Hitmen win Home Opener

Greg Chase scored a pair of second period goals 4:16 apart to break a 1-1 as the Calgary Hitmen beat Red Deer 4-1 in their home opener Saturday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Chase, an Edmonton Oilers prospect, is off to a hot start with four goals in two games.

"We were very disciplined, we moved out feet, we worked hard, we blocked shots, we got traffic around Bartosak, we did all the little things we didn't do last Friday in the loss to Edmonton," said Chase post game.

                                            Photo Credit: Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Ben Thomas and Pavlo Padakin also scored for Calgary.  For Thomas it was his first career goal in the WHL coming in just his ninth game.

The Hitmen carried the bulk of the play out shooting Red Deer 35-13.

With the win Calgary improves to 1-1 while the Rebels fall to 3-1.

The Hitmen begin a busy stretch of 14 games in 25 days Wednesday in Lethbridge against the Hurricanes.

GAME NOTES:  Red Deer's Lukas Sutter and Calgary's Calder Brooks both left the game with apparent injuries and did not return....Hitmen defenceman Kenton Helgesen played forward again setting up one of the Chase goals and now has three assists in two games to start the season...Calgary's Brady Brassart (AHL Tryout) and Red Deer's Matthew Dumba (Minnesota Wild) were among the scratches who both teams could get back at some point yet this season.

Red Deer Rebels 1 at Calgary Hitmen 4
Saturday, September 28, 2013 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

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

1st Period
1, Calgary, Thomas 1 (Brooks, Zgraggen), 10:52 (PP).
Penalties-Bear R.d (hooking), 9:38; Bellerive R.d (inter. on goaltender), 10:52; Doetzel R.d (high sticking, high sticking), 15:21.

2nd Period
2, Red Deer, Pawlenchuk 3 (Johnson, Bleackley), 3:52 (PP).
3, Calgary, Chase 3 10:59.
4, Calgary, Chase 4 (Helgesen, Peterson), 14:15.
Penalties-Helgesen Cal (closing hand on puck), 1:28; Lang Cal (interference), 2:12; Gaudet R.d (roughing), 10:56; Padakin Cal (roughing), 10:56; Bleackley R.d (charging), 18:38; Jones Cal (roughing), 18:43.

3rd Period
5, Calgary, Padakin 1 (Harmsworth, Thomas), 8:39.
Penalties-Dixon R.d (major-fighting), 3:17; Rissling Cal (major-fighting), 3:17; Musil R.d (hooking), 3:52; Musil R.d (roughing), 7:12; Virtanen Cal (roughing), 7:12; Musil R.d (tripping), 16:50; Bellerive R.d (major-fighting), 19:10; Padakin Cal (major-fighting), 19:10.

Shots on Goal
Red Deer 3-4-6-13. Calgary 14-7-14-35.
Power Play Opportunities
Red Deer 1 / 3; Calgary 1 / 7.
Goalies
Red Deer, Bartosak 2-1-0-0 (35 shots-31 saves). Calgary, Driedger 1-1-0-0 (13 shots-12 saves).
A-9,752
Referees-Tyler Adair (58), Jason Cramer (57).
Linesmen-Reid Anderson (53), Shaun Davis.