Saturday 31 December 2011

Calgary 6 Kamloops 3

The Calgary Hitmen got goals from six different players en-route to a 6-3 win over the Canadian Hockey League’s number seven ranked Kamloops Blazers Friday night at Interior Savings Centre.

After giving up the opening goal, the Hitmen scored five answered building period leads of 3-1 and 5-1.

Jake Virtanen, Collin Bowman, Calder Brooks, Brooks Macek, Jimmy Bubnick and Alex Gogolev all scored for Calgary. 

For Virtanen it was his first goal in the Western Hockey League in just his second game while Bubnick scored on a night when he played his 300th regular season game. 

Both Bowman and Brooks chipped in a pair of assists to finish with three points each. 

Kamloops outshot the Hitmen 32-29 with Brandon Glover making 29 saves in the win.

Calgary, 18-16-2-1 on the season moves two points ahead of Red Deer for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. 

The Hitmen, now 1-1 on their five game BC road trip, return to action on New Year’s Day in Kelowna for a matinee against the Rockets.

Calgary Hitmen 6 at Kamloops Blazers 3
Friday, December 30, 2011 - Interior Savings Centre - Kamloops, BC

Calgary 3 2 1 - 6
Kamloops 1 0 2 - 3

1st Period
1, Kamloops, Madaisky 9 (Willick, Schaber), 5:40 (PP).
2, Calgary, Virtanen 1 (Brooks, Bowman), 11:50.
3, Calgary, Rissling 3 (Bowman, Brooks), 12:35.
4, Calgary, Brooks 3 (Brassart, Clayton), 19:46 (PP).
Penalties-Clayton Cal (tripping), 5:25; Bowman Cal (roughing), 6:37; Madaisky Kam (roughing), 6:37; Schaber Kam (hooking), 7:19; Rissling Cal (interference), 13:03; Maschmeyer Kam (hooking), 18:57; Bowman Cal (roughing), 19:46.

2nd Period
5, Calgary, Macek 8 (Clayton, Brassart), 6:15 (PP).
6, Calgary, Bubnick 14 (Bowman, Gayle), 13:47 (PP).
Penalties-Ranford Kam (checking to the head), 5:09; Trzonkowski Cal (roughing), 7:44; Hansen Kam (roughing), 12:22; Maschmeyer Kam (interference), 14:39; Gayle Cal (slashing), 16:56; Rissling Cal (elbowing), 18:49.

3rd Period
7, Kamloops, Bozon 17 (Lipon, Smith), 0:53.
8, Kamloops, Thomson 1 (Bozon, Madaisky), 7:27 (PP).
9, Calgary, Gogolev 14   9:09.
Penalties-Kosterman Cal (holding), 2:17; Brassart Cal (embellishment), 6:49; Ranford Kam (hooking), 10:30; Trzonkowski Cal (checking to the head), 12:56; Brassart Cal (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 13:58; Schaber Kam (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 13:58; Roach Cal (10-minute misconduct), 16:35; Ranford Kam (10-minute misconduct), 16:35; Souto Kam (inter. on goaltender), 16:35; Lipon Kam (interference), 17:40; Sylvester Cal (cross checking), 18:48; Bell Kam (cross checking), 18:48.

Shots on Goal-Calgary 10-11-8-29. Kamloops 9-6-17-32.
Power Play Opportunities-Calgary 3 / 8; Kamloops 2 / 9.
Goalies-Calgary, Glover 9-8-0-0 (32 shots-29 saves). Kamloops, Lanigan 7-4-0-0 (10 shots-7 saves); Cheveldave 17-5-1-2 (19 shots-16 saves).
A-4,013
Referees-Nick Swaine (35), Colby Smith (57).
Linesmen-Ryan Dawson (134), Michael Boisvert (111).

Friday 30 December 2011

Calgary at Kamloops

The Calgary Hitmen (17-16-2-1) play game two of a five-game BC Division road trip tonight in Kamloops against the Canadian Hockey League's number seven ranked Blazers (25-9-1-2).  Internet Broadcast on http://www.sportsnet960.com/ starts at 8pm MST.  The Hitmen opened the swing Wednesday with a 3-1 loss in Prince George.   The Cougars got a 37 save performance from Drew Owsley and scored once in each period en-route to victory.  Kamloops also last played Wednesday night skating to a 3-1 home ice win over Vancouver.  The Blazers scored once in each period and out shot the Giants 34-19.

Calgary enters tonight tied with Red Deer for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth after the Rebels win over Kootenay last night.  Both teams with 37 points sit four points back of the Saskatoon Blades for seventh.  The Hitmen have a game in hand on both clubs.  Kamloops meanwhile leads the BC Division with 53 points.  They are number two in the Western Conference, three points back of the front running Tri-City Americans.

Heading into tonight Calgary is winless in their last four (0-3-1-0), while Kamloops is without a regulation loss over their last five (3-0-0-2).

The Hitmen are winless in their last five road games (0-4-1-0) but 9-9-2-0 overall away from the 'Dome this season.  The Blazers have won six straight at home posting an overall record of 13-5-0-0 at Interior Savings Centre.

VS. KAMLOOPS:  Tonight is the first of two meetings with the Blazers.  Last season they met three times with Calgary going 0-2-1-0 against Kamloops.  Their lone meeting in Kamloops saw the Blazers post a 3-2 OT win on January 4th.  Brendan Ranford netted the overtime winner as the Blazers out shot the Hitmen 33-19.

300 CLUB LOOMING:  Former Kamloops Blazer Jimmy Bubnick will play his 300th career regular season game tonight.  Through the first 299 WHL contests, Bubnick has collected 194 points (86g 108a).  Bubnick played his first game on December 29, 2006 when he suited up for the Kamloops Blazers against the Moose Jaw Warriors.  He picked up an assist in the 5-4 overtime win.

Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 14g 24a 38pts
Victor Rask 16g 13a 29pts
Jimmy Bubnick 13g 16a 29pts

Kamloops
Brendan Ranford 19g 25a 45pts
Colin Smith 19g 22a 41pts
JC Lipon 13g 24a 37pts

DO YOU REMEMBER?  Former Hitmen Austin Madaisky and Chase Schaber were traded to Kamloops in a January 2010 trade deadline deal that saw the Hitmen acquire Jimmy Bubnick, Tyler Shattock and Zak Stebner.  A pair of conditional draft picks also changed hands.  Madaisky is the Blazers top scoring defenceman this season with 28 points, while Schaber is fifth in team scoring with 30 points.

STREAKS:  Victor Rask (1g, 4a) is on a four-game point streak.  Cody Sylvester (1g 1a) has points in back-to-back games.  Trevor Cheek (3g 3a) had his four game point streak snapped Wednesday in Prince George.

WORLD JUNIORS:  Rookie Victor Rask is playing for Team Sweden at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Calgary and Edmonton.  This is the 13th straight year a Hitmen player has been part of this prestigious tournament.  Sweden is 2-0 and will play Slovakia today.  Rask has an assist thus far.

TEAM PACIFIC:  Greg Chase, the only 16-year-old rookie on the team this season, is on Team Pacific at 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Windsor, Ontario.  Team Pacific opened with a 5-2 win over Team West yesterday but Chase was held off the score sheet.  Team Pacific plays the Czech Republic today.  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.

 

Wednesday 28 December 2011

Prince George 3 Calgary 1

Prince George, BC – Drew Owsley made 37 saves to back stop the Prince George Cougars to a 3-1 win over the visiting Calgary Hitmen Wednesday night at CN Centre.

Troy Bourke, John Odgers and Austin Daae all scored for Prince George who built period leads of 1-0 and 2-1.

Cody Sylvester, with his 14th goal of the season, scored the lone Calgary marker as the Hitmen opened a five road trip through the BC Division.

Calgary’s top pick, and the number one overall selection in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft, Jake Virtanen made his regular season debut.  The 15-year-old was summoned from the Fraser Valley Bruins where he leads the BC Major Midget team in scoring with 33 points in 24 games.
 
Calgary, 17-16-2-1 on the season, will return to action Friday night in Kamloops against the BC Division leading Blazers.

Internet Broadcast on sportsnet960.ca starts at 8:00 p.m. MST.

Calgary Hitmen 1 at Prince George Cougars 3
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 - CN Centre - Prince George, BC

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

1st Period
1, Prince George, Bourke 9 (Fraser, Asuchak), 9:25.
Penalties-Asuchak P.g (hooking), 2:53; Cheek Cal (roughing), 4:29; Forsberg P.g (tripping), 4:29; Smith P.G. (roughing), 4:29; Brassart Cal (hooking), 6:17; Rissling Cal (interference), 11:19; Brassart Cal (embellishment), 19:00; Smith P.g (roughing), 19:00.

2nd Period
2, Calgary, Sylvester 14 (Bubnick), 14:56.
3, Prince George, Odgers 1 (Smith), 17:52.
Penalties-Rissling Cal (tripping), 0:56; Cheek Cal (roughing), 8:26; Carlson P.g (roughing), 8:26; Brassart Cal (holding), 15:35.

3rd Period
4, Prince George, Daae 1 (Belter, Carlson), 9:41.
Penalties-Virtanen Cal (roughing), 7:51; Fraser P.g (roughing), 7:51; Rissling Cal (roughing), 10:33; Elynuik P.g (roughing), 10:33; Springer P.g (roughing), 10:33; Smith P.g (tripping), 13:41.

Shots on Goal-Calgary 14-11-13-38. Prince George 13-9-8-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Calgary 0 / 4; Prince George 0 / 4.
Goalies-Calgary, Glover 8-8-0-0 (30 shots-27 saves). Prince George, Owsley 12-18-0-1 (38 shots-37 saves).
A-2,532
Referees-Jon Stephenson (38), Colin Watt (72).
Linesmen-Adam Hyatt (16), Alex Teichroeb (120).

Calgary at Prince George

The Calgary Hitmen (17-15-2-1) open a five game in eight days BC Division road trip tonight in Prince George against the Cougars (12-20-0-2).  Radio Broadcast on Sportsnet960 The Fan will be joined in progress following coverage of Team Canada at the World Juniors.  Internet Broadcast on fan960.com starts at 8:00 p.m. MST.  It's the first of two meetings between the two clubs this season as PG will make a return trip to Scotiabank Saddledome on January 20th.  The Hitmen skated last night in Prince George as a team for the first time since their final game prior to the break on December 17th in Edmonton.  They also hit the ice today for a morning skate.

As I mentioned on the blog yesterday, Jake Virtanen will play his first regular season game for the Hitmen this season.  The 15-year-old first overall bantam pick in 2011 has been summoned from the BC Major Midget League's Fraser Valley Bruins.

There are a few line-up notes for both teams.  For the Hitmen both Victor Rask (Team Sweden 2012 World Juniors) and Greg Chase (Team Pacific 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge) will miss the game and presumably most of the road trip at International tournaments while defenceman Spencer Humphries is out three weeks with an upper body injury.  For Prince George Martin Marincin (Team Slovakia 2012 World Juniors) and four others Jarrett Fontaine (Team West), Alex Forsberg (Team West), Jordan Tkatch (Team West) and Chase Witala (Team Pacific) are all at the 2012 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.

Calgary holds the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot with 37 points, two points ahead of Red Deer and four points back of both Saskatoon and Regina.  Prince George meanwhile with 26 points is ninth in the 10 team Western Conference, three points back of Seattle for a playoff berth.

The Hitmen are 9-8-2-0 on the road this season, while the Cougars are 3-11-0-1 on home ice.

Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 13g 24a 37pts
Victor Rask 16g 13a 29pts
Jimmy Bubnick 13g 15a 28pts

Prince George
Alex Forsberg 11g 15g 26pts
Troy Bourke 8g 17a 25pts
Cody Carlson 4g 20a 24pts
  
This is just one of many impressive Cougar Alumni tributes found on the concourse in the CN Centre.  Hamhuis, as many of you know, now stars with the Vancouver Canucks.

One final note a good read on three Hitmen prospects courtesy of the Calgary Sun can be found here.  Click here to read

Tuesday 27 December 2011

Virtanen gets the call

The number one overall pick in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft will make his Calgary Hitmen debut tomorrow night when the club begins its post Christmas schedule in Prince George against the Cougars.

15-year-old Jake Virtanen will wear #18 in his Hitmen regular season debut.  The speedy forward from Abbotsford, BC had two points (1g 1a) in two pre-season games.

This season Virtanen 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.  He's also tied for ninth in overall league scoring.


Virtanen has already been named to the 2012 Major Midget League All Star Game that will be played on January 13.  Some notable BC Major Midget League graduates who have competed in the All Star Game include:

•Griffin Reinhart of the Edmonton Oil Kings (Team Blue 2010)
•Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Edmonton Oilers (Team White 2009)
•Brett Connolly of the Tampa Bay Lightning (Team White 2008)
•Evander Kane of the Winnipeg Jets (Team White 2007)

Hitmen well represented at the Mac's Tournament

There are eight Calgary Hitmen prospects playing in 34th annual Mac’s Midget AAA Hockey Tournament.

The list includes four Hitmen picks from the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft, including three of the club’s top four selections.

Games in the prestigious Calgary tournament began Boxing Day at four different arenas around the city with the final set for 6:00 p.m. on New Year’s Day at Scotiabank Saddledome.

To track the scores click here.

Below is the complete list of participating Hitmen Prospects.

Beardy’s Blackhawks (3)
Brett Boehm (1994 Forward)
How acquired: Protected list addition
Braden Oleksyn (1996 Forward)
How acquired: 3rd round pick in 2011 WHL Bantam Draft
Elliott Peterson (1995 Forward) 
How acquired: 11th round pick in 2010 WHL Bantam Draft

Calgary Northstars (1)
Ben Thomas (1996 Defenceman)
How acquired: 3rd round pick in 2011 WHL Bantam Draft  

Prince Albert Mintos (1)
Ryan Duret (1996 Forward)
How acquired: 6th round pick in 2011 WHL Bantam Draft  

Saskatoon Contacts (1)
Austin Calladine (1995 Forward)
How acquired: 2nd round pick in 2010 WHL Bantam Draft  

Vancouver NE Chiefs (1)
Jace Hennig (1995 Forward)
Protected list addition  

Vancouver NW Giants (1)
Josh Thrower (1996 Defenceman)
How acquired: 2nd round pick in 2011 WHL Bantam Draft  

**Two additional Hitmen prospects on the Saskatoon Contacts, defenceman Colby Harmsworth and goalie Mac Shields, are both attending the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and are unavailable for the Mac’s Tournament.**

Edmonton 2 Calgary 1

Edmonton, AB – T.J. Foster broke a 1-1 second period tie scoring on the powerplay lifting the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 2-1 win over the Calgary Hitmen Saturday night at Rexall Place.

The win was Edmonton’s 15th straight on home ice.

Alex Gogolev opened the scoring for Calgary counting his 13th of the season but Mitchell Moroz drew Edmonton even scoring with just 13.9 seconds left in the opening period.

Both goaltenders were excellent in net.  Brandon Glover made 31 saves for the Hitmen in a second star performance while Laurent Brossoit stopped 21 shots for Edmonton including a pair of breakaways to earn first star honours.

Calgary, 17-15-2-1 on the season, will now enjoy a 10 day Christmas Break before starting a five game BC road trip December 28th in Prince George against the Cougars.

The Hitmen head into the break holding the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with 37 points.

Calgary Hitmen 1 at Edmonton Oil Kings 2Saturday, December 17, 2011 - Rexall Place - Edmonton, AB

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

1st Period
1, Calgary, Gogolev 13 (Sylvester, Chase), 7:16 (PP).
2, Edmonton, Moroz 5 (Corbett), 19:46.
Penalties-Chase Cal (holding), 0:43; Pelss Edm (hooking), 6:00; Lowe Edm (tripping), 6:08; Sautner Edm (cross checking), 10:05.

2nd Period
3, Edmonton, Foster 16 (Corbett, Lazar), 13:58 (PP).
Penalties-Pelss Edm (checking from behind), 4:54; Dech Edm (interference), 8:39; Pelss Edm (hooking), 9:10; Chase Cal (roughing), 11:48; Rissling Cal (holding), 11:48; Legault Edm (roughing), 11:48; Sylvester Cal (cross checking), 12:45; Peddle Edm (tripping), 15:42; Wruck Edm (interference), 18:27.

3rd Period-
No Scoring.
Penalties-Trzonkowski Cal (major-fighting), 2:32; Dech Edm (major-fighting), 2:32; Chase Cal (interference), 4:08; Kornelsen Cal (roughing), 4:08; Lowe Edm (roughing), 4:08; Moroz Edm (roughing), 4:08; Roach Cal (cross checking), 8:06; Rissling Cal (high sticking), 10:38; Trzonkowski Cal (tripping), 17:19; Sutherland Cal (roughing), 18:37.

Shots on Goal-Calgary 13-7-2-22. Edmonton 9-11-13-33.
Power Play Opportunities-Calgary 1 / 8; Edmonton 1 / 7.
Goalies-Calgary, Glover 8-7-0-0 (33 shots-31 saves). Edmonton, Brossoit 20-8-1-1 (22 shots-21 saves).
A-10,166
Referees-Jonathan Spurgeon (7), Jon Stephenson (38).
Linesmen-Scott Fulmer (32), Greg Chornohus (127).

Saturday 17 December 2011

Calgary at Edmonton

Calgary Hitmen (17-14-2-1) play their final game before the Christmas Break tonight on the road in Edmonton against the Oil Kings (22-8-1-2).  Radio Broadcast on Sportsnet 960 starts at 7:00 p.m.  It's also the Oil Kings teddy bear toss.  The Hitmen are coming off last night's 3-2 home ice loss to Regina, a game in which they out shot the Pats 34-16.  Edmonton last played Wednesday posting a 6-3 home ice win over the Victoria Royals. 

Calgary sits in the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot with 37 points, four points ahead of ninth place Red Deer.  Edmonton meanwhile has won 10 straight, including 14 in a row on home ice to climb to the top of the Eastern Conference with 47 points, a point up on second place Moose Jaw.
                                        Photo Credit: whl.ca  Click photo to enlarge


A couple of line-up notes for both teams heading into the game.  Calgary will be without the services of forward Brady Brassart.  He's been suspended for a match penalty he received towards the end of last nights game against the Pats.  Victor Rask will also miss the game.  He's joined team Sweden in preparation for the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship.  Edmonton will be without Buffalo Sabres first round pick Mark Pysyk.  The defenceman is with Team Canada's World Junior Entry.

Tonight is the third of six regular season meetings between the two clubs.  Edmonton has won both by a combined score of 12-3.  Tyler Maxwell (2g 2a) and Dylan Wruck (1g 3a) both have four points to lead the Oil Kings against Calgary while Flames pick Laurent Brossoit has stopped 46 of the 49 Hitmen shots.  Trevor Cheek (1g 1a), Cody Sylvester (1g 1a) and Greg Chase (2a) all have two points each to lead Calgary in the season series. 
-Dec. 1 in Edm: Oil Kings 6 Hitmen 1
-Dec. 6 in Edm: Oil Kings 6 Hitmen 2
                 INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on goal: Edm 50 Cal 49  Powerplays: Edm 4-10 Cal 1-9

Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester (13g 23a 36pts)
Victor Rask (16g 13a 29pts)
Jimmy Bubnick (13g 15a 28pts)

Edmonton
Michael St. Croix (18g 32a 50pts)
Dylan Wruck (12g 31a 43pts)
T.J. Foster (15g 21a 36pts)

Regina 3 Calgary 2

Matt Hewitt made 32 saves in a first star performance as the visiting Regina Pats edged the Calgary Hitmen 3-2 Friday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.

The Hitmen built a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes on a goal from Trevor Cheek outshooting Regina 11-4 in the process.

In the second period Jordan Weal scored and Lane Scheidl scored back-to-back goals to give the Pats the lead.  Regina then extended the lead to 3-1 on the eventual game winner from Matt Marantz 6:38 into the third period.

Victor Rask with his team leading 16th goal of the season would pull the Hitmen to within a goal on a two man advantage with just under eight minutes remaining but Calgary would get no closer thanks to Hewitt's work in the Pats net.

The 19-year-old puck stopped made two brilliant saves in the final 15 seconds, one off Brooks Macek and a second off Alex Gogolev to preserve the win.

Regina moves two points ahead of Calgary in the battle for seventh in the Eastern Conference.

Regina Pats 3 at Calgary Hitmen 2
Friday, December 16, 2011 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

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

1st Period
1, Calgary, Cheek 12 (Clayton, Brooks), 8:37.
Penalties-Scheidl Reg (hooking), 1:36; Jobke Reg (hooking), 19:28.

2nd Period
2, Regina, Weal 18 (Stephenson), 6:51.
3, Regina, Scheidl 11 (Blidstrand, Marantz), 17:18.
Penalties-Bidlevskii Reg (roughing), 3:42; Gogolev Cal (hooking), 9:59; Bowman Cal (charging), 12:21.

3rd Period
4, Regina, Marantz 5 (Weal, Stevenson), 6:38 (PP).
5, Calgary, Rask 16 (Bubnick, Bowman), 11:19 (PP).
Penalties-Blidstrand Reg (high sticking), 0:12; Cheek Cal (cross checking), 2:01; Kornelsen Cal (tripping), 5:36; Klimchuk Reg (slashing), 10:18; Kirkland Reg (high sticking), 11:03; Macek Cal (hooking), 14:25; Brassart Cal (match-attempt/injure), 18:05; Davidson Reg (hooking), 19:50.

Shots on Goal-Regina 4-6-6-16. Calgary 11-8-15-34.
Power Play Opportunities-Regina 1 / 6; Calgary 1 / 6.
Goalies-Regina, Hewitt 16-10-1-1 (34 shots-32 saves). Calgary, Glover 8-5-0-0 (16 shots-13 saves).
A-7,963
Referees-Steve Papp (17), Sean Raphael (28).
Linesmen-Jeff Jobson (52), Scott Sharun (103).

Friday 16 December 2011

Regina at Calgary

The Calgary Hitmen (17-13-2-1) play their final home game of 2011 tonight as they host the Regina Pats (17-14-2-1).  The game has been moved back an hour from it's original schedule to 8:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome.  However doors will open at 6:00 p.m. with fans encouraged to come early to watch the Calgary Flames at Florida Panthers game on the Energy Board prior to puck drop.  Also bring your signs as tonight's game is televised on Rogers Sportsnet West, Pacific and ONE as part of Friday Night Hockey.  The Hitmen and Pats broadcast will be joined in progress following the Flames game.  Tonight is Student Night.  Show your student I-D at the Scotiabank Saddledome main ticket office to receive a special ticket rate of $8.  Ticketmaster fees may apply.
                                                   Click image to enlarge
Both the Hitmen and Pats are coming off overtime losses on Wednesday night.  Calgary fell 6-5 in Lethbridge wile Regina dropped a 3-2 home ice decision to Kelowna. 

There's also not much to pick between the two in the overall WHL Standings as the Hitmen and Pats are tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference with 37 points.

Tonight is their fourth and final regular season meeting.  The Hitmen are 2-0-0-1 in the season series, led by Victor Rask (2g 2a) and Books Macek (1g 3a) who both have four points.  Jodan Weal (2g 2a) has four points to top the Pats.
-Oct. 12 in Calgary: Pats 4 Hitmen 3 in a shootout.
-Oct. 20 in Regina: Hitmen 3 Pats 1.
-Nov. 5 in Regina: Hitmen 3 Pats 2
                INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on goal: Cal 87 Reg 76 Powerplays: Cal 4/17 Reg 2/15

STREAKIN': Five Hitmen take points streaks into tonight: Victor Rask (4a) and Collin Bowman (1g 2a) both have points in three straight (1g 2a) while Trevor Cheek (2g 2a), Brady Brassart (3g 1a) and Alex Gogolev (1g 1a) all have points in back-to-back games.  For Regina Jodan Weal (3g 2a) and Dominik Volek (2a) both have points in two straight.  Weal has been a model of consistency for the Pats with at least a point in 28 of their 34 games this season.  He is currently eighth in the WHL scoring race.

DID YOU KNOW?  The Hitmen are 13-3-1-1 against teams from the East Division....Calgary has fired a season high 47 shots twice but have lost both games...Tonight's game is the ninth game in 15 nights for the Pats. 

CHL TOP PROSPECTS:  Invites went out yesterday for the 2012 Home Hardware CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.  Two members of the Pats will play in the game February 1st in Kelowna...Dominik Volek and Chandler Stephenson.

Top Scorers:

Calgary:
Cody Sylvester 13g 23a 36pts
Victor Rask 15g 13a 28pts
Jimmy Bubnick 13g 14a 27pts

Regina:
Jordan Weal 17g 32a 49pts
Chandler Stephenson 14g 12a 26pts
Brandon Davidson 8g 18a 26pts


Wednesday 14 December 2011

Lethbridge 6 Calgary 5 OT

Lethbridge, AB – Graham Hood scored his second goal of the game just 21 seconds into overtime lifting the Lethbridge Hurricanes to a 6-5 win over the Calgary Hitmen Wednesday night at Enmax Centre.

The Hitmen had erased a 4-2 third period deficit to pull ahead 5-4 in the final five minutes before Cam Braes forced sudden death for Lethbridge scoring with 25 seconds left to complete his hat trick.

Brady Brassart scored a pair of goals for Calgary while Jimmy Bubnick, Kenton Helgesen and Cody Sylvester added singles.  Victor Rask and Trevor Cheek both chipped in three assists.

Hurricanes goaltender Damien Ketlo made 42 saves as the Hitmen tied a season high with 47 shots on goal.

Calgary, 17-13-2-1 on the season, returns to Scotiabank Saddledome Friday to host the Regina Pats in their final home game before the Christmas Break.  The game was originally scheduled for 7:00 pm but is now an 8:00 pm start.

The Hitmen and Pats are currently tied for seventh spot in the Eastern Conference with 37 points.

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

                                    Photo Credit: CanesCast  Click picture to enlarge

Calgary Hitmen 5 at Lethbridge Hurricanes 6 (OT) - Status: Final OT
Wednesday, December 14, 2011 - Enmax Centre - Lethbridge, AB

Calgary 2 0 3 0 - 5
Lethbridge 3 1 1 1 - 6

1st Period
1, Lethbridge, Braes 17 (Johnston, Merkley), 3:07 (PP).
2, Lethbridge, Braes 18 (Erkamps, Oslanski), 4:33 (PP).
3, Calgary, Brassart 10 (Rask, Rissling), 8:55.
4, Lethbridge, Yakubowski 7 (Maxwell), 13:13.
5, Calgary, Bubnick 13 (Sylvester, Cheek), 19:35 (PP).
Penalties-Roach Cal (cross checking), 1:58; Cheek Cal (delay of game), 2:48; Trzonkowski Cal (roughing), 7:43; Galbraith Let (roughing), 7:43; Braes Let (slashing), 18:29.

2nd Period
6, Lethbridge, Hood 5 (Sutter), 1:26.
Penalties-Rissling Cal (slashing), 4:41; Roach Cal (high sticking), 9:33; Buonassisi Let (checking to the head), 19:52.

3rd Period
7, Calgary, Brassart 11 (Rask, Bowman), 0:16 (PP).
8, Calgary, Helgesen 2 (Cheek, Sylvester), 7:13.
9, Calgary, Sylvester 13 (Gogolev, Roach), 15:13.
10, Lethbridge, Braes 19 (Buonassisi, Bezuch), 19:35.
Penalties-No Penalties

OT Period
11, Lethbridge, Hood 6 (Johnston, Sutter), 0:21.
Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Calgary 19-16-12-0-47. Lethbridge 13-8-6-1-28.
Power Play Opportunities-Calgary 2 / 2; Lethbridge 2 / 4.
Goalies-Calgary, Driedger 9-7-2-1 (28 shots-22 saves). Lethbridge, Ketlo 8-9-0-0 (47 shots-42 saves).
A-2,852
Referees-Derek Zalaski (8).
Linesmen-Michael Roberts (87), Matt Schoenroth (21).

Calgary at Lethbridge

The Calgary Hitmen (17-13-1-1) visit the Lethbridge Hurricanes (11-22-0-1) tonight in a Central Division match up.  Radio Broadcast on Sportnet960 The Fan starts at 7:00 p.m.  The Hitmen have won two straight and are coming off Sunday's 4-3 home ice win over the Brandon Wheat Kings.  The Hurricanes enter tonight playing their best hockey of the season having won eight of their last 12 including their last outing, a 4-2 win in Vancouver on Saturday.

Tonight is the third of six regular season meetings between the two teams.  The season series is tied 1-1 with the home team a perfect 2-0 so far.  Alex Gogolev leads Calgary with (3g 3a) six points against Lethbridge while Jay Merkley (2g 1a), Brody Sutter (2g 1a) and Cam Braes (1g 2a) all have three points against the Hitmen. 
-Sept. 30 in Lethbridge:  Hurricanes 6 Hitmen 5.  Jay Merkley 2g 1a.
-Nov. 13 in Calgary:  Hitmen 6 Hurricanes 2.  Alex Gogolev 2g 2a.
                                  INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on goal: Leth 78 Cal 66  Powerplays: Cal 4/9 Leth 2/8

Calgary enters the contest tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference with Regina at 36 points.  Lethbridge is 12th with 23 points.  The Hitmen are 9-7-1-0 in enemy buildings while the Hurricanes are 7-11-0-0 on home ice.

STREAKIN':  Three Hitmen have points in back-to-back games: Collin Bowman (1g 1a), Victor Rask (2a) and Greg Chase (2a).  Peter Kosterman is +4 in his last five games.  For Lethbridge Cam Braes is red hot taking a nine game point streak into tonight (9g 5a).  Russell Maxwell (2g 1a) and Jaimen Yakubowski (3g) both have points in back-to-back games.


Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 12g 21a 33pts
Victor Rask 15g 11a 26pts
Jimmy Bubnick 12g 14a 26pts

Lethbridge
Cam Braes 16g 16a 32pts
Brody Sutter 14g 10a 24pts
Nick Buonassisi 10g 12a 22pts

HITMEN ALUMNUS:  Brandon Kozun is in the AHL with the Manchester Monarchs.  The 21-year-old right winger has 12 points (7g 5a) in 26 games.  The Los Angeles Kings prospect also has 45 shots on goal.

GAME TIME CHANGE:  A reminder Friday's Hitmen home game against the Regina Pats has been pushed back one hour.  It's now an 8:00 p.m. start at Scotiabank Saddledome.

GAME WORN JERSEY AUCTION:  Game Worn Jerseys from the 17th Annual Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss are being sold in an online auction.  The auction closes at 9:00 p.m. tonight with proceeds to support the CBC Calgary Suncor Energy Food Bank Drive.  Click here to visit the auction.


Tuesday 13 December 2011

Calgary Hitmen Player Bios

With a few days in between games I decided to complete player bios for all 22 members of the 2011/12 Calgary Hitmen.  They are listed in numerical order below. 

#3- Kenton Helgesen, D/F (6’3” 185lbs)  (HELL-ga-sen)
- Selected 6th round (132nd overall) in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft.
- In his first season in the WHL after playing last year with the Grande Prairie Storm in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
- Has played both defence and left wing for the Hitmen this season

#4- Peter Kosterman, D (6’4” 204 lbs)
- Selected 1st round (19th overall) in the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft.
- Attended Calgary Flames rookie camp in the fall of 2011 as a free agent invite
- Won 2009 AMHL Championship and Silver Medal at the 2009 TELUS Cup with the Calgary Buffaloes.
- Named the 2009 Calgary Buffaloes Midget AAA Most Improved Player
- Was the Hitmen’s Top Scholastic player in both 2009/10 and 2010/11.
- In his third season with the Hitmen, winning a WHL Championship in his rookie campaign in 2009/10.

#5- Spencer Humphries, D (6’2” 212lbs)
- Is one of three Hitmen Assistant Captains this season
- Was acquired in a 2011 trade deadline deal by the Hitmen on January 10th along with forward Brooks Macek and a conditional 2012 3rd round bantam draft pick from the Tri-City Americans in exchange for defencemen Matt MacKenzie. 
- Named the Hitmen’s Top Defenceman in 2010/11 season.
- Attended San Jose Sharks camp in September of 2010 playing in the Young Stars tournament in Penticton.
- In his second full season in the WHL

#7- Alex Roach, D (6’4” 220lbs)
- Drafted by the Hitmen in the 11th round (224th overall) of the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft
- Had the hardest shot at the 2010 BC Hockey Major Midget League All Star Skills Competition at 96 mph.
- Signed a three year entry level contract with Los Angeles after attending Kings camp this fall as a free agent invite
- Favourite NHL player is Shea Weber

#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

#10- Alex Gogolev, LW (5’11” 157lbs) 
- Drafted by the Hitmen in the second round, 60th overall in the 2011 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft.
- Played for Team Russia at the 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Port Alberni, BC where he finished fourth in team scoring (3g 3a 6pts).
- Was a member of the MHL All-Star Team this past season where he played for MHC Spartak.

#11- Brooks Macek, RW (5’11” 182 lbs)  (MAY-sick)
- Is one of three Hitmen Assistant Captains this season.
- Was acquired in a 2011 trade deadline deal by the Hitmen on January 10th along with defencemen Spencer Humphries and a conditional 2012 3rd round draft pick from the Tri-City Americans in exchange for defensemen Matt MacKenzie. 
- Drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the 6th round (171st overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft
- Had a career high 73 points including 21 goals in 72 games in the 2009/10 season with the Tri-City Americans.

#12- Joey Kornelsen, C (6’1” 190lbs)    (Core-NELL-sen)
- Was a second round (32nd overall) pick of the Moose Jaw Warriors in the 2008 WHL Bantam Draft.
- Acquired by the Hitmen in an October 26, 2011 trade with the Moose Jaw Warriors along with Collin Bowman and an a fourth round pick in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft in exchange for Justin Kirsch and Kenton Miller.
- Is in his third full season in the WHL after posting a career high 11 goals and 25 points last season in Moose Jaw

#14- Jimmy Bubnick, C (6’2” 189lbs)
- Is one of three Hitmen Assistant Captains this season
- Acquired in a 2010 trade deadline deal with the Kamloops Blazers
- Drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the 6th round (155th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft but is now a free agent.
- Named to the 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup All-Star team. He led the Hitmen and finished tied for second in tournament scoring with 8 points (3g,5a) in four games
- Won a Gold Medal with Canada’s U-18 Team and played in the 2009 CHL Top Prospects Game.
- Represented the WHL in the 2010 Subway Super Series against Team Russia
- Had two older brothers play in the WHL, including his brother Michael who also played for the Hitmen.

#15 Chase Clayton, C (5’10” 169lbs)
- Drafted by the Hitmen in the 1st round (22nd overall) in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft
- Is in his third season with the Hitmen
- Played for Team Pacific at the 2011 World Hockey Under-17 Hockey Challenge with teammate Rob Trzonkowski winning a bronze medal
- Favourite NHL player is Alex Ovechkin

#16- Cody Sylvester, C (5’11” 180lbs)
- Team Captain this season.
- Drafted by the Hitmen in the 8th round (168th overall) in the 2007 WHL Bantam Draft
- Older brother, Dustin played 5 seasons with the Kootenay Ice and is now a member of the Flames AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat.
- Was a former stick boy for the Kelowna Rockets
- Was the Hitmen Player of the Year in the 2010/11 season.

#17- Rob Trzonkowski, RW (6’1.5” 195lbs)   (CHIN-koss-key)
- Drafted by the Hitmen in the 8th round (155th overall) in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft.
- Played for Team Pacific at the 2011 World Hockey Under-17 Hockey Challenge with teammate Chase Clayton winning a bronze medal
- Had 3 goals, including two game winners in 5 games for Team Pacific at the 2011 World Hockey Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
- Can speak Polish
- In his second season in the WHL

#19- Calder Brooks, LW (5’10” 172lbs)
- Drafted by the Hitmen in the 8th round (176th overall) in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft.
- In his rookie season with the Hitmen after posting 50 points (20g 30a) last season in the Saskatchewan AAA Midget League with the Regina Pat Canadians
- From Emerald Park, Saskatchewan where he grew up cheering for the Regina Pats

#22- Danny Gayle, LW (5’10” 175lbs)
- Acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors along with LW Nathan MacMaster and G Brandon Glover in exchange for LW Cody Beach and C Mackenzie Royer on November 16, 2010.
- Is having a career year in the WHL.  Just 28 games into the season he matched his point total from all of last season (21).
- Formerly a member of the Calgary AAA Midget Flames
- His father is from Jamaica

#23- Victor Rask, RW (6’1” 192lbs)
- Drafted by the Hitmen in the first round, 3rd overall in the 2011 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft.
- Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.  On October 20th he signed a three year entry level contract with the Hurricanes.
- Had five points (2g 3a) in six games helping Sweden win a Silver medal this past April at the 2011 World Under-18 Championship
- Will play for Team Sweden at the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship.

#25- Greg Chase, C (6’0” 182)
- Drafted by the Hitmen in the 1st round (22nd overall) in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft
- Named to Team Pacific for the 2012 World Hockey Under-17 Hockey Challenge
- His uncle Kelly was a WHL grad of the Saskatoon Blades and went on to play 458 games in the NHL with St. Louis, Hartford and Toronto.
- In his first season in the WHL after collecting 39 points (24g 15a) in 30 games last season in the Alberta Midget Hockey League with the Sherwood Park J. Ennis Kings.
- Won a Bronze medal with Team Alberta at the 2011 Canada Games.

#26- Brock Sutherland, D (6’2” 205lbs)
- Acquired from the Tri-City Americans on October 6/2011 in exchange for Nathan MacMaster.
- Is in his in his fourth full WHL season, starting his career with the Lethbridge Hurricanes before a trade to Tri-City.
- Drafted by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the fifth round (104th overall) in the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft
- Has played over 200 regular season games in the WHL.

#27- Brady Brassart, C (6’1” 180lbs)
- Acquired from the Spokane Chiefs on August 18/2011 in exchange for a conditional fourth round pick in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft.
- Was the Chiefs Rookie of the Year in the 2009/10 season.
- Was Spokane’s Scholastic Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons (2009/10 and 2010/11)
- Played for Team Pacific at the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge where he recorded three points (1g 2a) in five games

#28- Collin Bowman, D (6’2” 200)
- Acquired by the Hitmen in an October 26, 2011 trade with the Moose Jaw Warriors along with Joey Kornelsen and an a fourth round pick in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft in exchange for Justin Kirsch and Kenton Miller.
- Is one of two American-born players currently playing for the Hitmen joining Trevor Cheek.  Bowman is from the Littleton, Colorado.
- Older brother Drayson also played in the WHL winning a Memorial Cup in 2008 with the Spokane Chiefs.
- Recorded his first career WHL hat-trick on November 19/2011 against the Prince Albert Raiders.

#29- Trevor Cheek, LW (6’2” 205)
- Protected List Addition by the Hitmen in January 2010.
- Is one of two American-born players currently playing for the Hitmen joining Collin Bowman.  Cheek is from Vancouver, Washington.
- Spent the last two years with the P.F. Chang’s Hockey School in Phoenix, Arizona.
- Was the Hitmen’s 2010/11 Rookie of the Year.
- Attended San Jose Sharks rookie camp this past fall as a free agent invite.
- Had his first career two goal game in the WHL on December 11/2011 scoring a pair of goals against Brandon.

#31- Brandon Glover, G (6’3.5” 170lbs)
- Acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors along with LW Nathan MacMaster and LW Danny Gayle in exchange for LW Cody Beach and C Mackenzie Royer on November 16, 2010.
- Drafted by the Moose Jaw Warriors in the 6th round (116th overall) in the 2007 WHL Bantam Draft.
- In his third full season in the WHL
- Attended the Los Angeles Kings 2010 Development Camp
- Was the VAUGHN WHL Goaltender of the Month for November 2011.  Glover posted a 6-1 record during the month with a 1.96 GAA and 0.933 save percentage.  The 19-year-old Victoria, BC, native allowed just 13 goals on 193 shots and earned a Three Star selection in three of his seven games played.

#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.


Sunday 11 December 2011

Calgary 4 Brandon 3

Brady Brassart broke a 3-3 third period tie scoring the game winner on a powerplay with 1:50 remaining lifting the Calgary Hitmen to a 4-3 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Brassart's goal gave the Hitmen their first lead of the day as they battled back from three one goal deficit's trailing 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2.

Trevor Cheek scored twice for Calgary, including once shorthanded.  Alex Gogolev also scored for the Hitmen who outshot Brandon 41-25.

Calgary has now won two straight to improve to 17-13-1-1.

The club also announced today they've trimmed their roster to 22 by re-assigning defenceman Keaton Lubin to a yet to be determined team.

Click here to see game day photos from photographer Linda Coward

                                                       Click on photo to enlarge

Brandon Wheat Kings 3 at Calgary Hitmen 4Sunday, December 11, 2011 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Brandon 0 2 1 - 3
Calgary 0 2 2 - 4

1st Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Clayton Cal (checking from behind), 0:49; Glover Cal (delay of game), 7:15.

2nd Period
1, Brandon, Bertaggia 15 (Ciarelli, Fransoo), 0:26.
2, Calgary, Gogolev 12 (Rask), 5:44.
3, Brandon, Favreau 3 (Bertaggia), 11:12 (SH).
4, Calgary, Cheek 10 (Chase, Brassart), 17:11.
Penalties-Nikkel Bdn (major-fighting), 2:35; Trzonkowski Cal (major-fighting), 2:35; Kuczek Bdn (interference), 10:07; Favreau Bdn (delay of game), 19:30; Dziurzynski Bdn (roughing), 20:00; Cheek Cal (roughing, roughing), 20:00.

3rd Period
5, Brandon, Bertaggia 16   4:36.
6, Calgary, Cheek 11   9:20 (SH).
7, Calgary, Brassart 9 (Bowman, Brooks), 18:10 (PP).
Penalties-Rask Cal (holding), 0:57; Swyripa Bdn (major-fighting), 8:32; Chase Cal (high sticking, major-fighting), 8:32; Miller Bdn (interference), 11:39; Conroy Bdn (hooking), 16:33.

Shots on Goal-Brandon 6-12-7-25. Calgary 6-17-18-41.
Power Play Opportunities-Brandon 0 / 5; Calgary 1 / 4.
Goalies-Brandon, Anderson 8-10-1-1 (41 shots-37 saves). Calgary, Glover 8-5-0-0 (25 shots-22 saves).
A-7,313
Referees-Matt Kirk (4), Colin Stefanyk (14).
Linesmen-Steve Cochrane (125), Scott Sharun (103).

Brandon at Calgary

The Calgary Hitmen (16-13-1-1) welcome the Brandon Wheat Kings (19-12-1-1) in a Sunday matinee at Scotiabank Saddledome.  Game time is 2:00 p.m.  Kids 12 and under get in for just $5 today!  The Hitmen are coming off Friday's 5-4 shootout win over the Prince Albert Raiders while the Wheat Kings were 5-3 winners in Brandon on Friday.

Today is the third of four regular season meetings between the Hitmen and Wheat Kings.  The season series is tied 1-1 with the first two games in Brandon.  Alex Roach (1g 2a) and Cody Sylvester (1g 2a) both have three points each to lead the Hitmen against Brandon while Brendan Walker (2gf 3a) leads the Wheat Kings against Calgary with five points.
-Nov 4 in Brandon:  Wheat Kings 5 Hitmen 2.  The line of Brendan Walker, Mark Stone and Michael Ferland combined for 11 points (4g 7a)
-Nov 22 in Brandon:  Hitmen 6 Wheat Kings 3.  Alex Gogolev scored twice for Calgary while Cody Sylvester had three points (1g2a)

Calgary, 7-6-0-1 on home ice, is tied with Regina for seventh in the Eastern Conference with 34 points.  Brandon, 10-7-0-0 on the road, is tied with Medicine Hat for fifth in the Eastern Conference with 40 points.

WORLD JUNIOR IMPACT:  The Wheat Kings will be without their top two scorers Mark Stone and Michael Ferland who are both attending Canada's World Junior Selection Camp.

DID YOU KNOW?  Brandon has the number one powerplay in the WHL operating at 30.2 percent.  Hitmen top scorer Cody Sylvester has four assists in his last two games.  Collin Bowman led the Hitmen with five shots on goal in Friday's win over PA.  Calgary is 12-3-1-1 against teams from the East Division.

Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 12g 21a 33pts
Jimmy Bubnick 12g 14a 26pts
Victor Rask 15g 10a 25pts

Brandon
Mark Stone 27g 38a 65pts
Michael Ferland 17g 27a 44pts
Brendan Walker 13g 20a 33pts
Ryan Pulock 9g 24a 33pts

Saturday 10 December 2011

Hitmen Hockey Hour

Coming up on the Hitmen Hockey Hour this afternoon (1-2pm) MST on Sportsnet 960 The Fan

-Post Game Interviews from last night's Hitmen shootout win over Prince Albert with both defenceman Brock Sutherland and Head Coach Mike Williamson
-A feature interview with Hitmen forward Brady Brassart
-As Hockey Canada opens it's World Junior Selection Camp in Calgary today Team Canada hopeful Mark McNeill joins the program.


Friday 9 December 2011

Calgary 5 Prince Albert 4 - Shootout

Cody Sylvester scored the lone goal of the shootout lifting the Calgary Hitmen to a 5-4 win over the Prince Albert Raiders Friday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.

The Hitmen erased a 3-0 second period deficit as Chase Clayton, Collin Bowman, Brooks Macek and Jimmy Bubnick scored four unanswered goals to give the Hitmen a 4-3 third period lead.  Mark McNeill forced overtime for the Raiders scoring on a shorthanded penalty shot with just over 12 minutes remaining.

Calgary won all four meetings with PA this season, outscoring them by a combined 25-9.

The Hitmen are now 16-13-1-1.  They remain tied with Regina for seventh in the Eastern Conference with 34 points.

                                                  Photo Credit: Brad Watson

The Hitmen return to action Sunday for a 2:00 p.m. matinee against the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings.

Prince Albert Raiders 4 at Calgary Hitmen 5 (SO)
Friday, December 9, 2011 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Prince Albert 2 1 1 0 - 4
Calgary 0 3 1 0 - 5

1st Period
1, Prince Albert, Maylan 15 (Tochkin, Lange), 3:37 (PP).
2, Prince Albert, Herrod 12 (Morrissey, Ruopp), 4:19.
 Penalties-Trzonkowski Cal (interference), 2:33; Humphries Cal (cross checking), 5:40; Mahura P.a (hooking), 12:08; McNeill P.a (tripping), 12:41; served by Perreaux P.a (too many men), 17:39; Brooks Cal (hooking), 19:17.

2nd Period
3, Prince Albert, Winther 13 (Maylan), 5:45.
4, Calgary, Clayton 2 (Bubnick, Sylvester), 10:34.
5, Calgary, Bowman 8 (Sylvester), 12:18 (PP).
6, Calgary, Macek 7 (Humphries, Rask), 15:02 (PP).
Penalties-Bourhis P.a (boarding), 3:21; Yaworski P.a (roughing), 5:56; Trzonkowski Cal (roughing), 5:56; Ruopp P.a (tripping), 12:07; Fiddler P.a (hooking), 13:43; Ruopp P.a (roughing), 20:00; Rissling Cal (roughing), 20:00.

3rd Period
7, Calgary, Bubnick 12 (Clayton, Sylvester), 3:26.
8, Prince Albert, McNeill 14   7:43 (SH_PS).
Penalties-Hart P.a (tripping), 6:21; Hlinka P.a (tripping), 15:51.

OT Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout
Prince Albert 0 (McNeill NG, Fiddler NG, Herrod NG),
Calgary 1 (Macek NG, Rask NG, Sylvester G).
Shots on Goal-Prince Albert 8-12-5-1-0-26. Calgary 11-7-9-3-1-31.
Power Play Opportunities-Prince Albert 1 / 3; Calgary 2 / 8.
Goalies-Prince Albert, Williams 8-14-1-2 (30 shots-26 saves). Calgary, Glover 7-5-0-0 (4 shots-2 saves); Driedger 9-7-1-1 (22 shots-20 saves).
A-8,978
Referees-Andy Thiessen (11), Kevin Webinger (6).
Linesmen-Reid Anderson (53), Ian Shaver (74).

Prince Albert at Calgary

The Calgary Hitmen (15-13-1-1) open a two game home stand tonight as they welcome the Prince Albert Raiders (9-21-1-1) to Scotiabank Saddledome.  Game time is 7:00 p.m.  The Hitmen are coming off Tuesday's 6-2 loss in Edmonton while the Raiders were 6-3 winners at home over Regina on Tuesday. 

It's the fourth and final regular season meeting between the two teams.  Calgary leads the season series 3-0.  Jimmy Bubnick (4g 2a), Collin Bowman (3g 3a), Brady Brassart (3g 3a) and Spencer Humphries (2g 4a) all have six points each against the Raiders while Kellan Tochkin (2g 1a) tops Prince Albert with three points against the Hitmen.
-Nov 1 in PA:  Calgary 5 PA 2
-Nov 19 in Cal: Calgary 7 PA 1
-Nov 26 in PA: Calgary 8 PA 2


Calgary enters tonight tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference with Regina.  Both teams have 32 points.  The Hitmen have lost three of their last four, but two of those setbacks were at the hands of the Eastern Conference leading Edmonton Oil Kings.  Prince Albert meanwhile is riding a season high three game winning streak but remain last in the 12 team Eastern Conference with 20 points. 

Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 12g 18a 30pts
Victor Rask 15g 9a 24pts
Jimmy Bubnick 11g 13a 24pts

Prince Albert
Justin Maylan 14g 21a 35pts
*Mark McNeill 13g 19a 32pts
Brandon Herrod 11g 13a 24pts
Kellan Tochkin 7g 17a 24pts

*McNeill is one of the 43 invites to Hockey Canada's World Junior Selection Camp that starts tomorrow and runs till Wednesday in Calgary

DID YOU KNOW?  Prince Albert has given up 131 goals, that's the third most of any team in the WHL for an average of 4.09 per game.  The Hitmen have scored just seven goals in their last four games after turning on the red light 25 times in their previous four contests.

TONIGHT'S PROMOTIONS:  It's Subway Soccer Day.  Fans can participate in the Subway Soccer Ball Toss by purchasing one ball for $5 or five balls for $20 for a chance to win two $1,000 Berry Flooring packages; a $1,000 flight credit; or two $500 Husky gas packages.  Proceeds from the toss are directed to Fields for Life, providing kids with the opportunity to play soccer in Calgary and improving local playing field.  It's also Student Night.  Show your student I.D. to receive a special ticket rate of $8.

Thursday 8 December 2011

Alumni Update: Kris Foucault

It appears 21-year-old Kris Foucault is making a smooth transition from the Calgary Hitmen to the American Hockey League. 

After spending the last two plus seasons with the Hitmen, which included two trips to the WHL Final, the soon to be 21-year-old forward is now in his rookie season with the Houston Aeros. 

Just 22 games into his first season of pro hockey Foucault is currently tied for sixth in team scoring with 12 points (6g 6a).  Of late the stats are even more impressive with four points (2g 2a) in his last three games. 

The native Calgarian also has three powerplay goals this season to go along with 22 shots on goal. 

                                                 Photo Credit:  ebrandon.ca

Tuesday 6 December 2011

Edmonton 6 Calgary 2

Edmonton, AB – The Edmonton Oil Kings scored three powerplay goals en-route to a 6-2 win over the Calgary Hitmen Tuesday night at Rexall Place.

Griffin Reinhart had a goal and two assists for the Oil Kings who extend their home ice winning streak to 11 games and move into a tie with the Kootenay Ice for top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Trevor Cheek with his ninth goal of the season and Spencer Humphries with his fifth provided the Calgary goals.

Calgary Flames prospect Laurent Brossoit made 26 saves in the Edmonton net as the Hitmen out shot the Oil Kings 28-23

The loss drops the Hitmen record to 15-13-1-1.  They remain tied for seventh in the Eastern Conference with Regina.

Calgary returns to action Friday night at Scotiabank Saddledome to host the Prince Albert Raiders in Subway Soccer Day. 

Fans can participate in the Subway Soccer Ball Toss by purchasing one ball for $5 or five balls for $20 for a chance to win two $1,000 Berry Flooring packages; a $1,000 flight credit; or two $500 Husky gas packages.  Proceeds from the toss are directed to Fields for Life, providing kids with the opportunity to play soccer in Calgary and improving local playing field.  Friday is also Student Night.  Show your student I.D. to receive a special ticket rate of $8.

The Hitmen will wrap up the weekend Sunday by the Brandon Wheat Kings.  Game time is 2:00 p.m.
For information on ticket packages including Flex Packs, Group Tickets or Season Tickets, call Customer Service at 403-777-4646.

Calgary Hitmen 2 at Edmonton Oil Kings 6
Tuesday, December 6, 2011 - Rexall Place - Edmonton, AB

Calgary 0 1 1 - 2
Edmonton 2 2 2 - 6

1st Period
1, Edmonton, Legault 9 (Moroz, Sieben), 3:45.
2, Edmonton, Reinhart 5 (Maxwell, Wruck), 7:00 (PP).
Penalties-Humphries Cal (major-fighting), 0:17; Peddle Edm (major-fighting), 0:17; Brassart Cal (slashing), 5:45; Cheek Cal (roughing), 10:36; Foster Edm (interference), 13:03; Gogolev Cal (tripping), 17:11; Cheek Cal (roughing), 20:00; Pysyk Edm (roughing), 20:00.

2nd Period
3, Edmonton, Rachinski 9 (Maxwell, Reinhart), 3:40 (PP).
4, Edmonton, Pelss 13 (Corbett, Reinhart), 7:20 (PP).
5, Calgary, Cheek 9 (Macek, Sylvester), 9:46 (PP).
Penalties-Reinhart Edm (cross checking), 0:28; Helgesen Cal (too many men), 2:23; Trzonkowski Cal (tripping), 6:27; Chase Cal (roughing), 7:44; Geertsen Edm (cross checking), 7:44; Pysyk Edm (inter. on goaltender), 9:14; Kosterman Cal (tripping), 15:43; Bowman Cal (roughing, roughing), 18:40; Lowe Edm (roughing), 18:40.

3rd Period
6, Edmonton, Wruck 9 (Pelss, Foster), 9:28.
7, Edmonton, Peddle 4 (Wilson, Legault), 9:50.
8, Calgary, Humphries 5 (Chase, Trzonkowski), 13:40.
Penalties-Wilson Edm (interference), 2:03; Brassart Cal (slashing), 7:11; Reinhart Edm (interference), 10:22; Rissling Cal (major-fighting), 17:19; Moroz Edm (major-fighting), 17:19; Bubnick Cal (roughing), 20:00; Helgesen Cal (roughing, roughing), 20:00; Pelss Edm (roughing, roughing), 20:00; Wilson Edm (roughing), 20:00.

Shots on Goal-Calgary 6-11-11-28. Edmonton 7-7-9-23.
Power Play Opportunities-Calgary 1 / 5; Edmonton 3 / 8.
Goalies-Calgary, Driedger 8-7-1-1 (13 shots-9 saves); Glover 7-5-0-0 (10 shots-8 saves). Edmonton, Brossoit 17-7-1-1 (28 shots-26 saves).
A-4,855
Referees-Tyler Adair (58), Sean Raphael (28).
Linesmen-Chris Carlson (92), Darren Spurgeon (131).

Teddy Bear Distribution and Game Worn Jersey Auction

With 25,303 stuffed toys tossed on the ice during Sunday's Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss I thought fans would want to see where they went when they left the 'Dome.

Photographer Linda Coward was on scene Monday for the distribution to the 50 local charities, including a visit to the Alberta Children's Hospital. 

To see a photo tribute click here.

The Hitmen are also selling their game worn teddy bear toss jerseys in an online auction.  The auction closes December 14th at 9:00 pm. Auction proceeds will go to “CBC Calgary Suncor Energy Food Bank Drive”.  Each winning bid includes two (2) tickets to Friday, December 16th/2011 Hitmen home game against the Regina Pats.  Game time is 8:00 p.m. 

Click here to go to the auction page.

Calgary at Edmonton

The Calgary Hitmen (15-12-1-1) are on the road for a meeting with the Edmonton Oil Kings (18-8-1-2) at Rexall Place tonight.  Internet Broadcast on sportsnet960.ca starts at 7:00 p.m.  The two teams squared off in Edmonton just five days ago with the Oil Kings posting a convincing 6-1 win.  Calgary is coming off Sunday's 2-1 home ice loss to Medicine Hat.  A game where they out shot the Tigers 38-17.  Edmonton meanwhile was an 8-3 home ice winner on Sunday over the Saskatoon Blades.  Michael St. Croix had four points (2g 2a) in the win.

The Hitmen will be looking to break a couple of Oil Kings streaks tonight as Edmonton heads into the contest on a six game winning streak outscoring their opponents by a combined 36-10.  They have also won 10 straight at home.  The Oil Kings rampage through the opposition of late has moved them up into a tie with Moose Jaw and Saskatoon for second in the Eastern Conference, just two points back of front running Kootenay.  Calgary meanwhile enters tonight tied for seventh in the conference with Regina, six points back of Medicine Hat and Brandon for fifth.

Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 12g 17a 29pts
Victor Rask 15g 9a 24pts
Jimmy Bubnick 11g 13a 24pts

Edmonton
Michael St. Croix 16g 25a 41pts
Dylan Wruck 8g 25a 33pts
T.J. Foster 11g 17a 28pts

DID YOU KNOW?  Since requesting a trade out of Everett, 20-year-old Tyler Maxwell has nine points in five games as an Oil King, including five goals.  Maxwell and Dylan Wruck both bring eight game point streaks into tonight.  The Hitmen are 6-1-1-0 in their last eight games away from Scotiabank Saddledome.

HITMEN PROSPECT:  16-year-old Elliot Peterson, an 11th round pick (242nd overall) of the Hitmen in the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft is leading the Saskatchewan AAA Midget Hockey League in scoring.  The Beardy's Blackhawks forward has 44 points (19g 25a) in 21 games. 


Rask to play in 2012 World Juniors

Calgary Hitmen forward Victor Rask will play for Sweden at the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championship co-hosted by Edmonton and Calgary December 26, 2011 to January 5, 2012.  He is one of four players named to the team currently playing in the Canadian Hockey League, but the only Swedish selection from the Western Hockey League.  Rask is off to a strong rookie season start with the Hitmen.  The 18-year-old has a team teaming 15 goals and is tied with Jimmy Bubnick for second in points at 24.  Rask and Team Sweden are in Group A with Russia, Switzerland, Slovakia and Latvia and will play all their preliminary round games at Scotiabank Saddledome starting on the 26th against Latvia. 

This is the 13th straight year the Hitmen will be represented at this prestigious tournament.  Rask will also become the 17th player in franchise history to play in the World Juniors.  Here are his predecessors.

2000 Matt Kinch (Canada 4GP 0G 0A 0PTS) Chris Nielsen (Canada 7GP 3G 0A 3PTS)        
2001 Pavel Brendl (Czech Republic 7GP 4G 6A 10PTS) Toni Bader (Germany)           
2002 Fredrik Sjostrom (Sweden 7PG 0G 0A 0PTS)        
2003 Fredrik Sjostrom (Sweden 4GP 0G 1A 1PTS)   
2004 Ryan Getzlaf (Canada 6GP 3G 3A 6PTS) Tomas Troliga (Slovakia 6GP 1G 1A 2PTS)   
2005 Ryan Getzlaf (Canada 6GP 3G 9A 12PTS) Andrew Ladd (Canada 6GP 3G 4A 7PTS)   
2006 Justin Pogge (Canada 6GP 6-0 1.00GAA .952% 3SO) Freddie Pettersson (Sweden 6GP 3G 2A 5PTS)   
2007 Karl Alzner (Canada 6GP 0G 1A 1PTS) Freddie Pettersson (Sweden 6GP 1G 1A 2PTS)   
2008 Karl Alzner (Canada 7GP 1G 1A 2PTS) Bostjan Golicic (Slovenia 5GP 2G 1A 3PTS)   
2009 Brett Sonne (Canada 6GP 1G 2A 3PTS) Bostjan Golicic (Slovenia 5GP 0G 4A 4PTS)    
2010 Martin Jones (Canada 2GP 1-1 2.30GAA .917%) Brandon Kozun (Canada 6GP 3G 4A 7PTS)   
2011 Juraj Holly (Slovakia 5GP 1-3 3.83GAA .913% 1SO)   


Monday 5 December 2011

Tigers edge Hitmen in Teddy Bear Toss

The Medicine Hat Tigers got a 37 save performance from Edmonton Oilers draft pick Tyler Bunz and a pair of goals from Curtis Valk in a 2-1 win over the Calgary Hitmen Sunday evening at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Calder Brooks scored the lone Hitmen goal triggering an avalanche of 25,303 stuffed toys in the 17th annual Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss.

                                                  Picture taken by Avery Buye

The distribution and delivery of Sunday’s bears will take place on Monday.  The day begins at the Petro-Canada Westhills gas station, the teddy bear distribution site, where more than 50 agencies will pick up their donated bears from 7:45 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.  The Calgary Hitmen will then visit the Alberta Children’s Hospital to deliver 400 teddy bears to patients.

Since 2000, over 186,000 bears have been donated to local agencies including the Alberta Children’s Hospital, Stephen’s Backpacks, the Boys and Girls Club of Calgary, YWCA, Red Cross, the Salvation Army, the Calgary Food Bank and Treaty 7 groups.

Fans are encouraged to join the Calgary Hitmen in supporting the CBC Calgary Suncor Energy Food Bank Drive by visiting http://www.hitmenhockey.com/ to bid on game worn teddy bear jerseys. 

The online auction opens Monday, Dec.5 at 9:00 a.m. and closes Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 9:00 p.m.  Fans with the winning auction bids will be presented with their signed jersey on Friday, Dec. 16 when the Hitmen host the Regina Pats.

Check out some photos from Sunday here. Thanks to photographer Linda Coward.

Medicine Hat Tigers 2 at Calgary Hitmen 1
Sunday, December 4, 2011 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

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

1st Period-1, Medicine Hat, Valk 7 (Etem), 6:06.
Penalties-Bowman Cal (interference), 10:40.

2nd Period
2, Calgary, Brooks 2 (Gayle, Trzonkowski), 18:21.
Penalties-Sylvester Cal (tripping), 3:10; Rissling Cal (high sticking), 8:06; Lewington M.h (hooking), 13:03; Etem M.h (hooking), 15:21.

3rd Period
3, Medicine Hat, Valk 8 (Etem), 10:00.
Penalties-Humphries Cal (roughing), 3:06; Shinkaruk M.h (high sticking), 4:45; Humphries Cal (holding), 6:55; Grbavac M.h (slashing), 7:51; Brassart Cal (slashing, 10-minute misconduct), 19:53.

Shots on Goal-Medicine Hat 3-9-5-17. Calgary 8-12-18-38.
Power Play Opportunities-Medicine Hat 0 / 6; Calgary 0 / 4.
Goalies-Medicine Hat, Bunz 16-8-2-2 (38 shots-37 saves). Calgary, Driedger 8-6-1-1 (17 shots-15 saves).
A-16,014
Referees-Brett Montsion (54), Jon Stephenson (38).
Linesmen-Michael Roberts (87), Justin Slimm (105).

Sunday 4 December 2011

Medicine Hat at Calgary

The Calgary Hitmen (15-11-1-1) host the Medicine Hat Tigers (16-11-2-2) this afternoon in the 17th annual Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss.  Game time is 4:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome.  Fans are asked to bring a stuffed toy (or two or three) to the game and toss it on the ice when the Hitmen score their first goal.  Over 50 local charities have requested 25,000 teddy bears to meet demand this holiday season.  The Rainbow Society will also be selling bears on the concourse for $10.

Calgary enters the game winners of five of their last six are are coming off Friday's 3-2 overtime win over the Spokane Chiefs.  For Medicine Hat, it's their third game in as many days falling 2-1 in overtime to Saskatoon Friday before dropping a 6-3 home ice decision to Spokane last night.  Overall the Tigers have lost three straight.

The Hitmen trail Medicine Hat by four points for sixth in the Eastern Conference, but have three games in hand on their Alberta rivals.

DID YOU KNOW? Tigers goalie Tyler Bunz, a fifth round draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers, is one of four goalies invited to Hockey Canada's World Junior Selection Camp that will take place December 10-14 in Calgary.

Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 12g 17a 29pts
Victor Rask 15g 9a 24pts
Jimmy Bubnick 11g 13a 24pts

Medicine Hat
Emerson Etem 28g 28a 56pts
Hunter Shinkaruk 26g 17a 43pts
Matthew Konan 5g 18a 23pts

ALUMNI WATCH:  Former Hitmen captain Karl Alzner is in the NHL with the Washington Capitals.  The 23-year-old defenceman has eight points (1g 7a) in 25 games this season.  He is also +9 with 16 shots on goal.

Friday 2 December 2011

Calgary 3 Spokane 2 OT

Victor Rask scored at 2:26 of overtime lifting the Calgary Hitmen to a 3-2 home ice win over the Spokane Chiefs Friday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Rask, who finished the game with a pair of goals, also opened the scoring for Calgary in the first period.  The Hitmen then extended their lead to 2-0 when Alex Gogolev scored the lone goal of the middle frame.

In the third period, Spokane stormed out of the gates scoring twice in the first 3:35 to draw even on goals from Brenden Kichton and Darren Kramer. 

The win improves the Hitmen record to 15-11-1-1 moving them one point ahead of Red Deer and into seventh place in the Eastern Conference. 

Calgary returns to action Sunday in the 17th annual Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss.  Game time is 4:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome.  Fans are asked to bring a stuffed toy to the game and toss it on the ice when the Hitmen score their first goal.  Over 50 local agencies have requested over 25,000 teddy bears this holiday season.

Spokane Chiefs 2 at Calgary Hitmen 3 (OT)
Friday, December 2, 2011 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Spokane 0 0 2 0 - 2
Calgary 1 1 0 1 - 3

1st Period
1, Calgary, Rask 14 (Rissling, Trzonkowski), 8:16.
Penalties-Cheek Cal (checking from behind), 9:57; Kramer Spo (cross checking), 13:04; Aviani Spo (tripping), 14:52.

2nd Period
2, Calgary, Gogolev 11 (Sutherland, Brassart), 13:28.
Penalties-Brassart Cal (slashing), 2:26; Proft Spo (hooking), 9:31.

3rd Period
3, Spokane, Kichton 5 (Kuhn, Gow), 1:06 (PP). 4,
Spokane, Kramer 11 (Aviani, Holmberg), 3:35.
Penalties-Brassart Cal (tripping), 0:55; Fram Spo (tripping, holding), 7:39.

OT Period
5, Calgary, Rask 15 (Gayle), 2:26.
Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Spokane 5-4-12-0-21. Calgary 11-9-9-1-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Spokane 1 / 3; Calgary 0 / 5.
Goalies-Spokane, Lee-Knight 2-0-1-1 (30 shots-27 saves). Calgary, Driedger 8-5-1-1 (21 shots-19 saves).
A-8,317
Referees-Pat Smith (12), Jonathan Spurgeon (7).
Linesmen-Reid Anderson (53), Aidan Henderson (78).  




Spokane at Calgary

The Calgary Hitmen (14-11-1-1) play their first home game in 12 days as they welcome the Spokane Chiefs (12-8-1-2) to Scotiabank Saddledome tonight.  Game time is 7:00 p.m. in the Canada Safeway Ltd. Movember game.  The Hitmen wrapped up five straight on the road last night with a 6-1 loss in Edmonton.  Spokane meanwhile is 1-1 on their current six game road trip, falling 4-1 in Edmonton on Tuesday before beating Red Deer 5-2 on Wednesday.

Tonight is their first and only meeting of the season with a couple story lines heading into tonight.  This marks the first time Hitmen forward Brady Brassart meets his former team.  After playing two seasons with the Chiefs, Brassart was dealt to Calgary in August for a conditional fourth round bantam pick in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft.  Brassart was Spokane’s Rookie of the Year in 2010 and is a two time winner of the Chiefs Scholastic Player of the Year Award in 2010 and 2011.  The Hitmen I'm sure also still remember last seasons lone meeting to this day.  It was October 20, 2010 when the Hitmen wrapped up a U-S Division road trip with an 8-1 loss in Spokane.  A game where they were out shot 52-20. 

Calgary is 5-5-0-1 at home while the Chiefs are 1-5-1-2 on the road. 

STREAKIN:  Trevor Cheek (3g 7a) is on a seven game point streak while Greg Chase (1g 3a) has points in three straight.

DID YOU KNOW?  Spokane's win in Red Deer Wednesday snapped a three game losing streak....The Chiefs have played the fewest games of anyone in the WHL at 23 while the Hitmen have played the second fewest home games of any team at 11.  Calgary went 4-1 on their five game road trip outscoring their opponents by a combined 26-15....Calgary is 2-2 this season in their first game back at the 'Dome following a road trip.

Top Scorers

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 12g 17a 29pts
Jimmy Bubnick 11g 13a 24pts
Victor Rask 13g 9a 22pts

Spokane
Anthony Bardaro 14g 14a 28pts
Brenden Kitchton 4g 20a 24pts
Dominik Uher 10g 8a 18pts

*Kitchton is one of the 41 invites to Hockey Canada's World Junior Selection Camp that will take place December 10-14 in Calgary.

                          #27 Brassart faces former team tonight:  Photo credit MJ Times

Thursday 1 December 2011

Edmonton 6 Calgary 1

Edmonton, AB – The Edmonton Oil Kings scored twice in each period en-route to a 6-1 win over the Calgary Hitmen Thursday night at Rexall Place.

The win extends the Oil Kings home ice winning streak to nine games while snapping Calgary’s five game road win streak.

Tyler Maxwell scored twice for Edmonton.  Jordan Peddle, Kristians Pelss, Rhett Rachinski and T.J. Foster added singles.

Cody Sylvester had the lone goal for Calgary who was outshot 27-21. 

Trevor Cheek and Greg Chase drew assists on the Sylvester marker to extend their personal point scoring streaks.  Cheek now has points in seven straight games (3g 7a) while Chase (1g 3a) has points in three consecutive outings.

Calgary, 14-11-1-1 on the season, returns to Scotiabank Saddledome for a pair of games hosting Spokane tomorrow in the Canada Safeway Ltd. Movember game.  Sunday they welcome the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 17th annual Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss.  Game time Friday is 7:00 p.m. with a 4:00 p.m. puck drop Sunday.

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

Calgary Hitmen 1 at Edmonton Oil Kings 6
Thursday, December 1, 2011 - Rexall Place - Edmonton, AB

Calgary 0 0 1 - 1
Edmonton 2 2 2 - 6

1st Period
1, Edmonton, Peddle 3 (Wilson, Pysyk), 1:53.
2, Edmonton, Maxwell 14 (Gernat, Wruck), 16:56.
Penalties-Humphries Cal (roughing), 18:19; Peddle Edm (interference), 18:19; Sylvester Cal (checking to the head), 19:28.

2nd Period
3, Edmonton, Pelss 12 (Corbett, Gernat), 16:04.
4, Edmonton, Maxwell 15 (Corbett, Wruck), 18:20.
Penalties-Lazar Edm (high sticking), 2:34; Gayle Cal (hooking), 15:38; St. Croix Edm (holding opp. stick), 15:38; Bowman Cal (interference), 19:46.

3rd Period
5, Edmonton, Rachinski 7 (Pysyk, St. Croix), 0:46 (PP).
6, Calgary, Sylvester 12 (Chase, Cheek), 9:03.
7, Edmonton, Foster 10 (Pysyk), 10:12.
 Penalties-Moroz Edm (interference), 1:27; Gernat Edm (checking from behind), 5:08; Trzonkowski Cal (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 18:14; Moroz Edm (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 18:14; Gernat Edm (clipping), 18:45.

Shots on Goal-Calgary 7-9-5-21. Edmonton 6-13-8-27.
Power Play Opportunities-Calgary 0 / 4; Edmonton 1 / 2.
Goalies-Calgary, Glover 7-5-0-0 (19 shots-15 saves); Driedger 7-5-1-1 (8 shots-6 saves). Edmonton, Brossoit 15-7-1-1 (21 shots-20 saves).
A-5,646
Referees-Fraser Lawrence (10), Pat Smith (12).
Linesmen-Scott Fulmer (32), Darren Spurgeon (131).

Glover tops all WHL goalies in November

CALGARY, AB. – The Western Hockey League announced today that Brandon Glover, of the Calgary Hitmen, has been named the VAUGHN WHL Goaltender of the Month for November.
The 19-year-old goaltender posted a 6-1 record through November.  Glover’s 1.96 goals-against average and 0.933 save percentage led all WHL goaltenders in November, allowing just 13 goals on 193 shots-against in 398 minutes played, averaging close to 30 shots a game.
Glover’s consistent play helped the Hitmen post a 9-4-1-0 record through November and now found themselves with 14-10-1-1 overall record for 30 points, just five back of the WHL Central Division 2nd place Edmonton Oil Kings.  His efforts also earned him a Three Star selection in three of his seven games played.
Glover, a Victoria, BC native, is in his third full season in the Western Hockey League, second with the Calgary Hitmen.  The Moose Jaw Warriors originally drafted Glover in the 6th round of the 2007 WHL Draft.
His accomplishments make Brandon Glover a deserving choice as the VAUGHN WHL Goaltender of the Month for November.

Calgary at Edmonton

The Calgary Hitmen (14-10-1-1) visit the Edmonton Oil Kings (16-8-1-2) tonight in their first of six meetings this season.  Internet Broadcast on sportsnet960.ca starts at 7pm from Rexall Place.  The Hitmen have won four straight and are coming off Saturday's 8-2 victory in Prince Albert.  The Oil Kings have also won four in a row having last played on Tuesday posting a 4-1 home ice win over Spokane.  Edmonton is tied with Medicine Hat for fifth in the Eastern Conference with 35 points.  But a win tonight would push them into a tie with Saskatoon and Moose Jaw for the second seed.  Calgary meanwhile started the season with just one win in their first six games.  Since then they have been about as good as any team in the WHL, currently eighth in the Eastern Conference with 30 points.  A Hitmen win tonight would move them past Red Deer and into seventh. 

Both teams enter tonight's contest with high octane scoring attacks of late.  Calgary has turned on the red light 25 times in their last four games while Edmonton has scored 22 times in that same span.


STREAKIN:  10 Hitmen enter the the contest on point streaks.  Danny Gayle (4g 7a) is on a career high eight game run.  Jimmy Bubnick (6g7a) has points in seven straight while Brady Brassart (3g 6a) and Trevor Cheek (3g 6a) are riding six game streaks.  Victor Rask (2g 4a) has points in his last four games while Spencer Humphries (2g 2a), Greg Chase (1g 2a), Calder Brooks (3a), Brooks Macek (2g) and Kenton Helgesen (1g 1a) all have points in back-to-back games.

Calgary is 9-5-1-0 on the road this season while Edmonton is 9-2-0-0 at home.

Top Scorers:

Calgary
Cody Sylvester 11g 17a 28pts
Jimmy Bubnick 11g 13a 24pts
Victor Rask 13g 9a 22pts

Edmonton
Michael St. Croix 14g 22a 36pts
Dylan Wruck 8g 21a 29pts
T.J. Foster 9g 15a 24pts

ALUMNI WATCH:  Former Hitmen co-captain Michael Stone is in the AHL with the Portland Pirates.  The 21-year-old defenceman has seven points (2g 5a) in 19 games. 

PROSPECT WATCH:  Jake Virtanen, the number one overall pick by the Hitmen in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft, is playing AAA in the BC Major Midget League as a 15-year-old.  He is currently tied for sixth in league scoring with 25 points (8g 17a) in 18 games.