Sunday 28 October 2012

Red Deer 4 Calgary 3 in a shootout

Brady Gaudet scored in the seventh round of the shootout lifting the Red Deer Rebels to a 4-3 win over the Calgary Hitmen Saturday night at Enmax Centrium in Red Deer.

Zane Jones, Cody Sylvester and Jake Virtanen all scored for Calgary who overcame a 1-0 first period deficit but also had third period leads of 2-1 and 3-2 slip away.

Calgary Flames prospect Turner Elson scored twice for Red Deer.  His second goal with 5:45 left in the third period forced overtime.

The Hitmen now share first place in the Central Division with Edmonton.  Both teams have identical 8-3-1-2 records.

Click here to listen to a post game interview with Alex Roach

Calgary returns to action tomorrow at Scotiabank Saddledome to the host Kelowna Rockets, with a 4 p.m. puck drop.  It’s the Hitmen Fight Cancer game presented by Delta West Academy, the ice will be painted pink and players will be wearing pink jerseys in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Prairies/NWT Region (CBCF) as well as the Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta (Kids Cancer Centre). 

Fans can bid on the game-worn pink jerseys until Tuesday, October 30 at 8 p.m. MT by visiting www.elevateauctions.com/hitmenhockeycancer.  Proceeds from the jersey auction will be shared by both the CBCF and Kids Cancer Care.  In addition, 50/50 funds and on-site donations from the Hitmen Fight Cancer game will support both causes.  Winning bidders will be presented with jerseys following the home game on Friday, November 9.

A special ticket offer is available for Sunday’s Hitmen Fight Cancer game through Smart Betty, a local fundraising organization, with a portion of the ticket proceeds going to both foundations.  To purchase these tickets, please register at http://calgary.smartbetty.com/.  

Calgary Hitmen 3 at Red Deer Rebels 4 (SO)
Saturday, October 27, 2012 - Enmax Centrium - Red Deer, AB

Calgary 0 1 2 0 - 3
Red Deer 1 0 2 0 - 4

1st Period
1, Red Deer, Gaudet 1   4:20.
Penalties-Thrower Cal (interference, major-fighting), 2:38; McCoy R.d (instigator, major-fighting, 10-minute misconduct), 2:38; Humphries Cal (interference), 7:06; Jones Cal (interference), 15:00; Dumba R.d (high sticking), 17:36.

2nd Period
2, Calgary, Jones 6 (Padakin, Roach), 0:52.
Penalties-Henry Cal (elbowing), 9:36.

3rd Period
3, Calgary, Sylvester 13 (Chase, Roach), 3:15 (PP).
4, Red Deer, Elson 3 (Johnson), 5:51.
5, Calgary, Virtanen 4 (Kornelsen, Roach), 13:38.
6, Red Deer, Elson 4 (Dumba, Hamilton), 14:15. Penalties-Padakin Cal (kneeing), 0:50; Inglis R.d (hooking), 1:33; Helgesen Cal (roughing), 6:53; Stockl R.d (roughing), 6:53.

OT Period
No Scoring.Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout - Calgary 1 (Sylvester NG, Macek G, Virtanen NG, Samoridny NG, Rissling NG, Jones NG, Peterson NG), Red Deer 2 (Elson NG, Bleackley G, Bellerive NG, Maxwell NG, Johnson NG, Dumba NG, Gaudet G).
Shots on Goal-Calgary 18-17-6-3-0-44. Red Deer 12-6-17-0-1-36.
Power Play Opportunities-Calgary 1 / 2; Red Deer 0 / 4.
Goalies-Calgary, Driedger 6-3-1-1 (35 shots-32 saves). Red Deer, Bartosak 6-5-1-0 (44 shots-41 saves).
A-5,122
Referees-Ian Croft (30), Fraser Lawrence (10).
Linesmen-Cody Huseby (88), Cory Lundquist (128).

Saturday 27 October 2012

Medicine Hat 10 Calgary 1

It was one of those nights where everything that could go wrong did for the Calgary Hitmen who got thumped 10-1 at home Friday night by the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers.

Hunter Shinkaruk and Curtis Valk both had five points a piece for the Tigers who built period leads of 2-0 and 7-0. 

Cody Sylvester, with his 12th goal in 12 games scored the lone Hitmen marker.

Calgary started well building a 9-2 lead on the shot clock in the opening 10 minutes, but from that point on Medicine Hat completely took over.

Friday was also the first time the Hitmen surrendered 10 goals on home since October 14th, 2001 when they were beaten 10-4 by Prince George.  Brady Block was left in goal for all 10 against while Ken Davis scored five times for the Cougars who were actually outshot 40-30.

The Hitmen (8-3-1-1) are back on the ice tonight in Red Deer against the Rebels (7-8-1-1).  The Mr. Fireplace Hitmen warm-up on Sportsnet 960 The Fan starts at 7pm with play-by-play at 7:30.





Medicine Hat Tigers 10 at Calgary Hitmen 1
Friday, October 26, 2012 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Medicine Hat 2 5 3 - 10
Calgary 0 0 1 - 1

1st Period
1, Medicine Hat, Leier 3 (Doty, Jensen), 13:20.
2, Medicine Hat, Shinkaruk 7 (Busenius, Valk), 19:25 (PP).
Penalties-Valk M.h (slashing), 0:25; Busenius M.h (holding), 16:08; Padakin Cal (ob-tripping), 19:09; Bredo M.h (roughing), 20:00; Henry Cal (roughing), 20:00.

2nd Period
3, Medicine Hat, Valk 10 (Shinkaruk, Lewington), 4:50.
4, Medicine Hat, Valk 11 (Shinkaruk, Busenius), 7:34 (PP).
5, Medicine Hat, Stanton 1 (Koules, Becker), 13:00.
6, Medicine Hat, Valk 12 (Shinkaruk), 13:55.
7, Medicine Hat, Bredo 2 (Becker, Ryckman), 19:15 (PP).
Penalties-Jones Cal (interference), 4:07; Koules M.h (holding), 4:34; Leier M.h (major-fighting), 5:40; Padakin Cal (roughing, major-fighting), 5:40; Peterson Cal (checking from behind), 6:16; Doty M.h (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 9:10; Lewington M.h (roughing), 9:10; Chase Cal (roughing), 9:10; Shinkaruk M.h (hooking), 9:42; Hurley Cal (checking from behind), 14:31; Roach Cal (charging), 14:31; Jones Cal (charging), 17:27; served by Lang Cal (too many men), 17:53; Helgesen Cal (delay of game), 18:21.

3rd Period
8, Medicine Hat, Labelle 2 (Lewington, Ryckman), 0:58 (PP).
9, Medicine Hat, Valk 13 (Shinkaruk), 1:08.
10, Calgary, Sylvester 12 (Chase, Roach), 14:13.
11, Medicine Hat, Broadhead 1 (Jensen, Labelle), 19:14.
Penalties-Henry Cal (slashing), 2:31; Padakin Cal (holding), 5:53; Jensen M.h (holding), 7:58; Koules M.h (roughing), 15:53; Henry Cal (roughing), 15:53.

Shots on Goal-Medicine Hat 8-16-9-33. Calgary 12-5-8-25.
Power Play Opportunities-Medicine Hat 4 / 11; Calgary 0 / 5.
Goalies-Medicine Hat, Lanigan 5-1-0-0 (25 shots-24 saves). Calgary, Driedger 6-3-1-0 (12 shots-9 saves); Shields 2-0-0-1 (21 shots-14 saves).
A-7,763
Referees-Kyle Scrivens (77), Jon Stephenson (38).
Linesmen-Reid Anderson (53), Justin Slimm (105).

Thursday 25 October 2012

Medicine Hat at Calgary

The Calgary Hitmen play their first game in six days Friday night when they host the Medicine Hat Tigers at Scotiabank Saddledome.  Game time is 7:00 pm with coverage on Sportsnet 960 The Fan starting at 6 o'clock with a full one hour pre-game show.


Calgary enters play with an 8-2-1-1 record.  At 18 points they sit tied with Prince Albert for the Eastern Conference lead, just one point ahead of Edmonton.  The Hitmen haven't played since last Saturday's 5-4 win in Vancouver when Cody Sylvester recorded his first WHL hat trick.  Medicine Hat is 5-8-1-0.  At 11 points the Tigers are 10th in the conference.  However they are coming off Wednesday's 4-3 home ice shootout win over Kelowna.  Cam Lanigan made 55 saves, plus two more in the shootout, to pick up the win.  The Calgary product currently leads all WHL goalies with a 1.77 GAA and a .946 save percentage.

Tonight is the first of six regular season meetings between the two teams and kicks off a three games in three days schedule for the Hitmen who will also visit Red Deer Saturday before host Kelowna Sunday at 4pm.

STREAKIN':  Only Zane Jones is riding a point scoring streak for Calgary currently on a two game run (1g 1a).  Three Tigers bring streaks to Calgary with Elgin Pearce the hottest of the bunch on a five game streak (3g 5a).  Curtis Valk has points in four straight (5g 4a) including goals in four straight which is the longest active streak in the WHL while Mile Koules is on a three game point streak (1g 2a).  Cam Lanigan has made the last two starts in goal for Medicine Hat after coming over in a trade from Portland for a 7th round pick in 2013.  He's made a combined 86 saves while allowing six goals for a .935 save percentage.

DID YOU KNOW?  Despite being seven points behind the Hitmen in the standings the Tigers have scored one more goal this season but have given up 17 more. 

HOME AND AWAY:  Calgary is 3-1-1-1 at Scotiabank Saddledome this season while the Tigers are 1-5-1-0 on the road.

TOP SCORERS:
Calgary: 
Brooks Macek 7g 14a 21pts
Brady Brassart 6g 9a 15pts
Cody Sylvester 11g 3a 14pts

Medicine Hat:
Curtis Valk 9g 8a 17pts
Hunter Shinkaruk 6g 7a 13pts
Trevor Cox 6g 6a 12pts
Miles Koules 5g 7a 12pts
Elgin Pearce 4g 8a 12pts

INJURIES:
Calgary:
#14 Brady Brassart, F, upper body, 2 weeks
#19 Calder Brooks, F, upper body, 30 day list
#15 Chase Clayton, F, lower body, 2 weeks
#9 Jayden Rissling, D, upper body, 1 week

Medicine Hat:
#19 Jayden Hart, F, lower body, day-to-day
#11 Steven Owre, F, upper body, day-to-day
#23 Alex Theriau, D, lower body, 2 weeks

AHL REPORT:  Victor Rask who had 33 goals for the Hitmen last season has three points (1g 2a) in four games this season with the Charlotte Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the Carolina Hurricanes.


Brassart named to Team WHL

Nineteen year old forward Brady Brassart is the lone Hitmen named to Team WHL for the upcoming 2012 Subway Super Series.

Brassart, in his second full season with the Hitmen, is off to a tremendous start currently second in team scoring with 15 points in 12 games (6g 9a).  However he's expected to miss up to two weeks with an upper body injury after leaving last Saturday's game in Vancouver.


Team WHL will face Team Russia in games five and six of the series played Wednesday, November 14 in Vancouver, BC, and on Thursday, November 15 in Victoria, BC.  The first two games of the series are hosted by the QMJHL with the OHL hosting games three and four.

Team WHL was selected by a special committee consisting of Jeff Chynoweth (Kootenay Ice, GM), Bob Tory (Tri-City Americans, GM), Kevin Prendergast (Hockey Canada, Head Scout), Scott Salmond (Hockey Canada, Sr. Director, Hockey Operations/National Teams), Don Nachbaur (Spokane Chiefs, Head Coach and Assistant Coach of Team Canada) and the WHL Office, as part of the selection process for the 2013 World Junior Hockey Championships.

Wednesday 24 October 2012

An interview with Kenton Helgesen

Ken Thrower and I had a chance to sit down with Anaheim Ducks prospect Kenton Helgesen who has not only played defence this season for the Hitmen but has also spent some time at centre.

Click here to listen

Hitmen move November 11th game to the 12th

From the Hitmen Office:

Calgary, AB - The Calgary Hitmen Hockey Club today announced the home game on Sunday, November 11 against the Kootenay Ice will now be played on Monday, November 12, with a 7:00 p.m. puck drop at the Scotiabank Saddledome.  The Calgary Stampeders will be hosting the CFL Western Semi-Final at McMahon Stadium on November 11 at 2:30 p.m. and the Calgary Hitmen game change provides fans an opportunity to attend.

On November 12, the Hitmen will honour Hometown Heroes by offering complimentary admission to past and present members of the military and to all police, fire and EMS service members.  Present your identification card at the Scotiabank Saddledome box office to receive one free ticket.

Tickets for Hitmen games are available at all Ticketmaster locations as well as 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 the Sunday Ticket Pack and Name Your Game Flex Package, visit www.hitmenhockey.com or contact customer service at 403-777-4646.

Calgary 5 Vancouver 4

The Calgary Hitmen took a 5-1 lead to the third period, then held on for a 5-4 win Saturday night at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.  The victory secured four of a possible six points in the BC road trip for Calgary.

Cody Sylvester, with his first career hat trick led the Hitmen scoring parade with four points (3g 1a) while Greg Chase and Alex Roach each had a pair of assists.

                                                             Cody Sylvester
                                       
Josh Thrower also had a memorable night, scoring his first career Western Hockey League goal.  Calgary now gets a full five day rest before hosting Medicine Hat Friday night at 7pm.

Calgary Hitmen 5 at Vancouver Giants 4
Saturday, October 20, 2012 - Pacific Coliseum - Vancouver, BC

Calgary 3 2 0 - 5
Vancouver 1 0 3 - 4

1st Period
1, Vancouver, Foster 1 (Kieser), 2:44.
2, Calgary, Sylvester 9 (Chase, Helgesen), 9:35 (PP).
3, Calgary, Sylvester 10 (Roach), 16:52.
4, Calgary, Thrower 1 (Macek, Brassart), 19:15.
Penalties-Burns Van (slashing), 3:36; Houck Van (high sticking), 4:17; Houck Van (high sticking), 8:48; Kosterman Cal (roughing, major-fighting), 12:08; Moar Van (major-fighting), 12:08; Helgesen Cal (interference), 13:25; Helgesen Cal (major-fighting), 15:54; Cooke Van (major-fighting), 15:54.

2nd Period
5, Calgary, Sylvester 11 (Roach, Chase), 4:23 (PP).
6, Calgary, Macek 7 (Jones, Sylvester), 15:24.
Penalties-Thrower Cal (instigator, major-fighting, 10-minute misconduct), 1:09; Houck Van (major-fighting), 1:09; Franson Van (charging), 3:11.

3rd Period
7, Vancouver, Orban 1 (Sward, Cheek), 5:26.
8, Vancouver, Sward 1 (Cheek, Houck), 12:18 (PP).
9, Vancouver, Cheek 3 (Tvrdon, Musil), 18:51.
Penalties-Humphries Cal (cross checking), 6:32; Calladine Cal (roughing), 7:43; Cheek Van (roughing), 7:43; Virtanen Cal (hooking), 10:54.

Shots on Goal-Calgary 12-6-6-24. Vancouver 5-13-16-34.
Power Play Opportunities-Calgary 2 / 5; Vancouver 1 / 5.
Goalies-Calgary, Shields 2-0-0-1 (34 shots-30 saves). Vancouver, Fuhr 2-3-0-0 (24 shots-19 saves).
A-6,627
Referees-Sean Raphael (28), Nick Swaine (35).
Linesmen-Nick Bilko (66), Spencer Lockert (84).

Saturday 20 October 2012

Calgary at Vancouver

The Calgary Hitmen wrap up a three game BC Division road trip tonight in Vancouver.  Calgary (7-2-1-1) is tied for top spot in the Eastern Conference with Prince Albert at 16 points while Vancouver (2-7-0-0) is last in the Western Conference with 4 points.

Radio Broadcast on Sportsnet 960 The Fan begins at 7pm (MST) with a one hour pre-game show.

Tonight is the first of two meetings between the Hitmen and Giants.  Over the last five seasons Calgary has had Vancouver's number posting a 8-0-0-1 record including a 5-0 mark on the west coast.

Photo Credit:  Brad Watson


FAMILIAR FACE:  Trevor Cheek, who played two full seasons in Calgary before a September 26th trade to Vancouver, faces his former team for the first time.  Calgary received a fourth round pick in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft and fifth round pick in the 2014 draft in return for the overage forward.  Cheek played 124 career regular season games in Calgary collecting 74 points.

HOMECOMING: Five members of the Hitmen return to the lower mainland tonight:  Joey Kornelsen, Chase Clayton and Jake Virtanen all call Abbotsford home while Jose Thrower is from Squamish and Spencer Humphries from Tsawwassen.

STREAKIN': Zane Jones has goals in back-to-back games to start the road trip scoring twice in Prince George and once in Victoria.  Brooks Macek (6g, 13a) had his 10 game point streak halted Thursday in Victoria.

MILESTONE WATCH: Forward Brady Brassart will play his 200th career WHL contest tonight in Vancouver.  Captain Cody Sylvester is one point shy of his 150th career WHL point.

TOP SCORERS:

Calgary
Brooks Macek 6g 13a 19pts (Tied for 3rd in WHL Scoring Race)
Brady Brassart 6g 8a 14pts
Cody Sylvester 8g 2a 10pts
Zane Jones 5g 5a 10pts

Vancouver
Jackson Houck 2g 10a 12pts
Marek Tvrdon 1g 7a 8pts
Cain Franson 6g 1a 7pts
Nathan Burns 5g 2a 7pts
David Musil 2g 5a 7pts




Victoria 3 Hitmen 1

For the first time in franchise history the Victoria Royals beat the Calgary Hitmen posting a 3-1 victory Thursday night at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

Alex Gogolev scored a pair of goals against his former team including the clincher into an empty net.

Zane Jones also struck against his former club scoring the lone goal for Calgary who was outshot 29-21.

Victoria went 0-5 on the powerplay while for only the third time in Hitmen history Calgary did not get a single opportunity with the man advantage.

Photo Credit:  Jon Howe





Calgary Hitmen 1 at Victoria Royals 3
Thursday, October 18, 2012 - Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena - Victoria, BC

Calgary 0 1 0 - 1
Victoria 0 2 1 - 3

1st Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Rissling Cal (major-fighting), 16:49; Traber Vic (major-fighting), 16:49; Humphries Cal (roughing), 17:13; Crunk Vic (roughing), 17:13.

2nd Period
1, Calgary, Jones 5   12:37.
2, Victoria, Hodges 3 (Nelson, Walker), 17:37.
3, Victoria, Gogolev 4 (Magee, Kanzig), 19:20.
Penalties-Macek Cal (tripping), 5:49; Macek Cal (hooking), 15:31.

3rd Period
4, Victoria, Gogolev 5 (Walker), 19:46 (EN).
Penalties-Humphries Cal (tripping), 6:59; Helgesen Cal (tripping), 9:12; Roach Cal (roughing), 15:39.

Shots on Goal-Calgary 6-7-8-21. Victoria 7-11-11-29.
Power Play Opportunities-Calgary 0 / 0; Victoria 0 / 5.
Goalies-Calgary, Driedger 6-2-1-0 (28 shots-26 saves). Victoria, Polivka 6-3-0-0 (21 shots-20 saves).
A-4,739
Referees-Ryan Benbow (62), Mark Pearce (5).
Linesmen-Bevan Mills (98), Kirk Van Helvoirt (107).

Thursday 18 October 2012

Calgary at Victoria

The Calgary Hitmen play game two of a BC Division road trip tonight on Vancouver Island against the Victoria Royals.

Game time is 8:05 pm (MST) at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.  Husky Hitmen Hockey on Sportsnet 960 The Fan begins at 7:00 pm with a one hour pre-game show.  Guests include Hitmen Head Coach Mike Williamson, Hitmen defenceman Peter Kosterman and Royals Head Coach Dave Lowry.

Calgary is 7-1-1-1, tied for the Eastern Conference lead with the Prince Albert Raiders at 16 points.  They are coming off Tuesday's 53 shot 5-0 win in Prince George.  Both Cody Sylvester and Joey Kornelsen are expected back in the line-up after missing time with the flu.

Victoria is 7-4-0-0, second in the BC Division with 14 points.  The Royals haven't played since Saturday's 3-2 home ice win over the Kelowna Rockets.

Tonight's contest features a meeting of familiar faces as Hitmen forward Zane Jones (4g 5a) meets his former team for the first time since the September 15, 2012 trade that saw the Hitmen acquire Jones along with a conditional 6th round pick in 2013 in exchange for overage forward Alex Gogolev and a fourth round pick in 2013.  Gogolev currently leads the Royals in scoring with 13 points (3g 11a) in 11 games. 

It's also Calgary's first game against their former Head Coach in Dave Lowry.  Lowry spent four seasons on the Hitmen bench, the last as Head Coach from 2005-06 to 2008-09.

                                                Photo Credit: Jon Howe

STREAKIN':  Brooks Macek takes a career high 10 game point scoring streak into tonight's game for Calgary.  The 20-year-old has a point in ever game this season (6g 13a).  It's the second 10 game run of Macek's career also posting one with Tri-City in the 2009-10 season.  Cody Sylvester (3g), Brady Brassart (2g 2a) and Jayen Rissling (1g 1a) all have points in back-to-back games. 

LAST SEASON:  Calgary won both meetings with the Royals in 2011-12 outscoring Victoria by a combined 14-7.
-Jan. 3 in Victoria:  Hitmen 9 Royals 4.  Chase Clayton scored a hat trick while Cody Sylvester led the Hitmen with four points (1g 3a).
-Feb. 15 in Victoria:  Hitmen 5 Royals 3.  Brady Brassart and Joey Kornelsen both had 1g 1a.

TOP SCORERS:

Calgary
Brooks Macek 6g 13a 19pts, is also 3rd in WHL scoring race
Brady Brassart 8g 8a 14pts
Cody Sylvester 8g 2a 10pts

Victoria
Alex Gogolev 3g 10a 13pts, is also tied for 19th in WHL scoring race
Logan Nelson 3g 9a 12pts
Ben Walker 4g 4a 8pts

INJURY REPORT
Calgary
#19 Calder Brooks, F, upper body, 1 month
#12 Joey Kornelsen, F, illness, day-to-day

Victoria
#9 Mitch Deacon, F, upper body, 7-10 days
#2 Joe Hicketts, D, upper body, day-to-day
#11 Steven Hodges, F, lower body, day-to-day



Hitmen promote Brent Kisio to Associate Coach

Release from the Hitmen Office:

Calgary Hitmen Executive Vice President, Alternate Governor and General Manager Kelly Kisio announced today the promotion of assistant coach Brent Kisio to associate coach.

“Brent has been heavily involved in many aspects of player and game preparations for several seasons and is deserving of this acknowledgement,” said Kelly Kisio.

Brent, now in this sixth season with the Hitmen, joined the Western Hockey League club in August 2007 as Video Coach and Assistant Coach after four successful years at the University of Nebraska-Omaha where he played for the Mavericks (NCAA) and graduated with a degree in Criminology.  Following the 2007-08 campaign, Brent moved exclusively into the role of assistant coach.

During the 2009-10 season, Brent, alongside head coach Mike Williamson and assistant coach Joel Otto, helped guide Calgary to their second WHL championship title following a league-leading 107-point regular season that included 52 wins.

“Brent has been a very valuable part of our coaching staff and team for some time,” commented Williamson. “He has continually taken on greater responsibility and this recognition is well deserved.”

Brent resides in Calgary with his wife, Abby, and their two children, Summer and Owen.

Tuesday 16 October 2012

Calgary 5 Prince George 0

Zane Jones scored twice as the Calgary Hitmen opened a three game BC Division road trip with a 5-0 win over the Prince George Cougars Tuesday night at CN Centre.

Brady Brassart, Jaynen Rissling and Jake Virtanen added singles while Chris Driedger made 30 saves for his fourth career shutout.

Brooks Macek had four assists to extend his point scoring streak to 10 games tying a career high.

The Hitmen outshot the Cougars 53-30 breaking a franchise record in the process for most shots in a single period with 27 in the second period. 

Calgary improves to 7-1-1-1, and pulls into a tie for top spot in the Eastern Conference with Prince Albert at 16 points.

The Hitmen continue their road swing Thursday night in Victoria before heading to Vancouver on Saturday.

Calgary Hitmen 5 at Prince George Cougars 0

Tuesday, October 16, 2012 - CN Centre - Prince George, BC

Calgary 3 2 0 - 5
Prince George 0 0 0 - 0

1st Period

1, Calgary, Brassart 6 (Roach, Macek), 7:01.
2, Calgary, Jones 3 (Macek, Brassart), 13:43.
3, Calgary, Rissling 1 (Macek) 18:13.
Penalties-Helgesen Cal (slashing), 10:54.

2nd Period

4, Calgary, Jones 4 (Brassart, Macek), 7:34.
5, Calgary, Virtanen 3 (Clayton), 13:59 (PP).
Penalties-Henry Cal (tripping), 5:03; Calladine Cal (high sticking), 9:41; Carvalho P.g (holding), 13:11; Rosinskis P.g (interference), 13:59; Ehrhardt P.g (interference), 16:35; Henry Cal (major-fighting), 18:38; Jacobs P.g (major-fighting), 18:38.

3rd Period

No Scoring.
Penalties-Kosterman Cal (major-fighting, game misconduct), 19:58; Samoridny Cal (major-fighting), 19:58; Forsberg P.g (major-fighting), 19:58; Gibb P.g (major-fighting, game misconduct), 19:58; Jacobs P.g (10-minute misconduct), 19:58.

Shots on Goal-Calgary 16-27-10-53. Prince George 8-12-10-30.
Power Play Opportunities-Calgary 1 / 3; Prince George 0 / 3.
Goalies-Calgary, Driedger 6-1-1-0 (30 shots-30 saves). Prince George, Zarowny 4-3-0-0 (33 shots-28 saves); Engel 1-1-0-0 (20 shots-20 saves).
A-1,727
Referees-Jeff Ingram (82).
Linesmen-Adam Hyatt (16), Korey Martens (41).

Autographed Hitmen jersey by Justin Bieber added to cancer fundraiser

From the Hitmen Office:

The Calgary Hitmen Hockey Club, in partnership with Delta West Academy, announced the addition of a Hitmen pink jersey autographed by Justin Bieber to support the Hitmen Fight Cancer initiative.  The Bieber-signed jersey along with game-worn pink jerseys from the Sunday, October 28 Hitmen Fight Cancer game (Scotiabank Saddledome, 4 p.m.) will be featured in an online auction until Tuesday, October 30 at 8 p.m. MT.  Fans can bid on these one-of-a-kind items by visiting www.elevateauctions.com/hitmenhockeycancer.

Proceeds from the jersey auction will be shared by both the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Prairies/NWT Region and Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta.  In addition, 50/50 funds and on-site donations from the Hitmen Fight Cancer game will support both causes.  Winning bidders will be presented with jerseys following the home game on Friday, November 9.

A special ticket offer is available for the Hitmen Fight Cancer game through Smart Betty, a local fundraising organization, with a portion of the ticket proceeds going to both foundations.  To purchase these tickets, please register at http://calgary.smartbetty.com/.  

In three years, the Calgary Hitmen with the support of their partners, staff, players and fans, have raised over $58,500 through the club’s October cancer awareness initiatives.


Calgary at Prince George

The Calgary Hitmen (6-1-1-1) leaders of the WHL's Central Division open a three game BC Division road trip tonight in Prince George against the Cougars (5-3-1-0). 

Game time is 8:05 pm (MST) at CN Centre.  Husky Hitmen Hockey on Sportsnet 960 The Fan begins at 7:00 pm with a one hour pre-game show.  Guests include Hitmen Assistant Coach Brent Kisio and Hitmen defenceman Alex Roach.

Calgary enters the contest coming off their first regulation time loss of the season, falling 5-2 at home Sunday to Kamloops while Prince George last played Saturday losing 7-2 in Medicine Hat.

Top Scorers:

Calgary
Brooks Macek 6g 9a 15pts
Brady Brassart 5g 6a 11pts
Cody Sylvester 8g 2a 10pts

Prince George
Colin Jacobs 7g 7a 14pts
Daulton Siwak 5g 2a 7pts
Brock Hirsche 4g 3a 7pts


Sunday 14 October 2012

Kamloops 5 Calgary 2

In the Western Hockey League's battle of the last two unbeaten teams in regulation the Kamloops Blazers scored five powerplay goals en route to a 5-2 win over the Calgary Hitmen Sunday evening at Scotiabank Saddledome.

The WHL's top scorer JC Lipon scored twice and set up two others in a four point game. 

Brady Brassart and Cody Sylvester scored for Calgary who also scored both of their goals with the man advantage.

Brooks Macek had an assist in the loss to extend his point scoring streak to nine games, one back of his career high 10 set in the 2009-10 season with the Tri-City Americans.

The Hitmen are now 6-1-1-1 and will open a three game BC Division road trip Tuesday in Prince George.


Kamloops Blazers 5 at Calgary Hitmen 2
Sunday, October 14, 2012 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Kamloops 1 3 1 - 5
Calgary 1 1 0 - 2

1st Period
1, Calgary, Brassart 5 (Chase, Macek), 11:27 (PP).
2, Kamloops, Smith 5 (Lipon), 14:59 (PP).
Penalties-Smith Kam (roughing), 10:20; Roach Cal (roughing), 10:20; Lipon Kam (charging), 10:47; Roach Cal (checking from behind), 13:38; Bell Kam (slashing), 18:00; Humphries Cal (cross checking), 19:07.

2nd Period
3, Calgary, Sylvester 8 (Humphries, Rissling), 4:29 (PP).
4, Kamloops, Lipon 8 (Ranford, Hrbas), 6:00 (PP).
5, Kamloops, Sterzer 1 (Ully, Hansen), 15:26 (PP).
6, Kamloops, Lipon 9 (Smith, Thomson), 18:52 (PP).
Penalties-Grist Kam (charging), 3:57; Thrower Cal (roughing), 4:41; Sylvester Cal (interference), 8:20; Willick Kam (tripping), 9:44; Chase Cal (cross checking), 13:32; Bell Kam (major-fighting), 17:46; Sylvester Cal (instigator, major-fighting, 10-minute misconduct), 17:46; Jones Cal (boarding), 19:35.

3rd Period
7, Kamloops, Smith 6 (Lipon, Hrbas), 11:59 (PP).
Penalties-Henry Cal (holding), 8:10; Virtanen Cal (holding), 11:26; Virtanen Cal (checking to the head), 14:20; Bell Kam (checking from behind), 20:00.

Shots on Goal-Kamloops 10-12-9-31. Calgary 5-4-6-15.
Power Play Opportunities-Kamloops 5 / 10; Calgary 2 / 4.
Goalies-Kamloops, Cheveldave 6-0-0-0 (15 shots-13 saves). Calgary, Driedger 5-1-1-0 (31 shots-26 saves).
A-7,066
Referees-Pat Smith (12), Kevin Webinger (6).
Linesmen-Jared Mackey (52), Scott Sharun (103).


Calgary 4 Red Deer 2

Cody Sylvester scored twice, including the game winner just past the midway mark of the third period, in a 4-2 Calgary Hitmen win over the Red Deer Rebels Saturday night at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Jake Virtanen and Brooks Macek, into an empty net, also scored for the Hitmen who remain unbeaten in regulation this season improving to a Central Division best 6-0-1-1.

Mack Shields made 17 saves and picked up an assist and his first career Western Hockey League win.

The Hitmen will now host the Western Conference leading Kamloops Blazers Sunday at 4 pm.





Red Deer Rebels 2 at Calgary Hitmen 4
Saturday, October 13, 2012 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

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

1st Period
1, Calgary, Virtanen 2 (Padakin, Shields), 11:30.
Penalties-Roach Cal (delay of game), 0:13; Fafard R.d (hooking), 5:40; Pouliot R.d (tripping), 7:57; Underwood R.d (holding), 14:42; Underwood R.d (major-fighting), 18:09; Jones Cal (major-fighting), 18:09.

2nd Period
2, Red Deer, Ness 5 (Elson), 8:48 (SH).
3, Red Deer, Millette 4 (Stockl, Fleury), 11:12.
4, Calgary, Sylvester 6 (Chase, Macek), 12:39 (PP).
Penalties-Brassart Cal (roughing), 4:39; Inglis R.d (butt-ending, butt-ending), 5:59; Bittner R.d (hooking), 12:00; Sylvester Cal (hooking), 17:37.

3rd Period
5, Calgary, Sylvester 7 (Roach, Clayton), 10:54.
6, Calgary, Macek 6   19:39.
Penalties-Elson R.d (major-fighting), 5:28; Henry Cal (major-fighting), 5:28; Stockl R.d (tripping), 6:13; Millette R.d (roughing), 9:57; Chase Cal (interference), 9:57; Maxwell R.d (high sticking), 17:01.

Shots on Goal-Red Deer 5-7-7-19. Calgary 13-8-16-37.
Power Play Opportunities-Red Deer 0 / 3; Calgary 1 / 8.
Goalies-Red Deer, Pouliot 2-2-0-1 (37 shots-33 saves). Calgary, Shields 1-0-0-1 (19 shots-17 saves).
A-8,195
Referees-Ryan Benbow (62), Steve Papp (17).
Linesmen-Aidan Henderson (78), Ian Shaver (74).

Saturday 13 October 2012

Calgary 5 Edmonton 4 Shootout

The Calgary Hitmen made their fourth straight trip into extra time and left with a 5-4 shootout win Friday night at Rexall Place over the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Greg Chase scored the shootout winner in a game that saw Calgary let leads of 2-0 and 3-2 get away but also saw the Hitmen overcome a 4-3 deficit.

Calgary is now 5-0-1-1 on the season and an impressive 3-0 against the defending WHL Champion Oil Kings.

Photo Credit: Edmonton Oil Kings.


Calgary Hitmen 5 at Edmonton Oil Kings 4 - Shootout
Friday, October 12, 2012 - Rexall Place - Edmonton, AB

Calgary 2 2 0 0 - 5
Edmonton 1 3 0 0 - 4

1st Period
1, Calgary, Macek 4 (Jones, Brassart), 3:02.
2, Calgary, Samoridny 2 (Helgesen, Henry), 8:41.
3, Edmonton, Lazar 5 (St. Croix, Wruck), 15:04 (PP).
Penalties-Samuelsson Edm (hooking), 6:30; Ewanyk Edm (tripping), 8:57; Macek Cal (holding), 14:08; Helgesen Cal (major-fighting), 18:18; Moroz Edm (major-fighting), 18:18.

2nd Period
4, Edmonton, Foster 8 (Samuelsson, St. Croix), 7:46 (PP).
5, Calgary, Macek 5 (Brassart), 8:03.
6, Edmonton, Samuelsson 4 (Lazar, Corbett), 11:18.
7, Edmonton, Samuelsson 5 (Wruck, St. Croix), 12:39 (PP).
8, Calgary, Kosterman 1 (Padakin, Humphries), 14:40.
Penalties-Kornelsen Cal (high sticking), 6:59; Kornelsen Cal (tripping), 11:35.

3rd Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Padakin Cal (roughing), 14:56; Corbett Edm (holding), 14:56.

OT Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout - Calgary 2 (Sylvester G, Macek NG, Chase G), Edmonton 1 (Samuelsson G, Lazar NG, Foster NG).
Shots on Goal-Calgary 7-10-8-0-1-26. Edmonton 6-15-12-3-0-36.
Power Play Opportunities-Calgary 0 / 2; Edmonton 3 / 3.
Goalies-Calgary, Driedger 5-0-1-0 (36 shots-32 saves). Edmonton, Brossoit 4-1-1-1 (25 shots-21 saves).
A-8,652
Referees-Fraser Lawrence (10), Colin Watt (72).
Linesmen-Darren Spurgeon (61), Dustin Zelenak (83).

Friday 12 October 2012

Hitmen captain Cody Sylvester talks charity

Hitmen captain Cody Sylvester has founded the Chance To Play program, a fundraising initiative in support of local minor hockey.  At each Hitmen home game throughout the season, Chance To Play t-shirts will be sold for $20 at the Booster Club table located on the Scotiabank Saddledome concourse.  Net proceeds will provide the opportunity for local youth to participate in sport. 

Click here to listen to an interview with Sylvester

Here is the T-shirt for sale:


Calgary 6 Edmonton 5 OT

Spencer Humphries scored the game winner at 4:11 of sudden death on the powerplay to lift the Calgary Hitmen to a 6-5 OT win over the Edmonton Oil Kings Sunday afternoon at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Alex Roach (2g 1a) and Brooks Macek (1g 2a) both led the Hitmen with three points each helping Calgary improve to 2-0 this season against the defending Western Hockey League champions.

Photo Credit: Brad Watson







Edmonton Oil Kings 5 at Calgary Hitmen 6 (OT)
Sunday, October 7, 2012 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

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

1st Period
1, Calgary, Roach 1 (Samoridny, Kornelsen), 4:14.
2, Edmonton, Foster 4 (Wruck, St. Croix), 7:43 (PP).
Penalties-Reinhart Edm (hooking), 5:08; Virtanen Cal (cross checking), 6:43; served by St. Croix Edm (too many men), 10:05; Moroz Edm (boarding), 10:05; Henry Cal (slashing), 10:05; Kulda Edm (inter. on goaltender), 14:12.

2nd Period
3, Calgary, Brassart 4 (Rissling, Roach), 11:46.
4, Edmonton, Foster 5 (Legault, Baddock), 12:25.
5, Edmonton, Foster 6 (Kulda, Moroz), 18:56.
Penalties-Moroz Edm (slashing), 8:09; Lazar Edm (interference), 15:20.

3rd Period
6, Calgary, Sylvester 5 (Chase, Clayton), 3:42.
7, Edmonton, Foster 7 (Geertsen, Legault), 4:06.
8, Calgary, Roach 2 (Macek, Rissling), 6:29.
9, Calgary, Macek 3 (Humphries, Brassart), 9:37.
10, Edmonton, St. Croix 5 (Samuelsson, Wruck), 19:20 (PP).
Penalties-Kornelsen Cal (tripping), 11:49; Kulda Edm (tripping), 14:39; Henry Cal (tripping), 18:48.

OT Period
11, Calgary, Humphries 1 (Macek, Chase), 4:11 (PP).
Penalties-Reinhart Edm (slashing), 2:48.

Shots on Goal-Edmonton 11-9-11-0-31. Calgary 12-4-11-5-32.
Power Play Opportunities-Edmonton 2 / 3; Calgary 1 / 7.
Goalies-Edmonton, Brossoit 4-1-1-0 (32 shots-26 saves). Calgary, Driedger 4-0-1-0 (31 shots-26 saves).
A-6,867
Referees-Sean Raphael (28), Nathan Wieler (18).
Linesmen-Chris Carlson (92), Michael Roberts (87).

Saturday 6 October 2012

Prince Albert 5 Calgary 4 Shootout

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

Greg Chase forced overtime for Calgary tapping in a loose puck with 60 seconds left in regulation time.

Three Hitmen recorded personal milestones in the game as Elliot Peterson (2a) and Austin Calladine (1a) both picked up their first career Western Hockey League point while Mack Shields made his WHL debut in goal.

Calgary is now 3-0-1-1 while PA is 5-0-0-1. 

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

Photo Credit: Brad Watson





Prince Albert Raiders 5 at Calgary Hitmen 4 Shootout
Friday, October 5, 2012 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

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

1st Period
1, Prince Albert, Bardaro 3 (Conroy, Knutsen), 11:02.
Penalties-Gardiner P.a (hooking), 5:12; Ruopp P.a (high sticking), 11:59; Samoridny Cal (hooking), 13:25; Jones Cal (cross checking), 19:42.

2nd Period
2, Calgary, Macek 2 (Jones, Thrower), 9:10.
3, Prince Albert, Conroy 3 (Morden, Morrissey), 10:25 (PP).
4, Calgary, Virtanen 1 (Calladine, Peterson), 13:27.
5, Calgary, Clayton 1 (Chase, Jones), 16:11.
6, Prince Albert, Bardaro 4 (Knutsen, Morrissey), 18:51 (PP).
Penalties-McVeigh P.a (hooking), 3:42; Roach Cal (cross checking), 10:00; Kornelsen Cal (roughing), 17:42; Henry Cal (interference), 18:00.

3rd Period
7, Prince Albert, Morrissey 2 (McNeill), 6:55 (PP).
8, Calgary, Chase 2 (Brassart, Peterson), 19:00.
Penalties-Ruopp P.a (major-fighting), 5:08; Rissling Cal (instigator, major-fighting, 10-minute misconduct), 5:08; Roach Cal (boarding), 5:36; McVeigh P.a (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 7:35; Henry Cal (roughing, 10-minute misconduct), 7:35.

OT Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Morden P.a (major-fighting), 3:53; Kornelsen Cal (instigator, major-fighting, game misconduct), 3:53.

Shootout - Prince Albert 1 (McNeill G, Bardaro NG), Calgary 0 (Macek NG, Chase NG, Virtanen NG).
Shots on Goal-Prince Albert 9-10-13-2-1-35. Calgary 7-7-8-2-0-24.
Power Play Opportunities-Prince Albert 3 / 7; Calgary 0 / 3.
Goalies-Prince Albert, Siemens 5-0-0-1 (24 shots-20 saves). Calgary, Shields 0-0-0-1 (34 shots-30 saves).
A-7,478
Referees-Devin Klein (9), Colin Stefanyk (14).
Linesmen-Reid Anderson (53), Mark MacIsaac (22).

Thursday 4 October 2012

Five Hitmen prospects named to 2012 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup

Calgary, AB- The four Western Provincial Hockey Associations – Hockey Alberta, BC Hockey, Hockey Manitoba and the Saskatchewan Hockey Association – in partnership with the Western Hockey League (WHL) are pleased to announce that 2012 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup will take place November 1 – 4, 2012 at the Father David Bauer Arena in Calgary, Alberta.

The Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup will feature the highest rated players in the Under 16 age category representing the four Western Provinces of Alberta, BC, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The four team round robin tournament format, which will open Thursday, November 1 and conclude on Sunday, November 4, 2012, is the first step in the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence and assists the four Western Provincial Hockey Associations in evaluating these top prospects in this age group for future high performance programs.


So far rosters for Team Saskatchewan and Team Manitoba have been announced. 

Two Hitmen prospects are on Team Manitoba:
James Shearer D 5’8 169 Brandon 23/06/1997 Brandon Wheatkings MMAAAHL CGY 9th Rd
Jordy Stallard F 5’9 144 Brandon 18/09/1997 Brandon Wheatkings MMAAAHL CGY 4th Rd

Three Hitmen prospects are on Team Saskatchewan:        
Lochlan Morrison D 6’ 180 Prince Albert 08/07/1997 Prince Albert Mintos SMAAAHL CGY 7th Rd
Brennan Riddle D 6’1” 175 Balgonie 27/07/1997 Tisdale Trojans SMAAAHL CGY 1st Rd
Terrell Draude F L 6’2” 185 Warman 21/03/1997 Saskatoon Contacts SMAAAHL CGY 2nd Rd

The Team Alberta and Team B.C. rosters will be unveiled at a media conference in Calgary at the Father David Bauer Arena on Tuesday, October 16, more details to follow.


Red Deer 3 Calgary 2 OT

Charles Inglis scored twice including the overtime winner as the Red Deer Rebels erased a 2-0 first period deficit en route to a 3-2 win over the Calgary Hitmen Saturday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Here are some action photos from Brad Watson:






Red Deer Rebels 3 at Calgary Hitmen 2 OT
Saturday, September 29, 2012 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

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

1st Period
1, Calgary, Brassart 3 (Rissling, Macek), 5:28 (PP).
2, Calgary, Sylvester 4 (Jones, Humphries), 11:39 (PP).
Penalties-Thiel R.d (interference), 4:49; Underwood R.d (interference), 9:59; Bellerive R.d (roughing), 20:00; Henry Cal (roughing), 20:00.

2nd Period
3, Red Deer, Ness 2 (Underwood), 2:49.
Penalties-Chase Cal (hooking), 0:36; Bittner R.d (checking from behind), 3:33.

3rd Period
4, Red Deer, Inglis 3   3:00.
Penalties-Bittner R.d (major-fighting), 0:26; Rissling Cal (major-fighting), 0:26; Bittner R.d (hooking), 14:58.

OT Period
5, Red Deer, Inglis 4 (Dumba, Bleackley), 2:31 (PP).
Penalties-Jones Cal (inter. on goaltender), 1:59.

Shots on Goal-Red Deer 7-12-6-1-26. Calgary 11-14-15-1-41.
Power Play Opportunities-Red Deer 1 / 2; Calgary 2 / 4.
Goalies-Red Deer, Pouliot 1-0-0-1 (41 shots-39 saves). Calgary, Driedger 3-0-1-0 (26 shots-23 saves).
A-7,765
Referees-Fraser Lawrence (10), Derek Zalaski (8).
Linesmen-Chris Carlson (92), Sean Donnelly (109).