenda Stafford Society
Calgary Association of Self Help
Calgary Police Children's Victims
Cerebral Palsy Association
Daily Reflections
East Calgary Health
Eden Valley Wellness Centre
Family Matters
JIL
Marlborough Park Pre-school
McMahon Youth and Family Services
Metis Calgary Services
North East Calgary Adopt A Family Society
Walden Heights Senior
Calgary Military Family Resource Centre
Calgary Womens' Emergency Shelter
Forest Grove Care Center
Hull Child and Family Services
Jamie's Preschool
North of McKnight Community Resource Centre
Northside Baptist
Pathways Community Services
Siksika Nation
Blood Tribe
Stoney Nakoda Nation
Salvation Army
Food Bank
Calgary Board of Education
Calgary Children's Hospital

Chase stars for Team WHL

Calgary Hitmen forward Greg Chase scored a pair of goals as Team WHL beat Russia 4-2 Thursday night in Lethbridge helping the CHL win the Subway Super Series.

Post Game Chase had this to say to whl.ca's Jesse Watts;

“I think I came in here and tried to play the game I do during the season,” said Chase, who was named the Player of the Game for Team WHL with his two-goal effort. “The biggest thing for us was getting pucks to the net and being a bit more gritty in front of the net...we had lots of chances (on Wednesday night) that we didn’t capitalize on, but tonight we did.”

Chase will be in the line-up tonight when the Hitmen meet the Broncos in Swift Current.

Silvertips blank Hitmen

Joshua Winquist scored his 21st goal of the season on a second period powerplay as the Everett Silvertips blanked the Calgary Hitmen 1-0 at Scotiabank Saddledome on Saturday.

Goalie Austin Lotz made 25 saves for his third shutout of the season and fourth of his WHL career.

Sixteen of those stops came in the third period when the Hitmen outshot Everett 16-3.

The loss snapped Calgary's three game winning streak while the victory improves the Silvertips WHL leading points total to 42.

                                          Photo Credit:  Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Everett Silvertips 1 at Calgary Hitmen 0
Saturday, November 23, 2013 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Everett 0 1 0 - 1
Calgary 0 0 0 - 0

1st Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Brassart Cal (tripping), 6:27; Betker Evt (major-fighting), 10:26; Thrower Cal (boarding, major-fighting), 10:26.

2nd Period
1, Everett, Winquist 21 (Pufahl, Bauml), 5:13 (PP).
Penalties-Brassart Cal (slashing), 4:15; Harmsworth Cal (boarding), 12:23; Bajkov Evt (holding), 15:08.

3rd Period
No Scoring.Penalties-Rissling Cal (boarding), 3:29; MacDonald Evt (tripping), 8:05; Mueller Evt (cross checking), 11:32.

Shots on Goal
Everett 12-12-3-27. Calgary 5-4-16-25.
Power Play Opportunities
Everett 1 / 5; Calgary 0 / 3.
Goalies
Everett, Lotz 14-3-1-0 (25 shots-25 saves). Calgary, Driedger 7-6-1-3 (27 shots-26 saves).
A-7,072
Referees-Chris Crich (20), Clayton Hall (42).
Linesmen-Aidan Henderson (78), Jared Mackey (52).

Friday 22 November 2013

Hitmen extend winning streak to three

Pavel Padkin scored twice, his first two goal game of the season, lifting the Calgary Hitmen to a 3-0 win over the Prince George Cougars Thursday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Chris Driedger made 30 saves to record his first shutout of the season and sixth of his Western Hockey League career.

Zane Jones also scored while Radel Fazleev and Alex Roach both had two assists for the Hitmen who built period leads of 1-0 and 3-0.

The special teams battle played a large role in the outcome as Calgary went 2-7 on the powerplay while killing all six Cougar chances.

The Hitmen are now 13-6-1-3, tied with Prince Albert for third in the Eastern Conference at 30 points.

Calgary will wrap up their season high six game home stand Saturday against the WHL's top team in Everett who leads the league with 38 points.  Game time is 7:00 p.m.

                                           Photo Credit:  Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Prince George Cougars 0 at Calgary Hitmen 3
Thursday, November 21, 2013 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Prince George 0 0 0 - 0
Calgary 1 2 0 - 3

1st Period
1, Calgary, Jones 7 (Fazleev, Roach), 19:17 (PP).
Penalties-Bourke P.g (delay of game), 4:59; Thomas Cal (interference), 8:08; Grewal P.g (holding), 18:02.

2nd Period
2, Calgary, Padakin 5 (Jones, Fazleev), 10:31.
3, Calgary, Padakin 6 (Roach, Virtanen), 15:14 (PP).
Penalties-Sanheim Cal (holding), 1:29; Lishchynsky P.g (slashing), 4:41; Roach Cal (interference), 11:08; Bobos P.g (high sticking), 15:07; Penner Cal (roughing), 15:56.

3rd Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-McNulty P.g (roughing, roughing), 2:43; Lang Cal (roughing), 2:43; Mahon Cal (10-minute misconduct), 2:43; Bourke P.g (tripping), 5:04; Grewal P.g (hooking), 10:56; Ruopp P.g (major-fighting), 13:18; Virtanen Cal (roughing, major-fighting), 13:18; Roulston P.g (major-fighting), 15:41; Penner Cal (major-fighting), 15:41; Padakin Cal (roughing), 19:57.

Shots on Goal
Prince George 9-12-9-30. Calgary 6-16-9-31.
Power Play Opportunities
Prince George 0 / 6; Calgary 2 / 7.
Goalies
Prince George, Zarowny 2-8-1-1 (31 shots-28 saves). Calgary, Driedger 7-5-1-3 (30 shots-30 saves).
A-5,696
Referees-Tyler Adair (58), Kevin Webinger (6).
Linesmen-Reid Anderson (53), Scott Sharun (103).

Hitmen edge Warriors for second straight win

The Calgary Hitmen recorded their second win in as many tries Sunday evening with a 3-2 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors Sunday at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Jaynen Rissling, Pavel Padakin and Jake Virtanen all scored for the Hitmen who erased a 2-1 second period deficit. 

Virtanen also had an assist and finished the game with two points, tied a top the team lead with Kenton Helgesen who chipped in a pair of assists.

Goaltender Chris Driedger was superb between the pipes making 30 saves.

Sam Fioretti and Tanner Eberle scored for Moose Jaw in the loss who outshot Calgary 32-31.

                                           Photo Credit: Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Moose Jaw Warriors 2 at Calgary Hitmen 3
Sunday, November 17, 2013 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

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

1st Period
1, Calgary, Rissling 6 (Helgesen, Virtanen), 7:49.
Penalties-Chase Cal (boarding), 3:04; White M.j (slashing), 17:26; Chase Cal (slashing), 17:41.

2nd Period
2, Moose Jaw, Fioretti 8 (Chirva, Warkentine), 2:45.
3, Moose Jaw, Eberle 5 (Point, Warkentine), 9:44.
4, Calgary, Padakin 4 (Roach, Chase), 15:45 (PP).
5, Calgary, Virtanen 10 (Helgesen, Rissling), 16:39.
Penalties-Fioretti M.j (hooking), 0:04; Brassart Cal (slashing), 3:22; Brown M.j (tripping), 4:46; Brassart Cal (boarding), 12:58; Uhrich M.j (10-minute misconduct), 15:07; Zalitach M.j (holding), 15:07; Thrower Cal (10-minute misconduct), 15:07.

3rd Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Brassart Cal (boarding), 1:48; McCarthy M.j (slashing), 4:29; Eberle M.j (delay of game), 5:34; Fioretti M.j (10-minute misconduct), 19:53.

Shots on Goal
Moose Jaw 10-12-10-32. Calgary 7-12-12-31.
Power Play Opportunities
Moose Jaw 0 / 5; Calgary 1 / 6.
Goalies
Moose Jaw, Paulic 3-13-2-2 (31 shots-28 saves). Calgary, Driedger 7-5-1-3 (32 shots-30 saves).
A-8,149
Referees-Adam Byblow (23), Matt Cassidy (93).
Linesmen-Jared Mackey (52), Michael Roberts (87).

Saturday 16 November 2013

Team West has Hitmen presence

The World U-17 Hockey Challenge will be held December 28 - January 4th, 2014 in Cape Breton, Novia Scotia.

Team West, comprised of players from Manitba and Saskatchewan has been announced with a Calgary Hitmen flavour.

Current Hitmen forward Terrell Draude along with prospect defenceman Brennan Riddle have both been named to the squad.

Draude has a goal and an assist in 10 games with the Hitmen in his rookie season while Riddle has five points (1g 4a) in 16 games with the Tisdale Trojans of the Saskatchewan AAA Midget League.

                                                              Terrell Draude Photo


Hitmen snap Broncos nine game winning streak

Radel Fazleev scored the lone goal of the shootout lifting the Calgary Hitmen to a 3-2 win over the Swift Current Broncos Friday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.

The win was Calgary's first in five tries after going 0-3-0-1 while the loss ended Swift Current's season high nine game winning streak.

Kenton Helgesen forced overtime for the Hitmen scoring the tying goal with 53.4 seconds remaining.

Greg Chase with his team leading 14th goal of the season staked the Hitmen to a 1-0 lead before the Broncos struck for a pair of powerplay goals off the sticks of Graham Black and Jay Merkley.

Chris Driedger was stellar in the Hitmen net making a combined 40 saves through the shootout while Landon Bow was also strong for the Broncos stopping 35 shots through overtime and two more in the shootout.

Calgary, 11-6-1-3, will now host Moose Jaw Sunday at 6pm.

                                            Photo Credit:  Brad Watson - Cgy Hitmen

Swift Current Broncos 2 at Calgary Hitmen 3 (SO)
Friday, November 15, 2013 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Swift Current 0 2 0 0 - 2
Calgary 0 1 1 0 - 3

1st Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Mahon Cal (checking from behind), 4:25; Leth S.c (roughing), 9:31; Oleksyn Cal (roughing), 9:31; Roach Cal (roughing), 17:44.

2nd Period
1, Calgary, Chase 14 (Sanheim, Peterson), 1:38.
2, Swift Current, Black 14 (Gordon, Martin), 3:47 (PP).
3, Swift Current, Merkley 9 (Honka), 4:47 (PP).
Penalties-Zinkan S.c (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 2:39; Fazleev Cal (cross checking, roughing), 2:39; served by Jones Cal (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 3:47; Chase Cal (10-minute misconduct), 3:47.

3rd Period
4, Calgary, Helgesen 3 (Rissling, Brassart), 19:06.
Penalties-No Penalties

OT Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Padakin Cal (inter. on goaltender), 4:58.

Shootout - Swift Current 0 (Gordon NG, Sanvido NG, Black NG), Calgary 1 (Padakin NG, Chase NG, Fazleev G).
Shots on Goal-Swift Current 14-13-10-2-0-39. Calgary 13-8-13-3-1-38.
Power Play Opportunities-Swift Current 2 / 5; Calgary 0 / 0.
Goalies-Swift Current, Bow 6-1-0-1 (37 shots-35 saves). Calgary, Driedger 5-5-1-3 (39 shots-37 saves).
A-6,364
Referees-Shaun Harris (43), Matt Kirk (4).
Linesmen-Cory Lundquist (128), Scott Sharun (103).

Monday 11 November 2013

Ice produce Remembrance Day win in Calgary

Jaedon Descheneau (2g1a) and Tim Bozon (1g2a) had three points each as the Kootenay ICE beat the Calgary Hitmen 5-1 Monday at Scotiabank Saddledome.

For Bozon, it was his first goal in eight games since joining the ICE in a trade from Kamloops.

Calder Brooks had the lone goal for Calgary and has now scored in back-to-back games.

Wyatt Hofflin made 29 saves to pick up the victory for Kootenay while Mack Shields suffered his first loss of the season making 29 saves for Calgary.

The Hitmen, now winless in their last four games (0-3-0-1), have slipped into a scoring drought with just four goals on their last 116 shots.

The win by the ICE pulls them into a three-way tie for fourth in the Eastern Conference with Calgary and Prince Albert.

                                              Photo Credit:  Brad Watson - Cgy Hitmen

Kootenay Ice 5 at Calgary Hitmen 1
Monday, November 11, 2013 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Kootenay 1 3 1 - 5
Calgary 1 0 0 - 1

1st Period
1, Kootenay, Bozon 4 (Descheneau, Valiev), 4:54.
2, Calgary, Brooks 4 (Sanheim, Fazleev), 18:11.
Penalties-Alfaro Ktn (tripping), 9:05.

2nd Period
3, Kootenay, Valiev 1 (Zborosky, Reinhart), 8:02.
4, Kootenay, Martin 4 12:14.
5, Kootenay, Descheneau 15 (Bozon, Philp), 19:35 (PP).
Penalties-Bozon Ktn (interference), 14:25; Helgesen Cal (hooking), 18:52.

3rd Period
6, Kootenay, Descheneau 16 (Reinhart, Peel), 6:02 (PP).
Penalties-Virtanen Cal (checking from behind), 0:31; Virtanen Cal (inter. on goaltender), 4:34; Chynoweth Ktn (major-fighting), 6:07; Padakin Cal (tripping, major-fighting), 6:07; Alfaro Ktn (tripping), 8:52; Virtanen Cal (inter. on goaltender), 10:41.

Shots on Goal-Kootenay 10-14-9-33. Calgary 13-13-4-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Kootenay 2 / 6; Calgary 0 / 3.
Goalies-Kootenay, Hoflin 5-3-0-0 (30 shots-29 saves). Calgary, Shields 6-1-0-0 (33 shots-28 saves).
A-7,328
Referees-Jason Cramer (57), Colin Watt (72).
Linesmen-Aidan Henderson (78), Justin Slimm (105).


Remembrance Day Ticket Special

The Calgary Hitmen (10-5-1-3) play host to the Kootenay Ice (10-8-2-0) on Remembrance Day.

Game time is 4pm at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Past and present members of the Canadian Forces as well as all police, fire and EMS service members will receive complimentary admission to the game by presenting an identification card at the Scotiabank Saddledome box office.




Tigers edge Hitmen in shootout

Curtis Valk scored the lone goal of the shootout lifting the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 3-2 win over the Calgary Hitmen Saturday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Kenton Helgesen forced overtime for Calgary sliding a rebound shot home with 10.3 second remaining in the third period.

Calder Brooks also scored for Calgary, given credit after Hunter Shinkaruk knocked the Brooks rebound past his own goalie and in.

Shinkaruk later scored on a powerplay for Medicine Hat to square the game at one through 20 minutes.

Trevor Cox put the Tigers in front in the second period, leading to Helgesen's late heroics.

Both teams had powerplay play chances in overtime but failed to capitalize.

Photo Credit:  Janette Ahrens - Calgary Hitmen 

Medicine Hat Tigers 3 (SO) at Calgary Hitmen 2
Saturday, November 9, 2013 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Medicine Hat 1 1 0 0 - 3
Calgary 1 0 1 0 - 2

1st Period
1, Calgary, Brooks 3 4:36.
2, Medicine Hat, Shinkaruk 5 (Koules, Vannelli), 12:44 (PP).
Penalties-Brassart Cal (tripping), 11:00.

2nd Period
3, Medicine Hat, Cox 4 (Sanford, Owre), 10:12.
Penalties-Vannelli M.h (tripping), 0:09; Cox M.h (interference), 0:44; Staples M.h (interference), 3:52; Sanheim Cal (holding), 6:34.

3rd Period
4, Calgary, Helgesen 2 (Roach, Rissling), 19:49.
Penalties-Jones Cal (interference), 14:09.

OT Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Helgesen Cal (charging), 0:36; Bredo M.h (hooking), 3:10.

Shootout
Medicine Hat 1 (Shinkaruk NG, Valk G, Vannelli NG), Calgary 0 (Fazleev NG, Chase NG, Padakin NG).
Shots on Goal-Medicine Hat 9-10-10-2-1-32. Calgary 6-8-18-6-0-38.
Power Play Opportunities-Medicine Hat 1 / 4; Calgary 0 / 4.
Goalies-Medicine Hat, Wapple 7-1-1-0 (38 shots-36 saves). Calgary, Driedger 4-5-1-3 (31 shots-29 saves).
A-7,795
Referees-Jonathan Langille, Derek Zalaski (8).
Linesmen-Reid Anderson (53), Cory Lundquist (128).

Ice post comeback win over Hitmen

The Kootenay Ice scored three unanswered third period goals in a 3-1 win over the Calgary Hitmen Tuesday night at Western Financial Place.

After a scoreless first period which saw the Hitmen kill five Kootenay powerplays, Calgary’s Jake Virtanen produced the lone goal of the second period.

His ninth goal of the season was Virtanen’s 14th point in 18 games to start the season.

However Kootenay tied the game early in the third period on a powerplay marker from Jaedon Descheneau before Jon Martin added a pair of even strength goals.

Calgary finished with 39 shots but Mackenzie Skapski and Wyatt Hoflin combined to make 38 saves.  Skapski left the game after the first period with an apparent lower body injury.

Chris Driedger faced 32 shots in the Hitmen net, making 29 saves.

The Ice finished the game 1-9 on the powerplay while the Hitmen went 0-4.

Kootenay improves to 9-7-2-0 while Calgary falls to 10-5-1-2.

                                                  Photo Credit:  Chris Pullen

Calgary Hitmen 1 at Kootenay Ice 3 - Status: Final
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 - Western Financial Place - Cranbrook, BC

Calgary 0 1 0 - 1
Kootenay 0 0 3 - 3

1st Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Peterson Cal (hooking), 1:23; Valiev Ktn (interference), 2:05; Roach Cal (roughing), 4:25; Mahon Cal (instigator, major-fighting, 10-minute misconduct), 7:04; Cross Ktn (major-fighting), 7:04; Rissling Cal (delay of game), 10:37; Brassart Cal (checking from behind), 12:33.

2nd Period
1, Calgary, Virtanen 9 (Brassart, Helgesen), 2:19.
Penalties-Steenbergen Ktn (interference), 3:24; Jones Cal (interference), 4:50; Elynuik Ktn (hooking), 17:49; Thrower Cal (interference), 19:50.

3rd Period
2, Kootenay, Descheneau 14 (Reinhart, Dirk), 1:21 (PP).
3, Kootenay, Martin 2 (Philp, Cable), 12:46.
4, Kootenay, Martin 3 (Reinhart, Cross), 16:43.
Penalties-Rissling Cal (cross checking), 3:36; Fazleev Cal (roughing), 9:24; Steenbergen Ktn (roughing, slashing), 9:24; Brassart Cal (roughing, roughing), 19:38; Rissling Cal (10-minute misconduct), 19:38; Virtanen Cal (10-minute misconduct), 19:38; Martin Ktn (roughing, roughing), 19:38.

Shots on Goal-Calgary 8-15-13-36. Kootenay 16-7-9-32.
Power Play Opportunities-Calgary 0 / 4; Kootenay 1 / 8.
Goalies-Calgary, Driedger 4-5-1-3 (32 shots-29 saves). Kootenay, Skapski 6-5-2-0 (8 shots-8 saves); Hoflin 4-3-0-0 (28 shots-27 saves).
A-1,958
Referees-Chris Schlenker (90), Nick Swaine (35).
Linesmen-Tyler Hawthorne (144), Michael Roberts (87).

Tuesday 5 November 2013

Greg Chase on Team Canada World Junior Radar

Calgary, AB -- The Western Hockey League, in collaboration with the Canadian Hockey League, the Red Deer Rebels Hockey Club and the Lethbridge Hurricanes Hockey Club, today announced the majority of the roster of Team WHL which will compete against Team Russia in the 2013 SUBWAY® Super Series.

Team WHL will face Team Russia in Game 5 of the 2013 SUBWAY® Super Series in Red Deer, AB, on Wednesday, November 27th, and will conclude the series on Thursday, November 28th, with Game 6 in Lethbridge, AB.  The QMJHL will host the first two games of the series, and the OHL will host Games 3 and 4.

Team WHL’s roster is highlighted by Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice, one of the top-ranked skaters for the 2014 NHL Draft.  The roster also features seven players who were first-round NHL Draft picks, including defencemen Josh Morrissey of the Prince Albert Raiders and Ryan Pulock of the Brandon Wheat Kings, and forwards Curtis Lazar of the Edmonton Oil Kings, Hunter Shinkaruk of the Medicine Hat Tigers and Morgan Klimchuk of the Regina Pats, who were all selected in the 2013 NHL Draft.  Additionally, Team WHL’s roster includes Edmonton Oil Kings’ defenceman Griffin Reinhart, who was a member of Canada’s National Junior team at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Each of the three CHL member Leagues assembled a selection Committee, working closely with Hockey Canada, to select the players for this year’s series.

The 2013 SUBWAY® Super Series is supported by CHL associate sponsors, Bank of Montreal and Old Dutch.

Team WHL roster for the 2013 SUBWAY® Super Series:

GOALTENDER
 Eric Comrie (Tri-City Americans)

DEFENSEMEN
 Madison Bowey (Kelowna Rockets)
 Dillon Heatherington (Swift Current Broncos)
 Josh Morrissey (Prince Albert Raiders)
 Derrick Pouliot (Portland Winterhawks)
 Ryan Pulock (Brandon Wheat Kings)
 Griffin Reinhart (Edmonton Oil Kings)
 Damon Severson (Kelowna Rockets)

FORWARDS
 Troy Bourke (Prince George Cougars)
 Colby Cave (Swift Current Broncos)
 Greg Chase (Calgary Hitmen) Jaedon Descheneau (Kootenay Ice)
 Jujhar Khaira (Everett Silvertips)
 Morgan Klimchuk (Regina Pats)
 Curtis Lazar (Edmonton Oil Kings)
 Taylor Leier (Portland Winterhawks)
 Brendan Leipsic (Portland Winterhawks)
 Mitch Moroz (Edmonton Oil Kings)
 Nicolas Petan (Portland Winterhawks)
 Sam Reinhart (Kootenay Ice)
 Hunter Shinkaruk (Medicine Hat Tigers)
 Chandler Stephenson (Regina Pats)

The schedule for the 2013 SUBWAY® Super Series is as follows:

Game 1 – Monday November 18 at Gatineau, QC
 Game 2 – Wednesday November 20 at Sherbrooke, QC
 Game 3 – Thursday November 21 at Oshawa, ON
 Game 4 – Monday November 25 at Sudbury, ON
 Game 5 – Wednesday November 27 at Red Deer, AB
 Game 6 – Thursday November 28 at Lethbridge, AB

Oil Kings hand Hitmen first home ice regulation loss

The Calgary Hitmen fell 4-2 to the Edmonton Oils Kings in the North-South Shrine Game in support of Shriners Hospitals for Children Sunday evening at the Scotiabank Saddledome. 

Jaynen Rissling and Zane Jones both extended their point streaks to three-straight games with powerplay goals for Calgary, while Edgars Kulda, Reid Petryk, Curtis Lazar and Brett Pollock scored for the visiting Oil Kings who overcame a 2-1 first period deficit.

Calgary goaltender Chris Driedger made 27 saves as the Edmonton outshot the Hitmen 31-16.
 

Edmonton Oil Kings 4 at Calgary Hitmen 2
Sunday, November 3, 2013 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Edmonton 1 2 1 - 4
Calgary 2 0 0 - 2

1st Period

1, Edmonton, Kulda 4 (Corbett), 4:48.
2, Calgary, Rissling 5 (Thomas, Fazleev), 7:31 (PP).
3, Calgary, Jones 6 (Chase, Rissling), 11:50 (PP).
Penalties-Roach Cal (holding), 0:49; Lazar Edm (kneeing), 6:44; Kieser Edm (slashing), 8:36; Samuelsson Edm (slashing), 11:42; Penner Cal (kneeing), 12:04; Corbett Edm (cross checking), 12:35; Mayo Edm (tripping), 15:07; Baddock Edm (10-minute misconduct), 18:48; Mayo Edm (major-fighting), 18:48; Brooks Cal (10-minute misconduct), 18:48; Peterson Cal (major-fighting), 18:48; Roach Cal (cross checking), 19:32.

2nd Period

4, Edmonton, Petryk 3 (Pollock, Corbett), 2:03 (PP).
5, Edmonton, Lazar 11 (Samuelsson, Mayo), 9:47.
Penalties-Brassart Cal (inter. on goaltender), 0:31; Moroz Edm (hooking), 7:52; Jones Cal (charging), 9:13; served by Jones Cal (too many men), 16:14.

3rd Period

6, Edmonton, Pollock 5 (Sautner, Irving), 14:05.
Penalties-Moroz Edm (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 6:32; Brassart Cal (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 6:32; Sautner Edm (holding), 7:23; Chase Cal (inter. on goaltender), 11:59; Petryk Edm (high sticking), 19:01.

Shots on Goal-Edmonton 11-12-8-31. Calgary 8-6-2-16.
Power Play Opportunities-Edmonton 1 / 7; Calgary 2 / 8.
Goalies-Edmonton, Jarry 9-6-0-1 (16 shots-14 saves). Calgary, Driedger 4-4-1-2 (31 shots-27 saves).
A-8,486
Referees-Nathan Wieler (18), Chad Williams (60).
Linesmen-Carl Poole (30), Scott Sharun (103).

Monday 4 November 2013

Hitmen solve overage problem in trade with Regina

From the Hitmen Office:

The Calgary Hitmen Hockey Club has acquired a fourth round pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft from the Regina Pats in exchange for 20-year-old defenceman Jesse Zgraggen.

“With the return of Alex Roach, this move meets the league’s three over-age player allowance,” said Hitmen General Manager and Vice President, Business Operations Mike Moore.  “We wish Jesse all the best in his final WHL season and thank him for his efforts in Calgary.”

Zgraggen, a native of Lethbridge, Alberta, recorded four goals and 15 assists for 19 points along with 46 penalty minutes in 47 games with Calgary. 

The Hitmen acquired the 6-1, 210-pound defenceman from the Victoria Royals in January 2013.

Sunday 3 November 2013

Hitmen game against Warriors pushed back

From the Hitmen Office:

The Calgary Hitmen have announced the start time for the Sunday, November 17th home game against the Moose Jaw Warriors has been moved from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Scotiabank Saddledome. 

The Calgary Stampeders will be hosting the CFL West final at McMahon Stadium on November 17 at 2:30 p.m. and the Hitmen time change provides fans an opportunity to attend.

Calgary Hitmen single game day tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations and the Scotiabank Saddledome box office.  Order online at www.ticketmaster.ca or by phone at  1-855-985-5000  .  For more information on tickets including Name Your Game flex packages and season tickets, call Customer Service at  403-777-4646  or visit www.hitmenhockey.com.

LA Kings prospect Alex Roach returns to Hitmen

From the Hitmen Office:

Calgary Hitmen General Manager and Vice President, Business Operations Mike Moore is pleased to announce the return of veteran defenceman Alex Roach.

The 20-year-old, Quesnel, British Columbia product, began the 2013-14 season in the Los Angeles Kings organization, posting three assists along with rating of plus-4 over three games played with the Ontario Reign of the ECHL. 

Roach, selected by Calgary in the 11th round, 239th overall, in the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft, has spent his entire WHL playing career with the Hitmen.  He has recorded 23 goals and 60 assists for 83 points along 227 penalty minutes over 184 games played. 


In September 2011, the 6-4, 228-pound defenceman signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Kings.

Roach and the Hitmen next see action on Sunday, November 3 when Calgary (10-3-1-2) hosts the Edmonton Oil Kings (8-7-0-1) in the North-South Shrine Game in support of Shriners Hospitals for Children.  Puck drop is 4 p.m. at the Scotiabank Saddledome. 

Monday 28 October 2013

Hitmen score shootout win in PG

Pavel Padakin scored the shootout winner as the Calgary Hitmen beat the Prince George Cougars 4-3 Saturday night at CN Centre.

Mack Shields made a career high 45 saves through overtime then stopped all three Cougar shots in the shootout to pick up his sixth win of the season in goal.

Greg Chase had a first period hat trick, his first three goal game in the Western Hockey League as the Hitmen built a 3-1 first period lead.

Brady Brassart chipped in a pair of assists for Calgary who picked up six of a possible eight points on their BC Division road trip.

Prince George outshot Calgary 48-36 getting goals from Zack Pochiro, David Soltes and Chase Witala.

The Hitmen have now earned a point in 10 straight games going 7-0-1-2 in that span.

Overall Calgary leads the Western Hockey League Eastern Conference with 22 points holding a record of 10-3-1-2. 

The Hitmen now return home and will enjoy a full seven day break before hosting the Edmonton Oil Kings on Sunday, November 3rd at Scotiabank Saddledome.  Game time is 4:00 p.m.

Single game day tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations and the Scotiabank Saddledome box office.  Order online at www.ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 1-855-985-5000.  For more information on tickets, including Name Your Game flex packages and season tickets, call Customer Service at 403-777-4646 or visit www.hitmenhockey.com.


Calgary Hitmen 4 (SO) at Prince George Cougars 3
Saturday, October 26, 2013 - CN Centre - Prince George, BC

Calgary 3 0 0 0 - 4
Prince George 1 2 0 0 - 3

1st Period-
1, Calgary, Chase 11 (Jones, Brassart), 1:11.
2, Calgary, Chase 12 (Zgraggen, Brassart), 3:44.
3, Prince George, Pochiro 6 (Harkins, Forsberg), 4:00.
4, Calgary, Chase 13 (Rissling, Thomas), 18:40 (PP).
Penalties-Lang Cal (roughing), 5:18; Gonek P.g (elbowing), 5:18; Bobos P.g (tripping), 18:26.

2nd Period
5, Prince George, Soltes 2 (Witala, Bourke), 2:06.
6, Prince George, Witala 9 (Soltes, Bourke), 12:21.
Penalties-Mahon Cal (major-fighting), 3:24; Rissling Cal (elbowing), 3:24; Gonek P.g (major-fighting), 3:24; Witala P.g (hooking), 3:36; Chase Cal (inter. on goaltender), 8:21; Bobos P.g (roughing), 8:21; Jones Cal (charging), 12:48; served by Harkins P.g (too many men), 13:38.

3rd Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Forsberg P.g (tripping), 7:24; Jones Cal (tripping), 16:42.

OT Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout
Calgary 1 (Fazleev NG, Chase NG, Padakin G), Prince George 0 (Soltes NG, Pochiro NG, Tkatch NG).
Shots on Goal
Calgary 15-13-2-6-1-37. Prince George 15-21-12-0-0-48.
Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 1 / 4; Prince George 0 / 3.
Goalies
Calgary, Shields 6-0-0-0 (48 shots-45 saves). Prince George, Edmonds 7-3-0-2 (36 shots-33 saves).
A-1,670
Referees-Kevin Bennett (29), Chris Crich (20).
Linesmen-Ryan Dawson (134), Richie Rogers (101).

Saturday 26 October 2013

Hitmen fall to Cougars in a shootout

David Soltes scored the shootout winner in the fourth round as the Prince George Cougars beat the Calgary Hitmen 4-3 Friday night at CN Centre.

The Hitmen forced overtime when Zane Jones scored on the powerplay with 3:33 remaining.

Brady Brassart and Terrell Draude also netted goals for Calgary who trailed 2-1 after the first period and 3-2 after 40 minutes.

For Draude, it was his first career goal in the Western Hockey League while Brassart recorded his 200th career point.

Chase Witala scored twice for Prince George who also got a single marker from Zach Pochiro.

Momentum swung back and forth as the Cougars outshot the Hitmen 20-7 in the second period only to see the Hitmen carry the play in the third period with a shot clock lead of 19-4.

On the night, Calgary outshot Prince George 39-25.  The Hitmen went 1-3 on the powerplay while killing all three Cougar chances.

Despite the shootout loss the Hitmen have now picked up a point in nine straight games going 6-0-1-2 in that span.

Overall Calgary leads the Western Hockey League Eastern Conference with 20 points holding a record of 9-3-1-2. 


Calgary Hitmen 3 at Prince George Cougars 4 (SO)
Friday, October 25, 2013 - CN Centre - Prince George, BC

Calgary 1 1 1 0 - 3
Prince George 2 1 0 0 - 4

1st Period
1, Prince George, Pochiro 5 (Harkins, Forsberg), 4:15.
2, Calgary, Draude 1 (Rissling, Mahon), 6:08.
3, Prince George, Witala 7 (Bourke), 15:41.
Penalties-No Penalties

2nd Period
4, Prince George, Witala 8 12:16.
5, Calgary, Brassart 8 (Helgesen, Jones), 14:24.
Penalties-Thrower Cal (interference), 3:37.

3rd Period
6, Calgary, Jones 5 (Fazleev, Virtanen), 16:27 (PP).
Penalties-Carvalho P.g (holding), 5:27; McNulty P.g (slashing), 11:17; Forsberg P.g (cross checking), 14:54; Virtanen Cal (high sticking), 17:12; Chase Cal (tripping), 19:43.

OT Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout
Calgary 1 (Brassart NG, Chase NG, Fazleev G, Virtanen NG),
Prince George 2 (Pochiro NG, Witala NG, Tkatch G, Soltes G).
Shots on Goal
Calgary 8-7-19-5-0-39. Prince George 8-20-4-2-1-35.
Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 1 / 3; Prince George 0 / 3.
Goalies
Calgary, Driedger 4-3-1-2 (34 shots-31 saves). Prince George, Edmonds 7-3-0-1 (39 shots-36 saves).
A-1,588
Referees-Kevin Bennett (29), Chris Crich (20).
Linesmen-Ryan Dawson (134), Korey Martens (41).

Hitmen rally for point in Vancouver but fall in OT

Tim Traber scored at 2:04 of overtime lifting the Vancouver Giants to a 4-3 win over the Calgary Hitmen Wednesday night at Pacific Coliseum.

The Giants used a strong first period to build a 3-0 lead on goals from Blake Orban, Alec Baer and Cain Franson.

Jake Virtanen got the Hitmen on the board in the second period scoring his eighth of the season and fifth goal in four games.

In the third period, Calgary completed the regulation comeback on goals from Elliott Peterson and Calder Brooks.  The tying goal from Brooks came with 5:31 remaining.

Calgary outshot Vancouver 35-33 with both teams going 0-4 on the powerplay.

Despite the overtime loss the Hitmen have now picked up a point in eight straight games going 6-0-1-1 in that span.

Overall Calgary leads the Western Hockey League Eastern Conference with 20 points holding a record of 9-3-1-1.  They also move into a tie for first overall with the Spokane Chiefs.

After a day off tomorrow, Calgary plays game three of their four game British Columbia road trip Friday in Prince George.  Radio Broadcast on Sportsnet 960 The Fan begins at 8 p.m.

Next Hitmen home game is Sunday, November 3rd against the Edmonton Oil Kings.  Game time is 4:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome. 

                                                       Photo Credit:  CJ Relke


Calgary Hitmen 3 at Vancouver Giants 4 (OT)
Wednesday, October 23, 2013 - Pacific Coliseum - Vancouver, BC

Calgary 0 1 2 0 - 3
Vancouver 3 0 0 1 - 4

1st Period
1, Vancouver, Orban 1 (McEvoy, Baer), 4:18.
2, Vancouver, Baer 3 (Morrison), 6:39.
3, Vancouver, Franson 1 (Baer), 19:21.
Penalties-Brassart Cal (cross checking), 1:31; Thomas Cal (holding), 14:31; Atwal Van (holding opp. stick), 16:48; Zgraggen Cal (hooking), 19:40.

2nd Period
4, Calgary, Virtanen 8 8:35.
Penalties-Zgraggen Cal (hooking), 10:25; Popoff Van (hooking), 14:16.

3rd Period
5, Calgary, Peterson 4 (Brooks), 4:57.
6, Calgary, Brooks 2 (Padakin, Zgraggen), 15:29.
Penalties-McEvoy Van (high sticking), 11:02; McEvoy Van (high sticking), 13:22.

OT Period
7, Vancouver, Traber 3 (Popoff, Atwal), 2:04.
Penalties-Brassart Cal (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 0:00; Thrower Van (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 0:00; Thrower Van (10-minute misconduct), 2:00.

Shots on Goal
Calgary 6-12-16-1-35. Vancouver 12-12-7-2-33.
Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 0 / 4; Vancouver 0 / 4.
Goalies
Calgary, Driedger 4-3-1-2 (33 shots-29 saves). Vancouver, Lee 3-7-1-0 (35 shots-32 saves).
A-4,108
Referees-Ryan Benbow (62), Steve Papp (17).
Linesmen-Michael Bean (148), Tim Digby (75).

Driedger backstops Hitmen to win in Kelowna

The WHL’s Eastern Conference leading Calgary Hitmen extended their winning streak to four games with a 2-1 victory over the Kelowna Rockets Tuesday night at Prospera Place.

Chris Driedger turned in a brilliant performance in goal making 38 saves, including 34 over the final two periods.

Zane Jones scored the game winning goal for Calgary with 65 seconds remaining to break a 1-1 tie.
Elliott Peterson also scored for the Hitmen, netting a shorthanded marker in the first period.

Kelowna outshot Calgary 39-21 with their lone goal, shorthanded, off the stick of Justin Kirkland in the second period.

The win improves the Hitmen record to 9-3-0-1 including a 6-0-0-1 mark in their last seven games.
Calgary plays game two of their four game British Columbia road trip tomorrow in Vancouver. 

Radio Broadcast on Sportsnet 960 The Fan begins at 8 p.m.

Next Hitmen home game is Sunday, November 3rd against the Edmonton Oil Kings.  Game time is 4:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome. 

                                                     Photo Credit:  Marissa Baecker

Calgary Hitmen 2 at Kelowna Rockets 1
Tuesday, October 22, 2013 - Prospera Place - Kelowna, BC

Calgary 1 0 1 - 2
Kelowna 0 1 0 - 1

1st Period
1, Calgary, Peterson 3 16:10 (SH). Penalties-Chase Cal (holding), 15:06.

2nd Period
2, Kelowna, Kirkland 2 (Olsen, Bowey), 11:27 (SH).
Penalties-Baillie Kel (tripping), 1:40; Severson Kel (hooking), 7:40; Merkley Kel (checking from behind), 11:06; Harmsworth Cal (tripping), 13:55; Brassart Cal (high sticking), 19:07; Bell Kel (boarding), 19:43.

3rd Period
3, Calgary, Jones 4 (Chase, Brassart), 18:55.
Penalties-Brassart Cal (roughing), 20:00; Rissling Cal (roughing), 20:00; Olsen Kel (roughing), 20:00; Stadel Kel (roughing), 20:00.

Shots on Goal
Calgary 7-4-10-21. Kelowna 4-18-17-39.
Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 0 / 4; Kelowna 0 / 3.
Goalies
Calgary, Driedger 4-3-1-2 (39 shots-38 saves). Kelowna, Whistle 1-2-0-0 (21 shots-19 saves).
A-4,674
Referees-Mike Campbell (89), Brett Iverson (24).
Linesmen-Dustin Minty (86), Ward Pateman (124).

Monday 21 October 2013

Hitmen reduce roster to 23 by trading Clayton to Saskatoon

From the Hitmen Office:

The Calgary Hitmen Hockey Club announced today that they have acquired a conditional fifth round pick in the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft from the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for forward Chase Clayton.

“Chase has been a consummate member of the organization since he began his WHL career with Calgary,” said Hitmen General Manager and Vice President, Business Operations Mike Moore.  “We would like to thank Chase for his time and wish him continued success with the Blades.”

Clayton, a native of Abbotsford, British Columbia, has appeared in 183 games over four seasons with
Calgary, recording 21 goals and 41 assists for 62 points along with 116 penalty minutes.  The 19-year-old centre, selected by the Hitmen in the first round, 22nd overall, in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft, has recorded five points (one goal, four assists) in 22 career playoff games. 

Photo Credit: Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen 

Hitmen double Hurricanes

Jake Virtanen scored three goals on three shots in the first period as the Calgary Hitmen beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes 6-3 Sunday evening at Scotiabank Saddledome.

The hat trick was the first of the young WHL career for Virtanen who achieved the mark in his 83rd career regular season game.

Brady Brassart scored twice for Calgary while Josh Thrower added an empty net goal to help vault the Hitmen to the top of the Eastern Conference Standings with 17 points.

Since starting the season 3-3, the Hitmen have gone on a 5-0-0-1 run.

Radel Fazleev and Kenton Helgesen both had a pair of goals for Calgary in a game played on pink ice in the annual Hitmen Fight Cancer Game.

Jersey's worn during the game will be sold in an online auction in the new year with proceeds going to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation  - Prairies/NWT Region.

                                        Photo Credit:  Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Lethbridge Hurricanes 3 at Calgary Hitmen 6
Sunday, October 20, 2013 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Lethbridge 1 1 1 - 3
Calgary 3 2 1 - 6

1st Period-1, Calgary, Virtanen 5 (Helgesen, Fazleev), 0:49. 2, Calgary, Virtanen 6 (Helgesen, Rissling), 5:14. 3, Lethbridge, Laurencelle 1 (Wong), 7:07. 4, Calgary, Virtanen 7 (Fazleev), 8:16. Penalties-Jones Cal (roughing), 12:25; Meyer Let (major-fighting), 16:11; Helgesen Cal (major-fighting), 16:11.

2nd Period-5, Calgary, Brassart 6 10:32. 6, Lethbridge, Pilon 3 (Ramsay, Blomqvist), 13:41 (PP). 7, Calgary, Brassart 7 (Chase, Jones), 19:17. Penalties-Thomas Cal (delay of game), 13:34; Harmsworth Cal (kneeing), 16:19; Pilon Let (roughing), 19:30.

3rd Period-8, Lethbridge, Estephan 3 (Erkamps, Duke), 17:12 (PP). 9, Calgary, Thrower 2 (Penner, Brooks), 18:17 (EN). Penalties-Thomas Cal (boarding), 15:42; Wong Let (boarding), 19:13.

Shots on Goal-Lethbridge 14-10-3-27. Calgary 9-17-16-42.
Power Play Opportunities-Lethbridge 2 / 4; Calgary 0 / 2.
Goalies-Lethbridge, Tai 0-2-0-0 (6 shots-3 saves); Boes 2-7-0-1 (35 shots-33 saves). Calgary, Shields 5-0-0-0 (27 shots-24 saves).
A-6,637
Referees-Jason Cramer (57), Derek Zalaski (8).
Linesmen-Reid Anderson (53), Aidan Henderson (78).

Hitmen rally to beat Rebels

The Calgary Hitmen scored four unanswered goals in a 5-2 win over the Red Deer Rebels Saturday night at Enmax Centrium.

Elliott Peterson paced the Hitmen attack scoring twice and setting up another for a team leading three points.

Jake Virtanen, Jaynen Rissling and Colby Harmsworth also scored for Calgary who trailed 2-1 after the first period.

For Harmsworth it was his first career goal in the Western Hockey League while Linden Penner drew an assist for his first career point.

Calgary won the special teams battle going 2-5 on the powerplay while killing all seven Rebels chances.

Chris Driedger made 25 saves to pick up the victory in goal.

The win improves the Hitmen record to 7-3-0-1 including a 4-0-0-1 mark in their last five games.

Calgary Hitmen 5 at Red Deer Rebels 2
Saturday, October 19, 2013 - Enmax Centrium - Red Deer, AB

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

1st Period
1, Red Deer, Bleackley 7 9:46.
2, Calgary, Virtanen 4 (Thrower, Fazleev), 14:07.
3, Red Deer, Volek 3 (Bleackley, Bellerive), 18:38.
Penalties-Chase Cal (high sticking), 0:34; Thomas Cal (major-fighting), 8:56; Bear R.d (major-fighting), 8:56; Gaudet R.d (interference), 12:04; Brassart Cal (holding), 15:12.

2nd Period
4, Calgary, Rissling 4 (Fazleev, Thomas), 1:29 (PP).
5, Calgary, Harmsworth 1 (Penner, Peterson), 10:59.
6, Calgary, Peterson 1 (Brassart, Zgraggen), 17:08 (PP).
Penalties-Doetzel R.d (tripping), 0:37; Thomas Cal (closing hand on puck), 6:25; Bear R.d (tripping), 11:18; Johnson R.d (high sticking, high sticking), 14:24; Helgesen Cal (slashing), 15:56; Sutter R.d (roughing), 15:56; Harmsworth Cal (hooking), 17:16.

3rd Period
7, Calgary, Peterson 2 17:58 (SH EN).
Penalties-Virtanen Cal (hooking), 1:11; served by Cal (too many men), 14:26; Helgesen Cal (roughing), 17:43.

Shots on Goal
Calgary 20-16-10-46. Red Deer 8-4-15-27.
Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 2 / 5; Red Deer 0 / 7.
Goalies-Calgary, Driedger 3-3-0-1 (27 shots-25 saves). Red Deer, Bartosak 5-6-0-0 (45 shots-41 saves).
A-5,239
Referees-Reagan Vetter (39), Chad Williams (60).
Linesmen-Chad Huseby (59), Cody Huseby (88).

Saturday 19 October 2013

"Hitmen Fight Cancer" continues for fifth season

From the Hitmen Office:

Calgary, AB - The Calgary Hitmen Hockey Club, in partnership with Canada Diagnostic Centres, proudly continues the fifth annual Hitmen Fight Cancer campaign in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Prairies/NWT Region (CBCF). 

The club initiative will raise funds for breast cancer research grants and community health projects including prevention and education, screening, diagnosis, treatment and care.

During the Hitmen Fight Cancer game on Sunday, October 20 versus the Lethbridge Hurricanes, the Calgary Hitmen will wear pink-themed third jerseys while skating on pink-coloured ice at the Scotiabank Saddledome (4 p.m., SN960). These third jerseys will be worn for several games during the 2013-14 regular season with fans having the opportunity to bid on the game-worn jerseys starting on Sunday, January 26. 

Proceeds from the online jersey auction, closing on Sunday, February 9, will be directed to the CBCF. 

In addition, 50/50 proceeds and on-site donations from the Hitmen Fight Cancer game will support the cause.

Fans are encouraged to help the team ‘Pink the Rink’ on Sunday by wearing pink attire to support the campaign. Single game day tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations and the Scotiabank Saddledome box office.  Order online at www.ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 1-855-985-5000.

In four years, the Calgary Hitmen with the support of their partners, players, staff and fans have raised over $71,900 through the club’s Hitmen Fight Cancer initiatives.