Sunday 23 February 2014

Pats 5 Hitmen 4 Shootout

Colby Williams scored in the ninth round of the shootout to give the Regina Pats a 5-4 win over the Calgary Hitmen Saturday night at Brandt Centre.

Calgary erased a 4-2 third period deficit to force overtime getting goals from Brady Brassart and Jake Virtanen.  Virtanen’s was his team leading 40th of the season and tied the game with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation. 

Brassart also had an assist to extend his career high point scoring streak to 13 games.

Connor Rankin and Adam Tambellini had the other Calgary goals as the Hitmen outshot the Pats 49-31.

Calgary Flames first round pick Morgan Klimchuk scored twice for Regina while Dyson Stevenson and Dmitry Sinitsyn added singles.

The loss snapped Calgary’s season high nine game winning streak, but the Hitmen now have points in 10 straight games going 9-0-0-1.

The Calgary point, coupled with an Oil Kings 5-1 home ice loss to Vancouver, moves the Hitmen one point ahead of the Oil Kings for first place in the WHL's Eastern Conference.

Calgary, 41-15-3-4, returns home to host the Kamloops Blazers on Friday, February 28th.  Game time is 7:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome in the eighth annual Lunar Celebration presented by Nexen, a subsidiary of CNOOC Limited.  During the Lunar Celebration, fans will be entertained by a dragon and lion dance, and post-game fireworks.

Individual game tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations and the Scotiabank Saddledome box office.  Order online at www.ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 1-855-985-5000.  For more ticket information, call customer service at 403-777-4646 or visit www.hitmenhockey.com.

                                   Pats Goalie Daniel Wapple - Photo Credit: Regina Pats

Calgary Hitmen 4 at Regina Pats 5 (SO)
Saturday, February 22, 2014 - Brandt Centre - Regina, SK

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

1st Period
1, Regina, Klimchuk 24   3:53 (SH).
2, Calgary, Rankin 18 (Roach, Harmsworth), 5:11 (PP).
3, Regina, Stevenson 29 (Williams, Klimchuk), 6:52.
4, Regina, Sinitsyn 6 (Stephenson, Williams), 19:58 (PP).
Penalties-Brassart Cal (roughing), 2:13; Stevenson Reg (roughing), 2:13; Christoffer Reg (high sticking), 3:17; Peterson Cal (delay of game), 7:17; Williams Reg (slashing), 13:28; Zgraggen Reg (tripping), 16:53; Rissling Cal (major-fighting), 18:02; Burroughs Reg (major-fighting), 18:02; Sanheim Cal (hooking), 18:40.

2nd Period
5, Calgary, Tambellini 15 (Brassart), 10:20 (PP).
6, Regina, Klimchuk 25 (Stephenson), 13:55 (PP).
Penalties-Zgraggen Reg (tripping), 0:31; Peterson Cal (holding), 3:25; McVeigh Reg (hooking), 7:46; Williams Reg (roughing), 9:27; Rissling Cal (interference), 12:58.

3rd Period
7, Calgary, Brassart 31 (Chase, Helgesen), 4:27.
8, Calgary, Virtanen 40 (Helgesen, Sanheim), 13:23 (PP).
Penalties-Thomas Cal (tripping), 1:48; Hansen Reg (checking from behind), 4:49; Burroughs Reg (cross checking), 11:58.

OT Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-No Penalties

Shootout
Calgary 1 (Tambellini NG, Padakin NG, Chase NG, Virtanen NG, Brassart NG, Rankin NG, Lang NG, Rissling G, Thomas NG),
Regina 2 (Klimchuk NG, Stevenson NG, Stephenson NG, Gay NG, Kammerer NG, Sinitsyn NG, Hansen NG, McVeigh G, Williams G).

Shots on Goal
Calgary 14-9-22-4-0-49. Regina 13-10-5-2-1-31.

Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 3 / 8; Regina 2 / 5.

Goalies
Calgary, Driedger 22-13-3-4 (30 shots-26 saves). Regina, Wapple 23-12-1-1 (49 shots-45 saves).

A-4,280

Referees-Adam Byblow (23), Mike Campbell (89).
Linesmen-Curtis Funk (117), Ryan Lundquist (106).

Hitmen 5 Wheat Kings 4

Jake Virtanen had a goal and two assists leading the Calgary Hitmen to a 5-4 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings Friday night at Westman Place.

Connor Rankin and Kenton Helgesen both had a goal and an assist for the Hitmen who extended their season high winning streak to nine games.

Elliott Peterson and Adam Tambellini also scored for Calgary who built period leads of 2-0 and 3-1.

Brady Brassart had an assist to extend his career high point scoring streak to 12 games while Chris Driedger made 25 saves to pick up the win in goal.

Jayce Hawryluk, Jesse Gabrielle, Quinton Lisoway and Ryan Pulock replied for Brandon who was outshot 44-29.

The victory improves Calgary’s record to 41-15-3-3 as they remain tied with the Edmonton Oil Kings for first place in the Western Hockey League Eastern Conference.  Both clubs have 88 points.

The Hitmen will now wrap up their East Division road trip tomorrow night Regina against the Pats. 

Calgary Hitmen 5 at Brandon Wheat Kings 4
Friday, February 21, 2014 - Westman Place - Brandon, MB

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

1st Period
1, Calgary, Helgesen 8 (Thomas, Virtanen), 4:07 (PP).
2, Calgary, Peterson 10 (Roach, Helgesen), 18:36.
Penalties-Robinson Bdn (hooking), 2:46; Roy Bdn (tripping), 16:01; Bukarts Bdn (high sticking), 18:42.

2nd Period
3, Calgary, Virtanen 39 (Rankin), 2:36.
4, Brandon, Hawryluk 18 (Pankewicz, Roy), 6:35 (PP).
Penalties-Peterson Cal (holding), 5:06; Chase Cal (slashing, unsportsmanlike cnd.), 12:26.

3rd Period
5, Brandon, Gabrielle 9 (Hawryluk, Quenneville), 3:28.
6, Calgary, Tambellini 14 (Thomas), 6:16.
7, Brandon, Lisoway 8   9:19 (SH).
8, Calgary, Rankin 17 (Virtanen, Brassart), 11:06.
9, Brandon, Pulock 19 (Pankewicz, McGauley), 15:33. Penalties-Pankewicz Bdn (interference), 6:29; McGauley Bdn (tripping), 7:24; Peterson Cal (delay of game), 16:31; Rissling Cal (hooking), 19:48.

Shots on Goal
Calgary 19-12-13-44. Brandon 7-5-17-29.

Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 1 / 5; Brandon 1 / 5.

Goalies

Calgary, Driedger 22-13-3-4 (29 shots-25 saves). Brandon, Papirny 19-12-4-2 (44 shots-39 saves).

A-3,703

Referees-Steve Papp (17), Colin Watt (72).
Linesmen-Bryden Hutlet (114), Sean Dufour (50).

Hitmen 6 Moose Jaw 4

The Calgary Hitmen extended their season high winning streak to eight games with a 6-4 victory over the Moose Jaw Warriors Wednesday night at Mosaic Place.

The win also clinched a playoff spot for Calgary for the third season in a row and the 16th time in their 19 year franchise history.  

Jake Virtanen and Pavel Padakin both scored twice for the Hitmen while Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson added singles.

Brady Brassart had three assists to extend his career high point scoring streak to 11 games while Jaynen Rissling and Joe Mahon both had assists extending their career high point streaks as well. 

Rissling’s is now at six games with Mahon’s at five.

Colton McCarthy had a pair of goals for Moose Jaw who got singles from Brayden Point, and Jack Rodewald.

The victory improves Calgary’s record to 40-15-3-3.

The Hitmen continue their East Division road trip Friday in Brandon before the conclusion Saturday in Regina. 
                        
                                                     Photo Credit:  Stephen Simon

Calgary Hitmen 6 at Moose Jaw Warriors 4
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 - Mosaic Place - Moose Jaw, SK

Calgary 2 2 2 - 6
Moose Jaw 1 0 3 - 4

1st Period
1, Moose Jaw, Point 27 (Jensen, Johnson), 8:53.
2, Calgary, Virtanen 37 (Rissling, Padakin), 9:08.
3, Calgary, Roach 9 (Sanheim, Thomas), 15:35 (PP).
Penalties-Peterson Cal (holding), 10:30; Point M.j (hooking), 14:18.

2nd Period
4, Calgary, Padakin 23 (Lang, Mahon), 5:48.
5, Calgary, Virtanen 38 (Brassart), 19:34.
Penalties-Valentine M.j (tripping), 7:26; Sleptsov M.j (delay of game), 8:11; Virtanen Cal (inter. on goaltender), 10:10; Peterson Cal (cross checking), 12:43.

3rd Period
6, Moose Jaw, McCarthy 3 (Point), 2:15.
7, Moose Jaw, Rodewald 21 (Point, Eberle), 10:09 (PP).
8, Calgary, Peterson 9 (Chase, Helgesen), 15:30.
9, Calgary, Padakin 24 (Brassart, Rissling), 18:57 (SH EN). 10, Moose Jaw, McCarthy 4 (Zalitach, Valentine), 19:36 (PP). Penalties-Virtanen Cal (charging), 7:35; Cooke M.j (cross checking), 7:35; Lang Cal (slashing), 8:52; Virtanen Cal (roughing), 18:47.

Shots on Goal
Calgary 9-15-14-38. Moose Jaw 14-11-10-35.

Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 1 / 3; Moose Jaw 2 / 5.

Goalies
Calgary, Shields 19-2-0-0 (35 shots-31 saves). Moose Jaw, Paulic 9-27-3-5 (24 shots-20 saves); Sawchenko 6-10-0-1 (13 shots-12 saves).

A-3,246

Referees-Patrick Gagnon (71), Trevor Peluk (79).
Linesmen-Noah Roellchen-Pfohl (120), Shane Smith (123).

Hitmen 7 Rebels 1

Brady Brassart scored a hat-trick leading the Calgary Hitmen to a 7-1 win over the Red Deer Rebels on Family Day Monday.

The win extends Calgary winning streak to seven games, tying a season high.

Joe Mahon had a pair of goals for Calgary who also got singles from Adam Tambellini and Greg Chase. 

Adam Musil scored the lone goal for Red Deer who outshot the Hitmen 40-38.

Mack Shields made 39 saves in the Calgary net to pick up the win.

                                              Photo Credit:  Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Red Deer Rebels 1 at Calgary Hitmen 7
Monday, February 17, 2014 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Red Deer 0 1 0 - 1
Calgary 2 2 3 - 7

1st Period
1, Calgary, Brassart 28 (Chase, Tambellini), 4:28 (PP).
2, Calgary, Tambellini 13 (Chase, Sanheim), 16:54 (PP).
Penalties-Mpofu R.d (major-fighting), 2:20; Harmsworth Cal (major-fighting), 2:20; Sutter R.d (high sticking), 3:03; Maxwell R.d (high sticking), 3:59; Fafard R.d (roughing), 6:36; Mahon Cal (roughing), 6:36; Padakin Cal (tripping), 11:43; Gaudet R.d (roughing), 15:38.

2nd Period
3, Red Deer, Musil 7 (Dieno, Maxwell), 5:34 (PP).
4, Calgary, Mahon 6 (Lang, Sanheim), 10:00.
5, Calgary, Brassart 29 (Sanheim, Virtanen), 11:25.
Penalties-Johnson R.d (roughing), 3:13; Peterson Cal (high sticking), 3:13; Thomas Cal (roughing), 3:13; Roach Cal (cross checking), 4:03; Sutter R.d (roughing), 6:10; Brassart Cal (roughing), 6:10; Charif R.d (roughing), 10:05; Babych Cal (roughing), 10:05; Zipp Cal (holding), 11:40; Gaudet R.d (slashing), 15:51; Charif R.d (hooking), 19:05.

3rd Period
6, Calgary, Brassart 30 (Tambellini, Sanheim), 11:37 (PP).
7, Calgary, Chase 31 (Sanheim, Tambellini), 16:10 (PP).
8, Calgary, Mahon 7 (Lang, Hyman), 16:59.
Penalties-Brassart Cal (interference), 8:35; Polei R.d (interference), 10:25; Bleackley R.d (slashing), 14:39; Dixon R.d (10-minute misconduct), 17:28; Sterzer R.d (roughing), 18:46.

Shots on Goal
Red Deer 11-20-9-40. Calgary 20-9-9-38.

Power Play Opportunities
Red Deer 1 / 5; Calgary 4 / 8.

Goalies
Red Deer, Bartosak 27-24-1-3 (35 shots-29 saves); Burman 2-6-0-0 (3 shots-2 saves). Calgary, Shields 19-2-0-0 (40 shots-39 saves).

A-9,424

Referees-Jonathan Spurgeon (7), Derek Zalaski (8).
Linesmen-Aidan Henderson (78), Justin Slimm (105).

Sunday 16 February 2014

Hitmen 8 Hurricanes 1

Adam Tambellini scored his first career hat-trick powering the Calgary Hitmen to an 8-1 win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes Saturday night at Enmax Centre.

The victory moves the Hitmen into a tie for first place in the Western Hockey League Eastern Conference with the Edmonton Oil Kings at 82 points.

Alex Roach had a pair of goals for Calgary who got singles from Chase Lang, Pavel Padakin and Jake Virtanen.

Travis Sanheim picked up three assists for the Hitmen who have now won six games in a row.

Brady Brassart extended his career high point scoring streak to nine games with a first period assist.
Giorgio Estephan was the only Hurricane to beat Mack Shields who made 29 saves in the Hitmen net.

The victory improves Calgary’s record to 37-15-3-3.

The Hitmen will now return home to host the Red Deer Rebels on Monday.  Game time is 4:00 pm at Scotiabank Saddledome.  Fans are encouraged to bring their helmet and skates on Monday for a family-friendly skate following the Co-op Family Day game.   

Individual game tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations and the Scotiabank Saddledome box office.  Order online at www.ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 1-855-985-5000.  For more ticket information, call customer service at 403-777-4646 or visit www.hitmenhockey.com.

                                                          Warm-ups in Lethbridge

Calgary Hitmen 8 at Lethbridge Hurricanes 1
Saturday, February 15, 2014 - Enmax Centre - Lethbridge, AB

Calgary 3 3 2 - 8
Lethbridge 0 0 1 - 1

1st Period
1, Calgary, Roach 7 (Brassart, Chase), 2:23 (PP).
2, Calgary, Padakin 22 (Thomas, Rankin), 11:09 (PP).
3, Calgary, Tambellini 10 (Sanheim, Roach), 18:00.
Penalties-Bell Let (hooking), 1:47; Duke Let (tripping), 6:47; Lang Cal (roughing), 10:03; Amson Let (roughing), 10:03; Ramsay Let (roughing), 10:03; Babych Cal (hooking), 15:14; Cooper Let (high sticking), 18:52.

2nd Period
4, Calgary, Lang 10 (Padakin, Mahon), 8:11.
5, Calgary, Roach 8 (Lang, Virtanen), 9:14.
6, Calgary, Virtanen 36 (Sanheim), 10:53.
Penalties-Peterson Cal (cross checking), 8:25; Walters Let (cross checking), 8:25; Rankin Cal (hooking), 13:14; Thomas Cal (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 18:54; Ramsay Let (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 18:54; Sheen Let (cross checking), 20:00.

3rd Period
7, Calgary, Tambellini 11 (Chase, Brassart), 0:58 (PP).
8, Calgary, Tambellini 12 (Peterson, Sanheim), 10:03 (PP).
9, Lethbridge, Estephan 10 (Khenkel), 16:14.
Penalties-Folk Let (cross checking), 1:24; Mahon Cal (10-minute misconduct), 3:44; Virtanen Cal (10-minute misconduct), 3:44; Folk Let (10-minute misconduct), 3:44; Padakin Cal (10-minute misconduct), 6:38; Erkamps Let (major-kneeing, game misconduct), 6:38; Roach Cal (holding), 15:10; Sayers Let (slashing), 15:58.

Shots on Goal
Calgary 12-11-24-47. Lethbridge 9-12-9-30.
Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 4 / 8; Lethbridge 0 / 3.
Goalies
Calgary, Shields 17-2-0-0 (30 shots-29 saves). Lethbridge, Sacher 4-7-0-1 (42 shots-37 saves); Hogue 2-9-0-0 (5 shots-2 saves).
A-3,622
Referees-Jason Cramer (57), Kevin Webinger (6).
Linesmen-Reid Anderson (53), Cory Lundquist (128).

Hitmen 6 Blades 5 OT

Alex Roach scored his second goal of the night, 11 seconds into overtime, lifting the Calgary Hitmen to a 6-5 win over the Saskatoon Blades.

Cal Babych, Pavel Padakin, Chase Lang and Greg Chase also scored for Calgary in a game that produced several lead changes. 

The Hitmen built a 2-0 first period advantage but then trailed 3-2 after 40 minutes. 

After Calgary pulled ahead in the third period, Saskatoon would eventually force overtime when Cameron Hebig netted the tying goal with 2:30 remaining. 

The Hitmen outshot the Blades 49-24.

                                            Photo Credit: Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Saskatoon Blades 5 at Calgary Hitmen 6 (OT)
Friday, February 14, 2014 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

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

1st Period
1, Calgary, Babych 3 (Draude, Lang), 14:08.
2, Calgary, Padakin 21 (Mahon, Helgesen), 18:23.
Penalties-Kirichenko Sas (interference), 8:27; Mahon Cal (hooking), 19:48.

2nd Period
3, Saskatoon, Busenius 9 (Johnston, Hebig), 0:53 (PP).
4, Saskatoon, Nemecek 4 (Zajac, Lipon), 13:16.
5, Saskatoon, Clayton 7 (Stovin, Zajac), 16:08.
Penalties-Peterson Cal (interference), 1:05; Busenius Sas (roughing), 6:24; Padakin Cal (roughing), 6:24; Rissling Cal (roughing), 7:26; Kirichenko Sas (interference), 17:43.

3rd Period
6, Calgary, Lang 9 (Padakin, Sanheim), 1:51.
7, Saskatoon, Scherbak 26 (Graham), 8:56.
8, Calgary, Roach 5 (Brassart, Chase), 11:07 (PP).
9, Calgary, Chase 30 (Rissling, Brassart), 15:21 (PP).
10, Saskatoon, Hebig 11 (Graham, Scherbak), 17:30.
Penalties-Millar Sas (high sticking, high sticking), 8:59; Lang Cal (hooking), 11:53; Kirichenko Sas (roughing), 15:03.

OT Period
11, Calgary, Roach 6 (Chase, Rissling), 0:11.
Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal
Saskatoon 7-11-6-0-24. Calgary 16-14-18-1-49.
Power Play Opportunities
Saskatoon 1 / 4; Calgary 2 / 5.
Goalies
Saskatoon, Trombley 9-21-1-2 (49 shots-43 saves). Calgary, Shields 17-2-0-0 (24 shots-19 saves).
A-8,230
Referees-Tyler Adair (58), Adam Griffiths (36).
Linesmen-Sean Donnelly (109), Cory Lundquist (128).

Hitmen 7 Raiders 2

The Calgary Hitmen opened a two game home stand with a 7-2 win over the Prince Albert Raiders.

Brady Brassart (2g-2a) and Connor Rankin (4a) led the charge with four points each as the Hitmen erased a 2-1 first period deficit.  Rankin finished the game a career high +6.

Jake Virtanen also score twice for Calgary while Adam Tambellini, Pavel Padakin and Joe Mahon added singles.

                                           Photo Credit: Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Prince Albert Raiders 2 at Calgary Hitmen 7
Tuesday, February 11, 2014 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Prince Albert 2 0 0 - 2
Calgary 2 2 3 - 7

1st Period
1, Prince Albert, Morrissey 20 (Draisaitl, Conroy), 0:34 (PP).
2, Calgary, Tambellini 9 (Brassart, Thomas), 7:37 (PP).
3, Prince Albert, Lange 6 (Braid, Danyluk), 14:25.
4, Calgary, Virtanen 34 (Rankin, Rissling), 18:23.
Penalties-Brassart Cal (cross checking), 0:26; Valcourt P.a (interference), 6:07; Lange P.a (hooking), 10:59.

2nd Period
5, Calgary, Padakin 20 (Virtanen, Rankin), 3:57.
6, Calgary, Mahon 5   14:20.
Penalties-Mahon Cal (interference), 5:47; Coghlan P.a (slashing), 10:33; Roach Cal (interference), 15:05; Tambellini Cal (tripping), 18:58.

3rd Period
7, Calgary, Virtanen 35 (Brassart, Roach), 9:46.
8, Calgary, Brassart 26 (Rankin, Helgesen), 15:39.
9, Calgary, Brassart 27 (Chase, Rankin), 18:21.
Penalties-Perreaux P.a (kneeing), 19:16.

Shots on Goal
Prince Albert 12-9-2-23. Calgary 18-7-11-36.
Power Play Opportunities
Prince Albert 1 / 4; Calgary 1 / 4.
Goalies
Prince Albert, Cheveldave 21-21-2-1 (36 shots-29 saves). Calgary, Shields 17-2-0-0 (23 shots-21 saves).
A-7,086
Referees-Clayton Hall (42), Jon Stephenson (38).
Linesmen-Justin Slimm (105), Jared Mackey (52).

Sunday 9 February 2014

Hitmen 3 Blazers 0

Mack Shields made 26 saves for his first shutout of the season and third of his career as the Calgary Hitmen blanked the Kamloops Blazers 3-0 Saturday night at Interior Savings Centre.

Jaynen Rissling Kenton Helgesen and Adam Tambellini provided the scoring helping Calgary produce their third straight win on the road to finish their BC road trip at 3-2.

Brady Brassart had a pair of assists to extending his point streak to six games while Colby Harmsworth notched a milestone playing in his 100th career regular season contest.

The Calgary powerplay entered the game having scored six goals in the previous three games and they continued their strong play with the extra attack on this night producing a pair of powerplay goals.

The victory improves the Hitmen record to 35-15-3-3.  They remain third in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with 76 points.

Calgary will now open a two game home stand starting Tuesday night against the Prince Albert Raiders before hosting the Saskatoon Blades on Friday.  Both are 7:00 p.m. starts at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Calgary Hitmen 3 at Kamloops Blazers 0
Saturday, February 8, 2014 - Interior Savings Centre - Kamloops, BC

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

1st Period
1, Calgary, Rissling 8 (Brassart, Tambellini), 17:30 (PP).
Penalties-Thomas Kam (tripping), 12:32; Grist Kam (roughing), 16:29.

2nd Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Helgesen Cal (tripping), 5:01; Roach Cal (holding), 10:43; Douglas Kam (interference), 17:46.

3rd Period
2, Calgary, Helgesen 7 (Peterson, Harmsworth), 8:46.
3, Calgary, Tambellini 8 (Brassart, Padakin), 12:51 (PP).
Penalties-Grist Kam (delay of game), 2:52; Rehill Kam (kneeing), 5:33; Grist Kam (interference), 11:36; Bolduc Kam (elbowing), 13:53; Harlacher Kam (boarding), 16:41.

Shots on Goal
Calgary 8-11-12-31. Kamloops 8-12-6-26.

Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 2 / 8; Kamloops 0 / 2.

Goalies
Calgary, Shields 14-2-0-0 (26 shots-26 saves). Kamloops, Pouliot 6-19-0-2 (31 shots-28 saves).

A-4,002
Referees-Fraser Lawrence (10), Chris Schlenker (90).
Linesmen-Jacob Hill (122), Ward Pateman (124).

Hitmen 5 Giants 0

Chris Driedger made 44 saves for his third shutout of the season and eighth of his career as the Calgary Hitmen beat the Vancouver Giants 5-0 Friday night at Pacific Coliseum.

Adam Tambellini scored twice, both on the powerplay, while Brady Brassart, Jake Virtanen and Chase Lang added singles.  Brassart’s goal extended his goal scoring streak to five games, tying a season high.

Jaynen Rissling and Greg Chase both had two assists for Calgary who built period leads of 1-0 and 3-0.

Special teams played a major factor as the Hitmen went 3-5 on the powerplay while killing all nine chances for the Giants including a pair of 5-on-3’s.

The victory improves the Hitmen record to 34-15-3-3, good for third place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with 74 points.

Calgary will now wrap up their five game BC road trip tomorrow night in Kamloops before returning home to host Prince Albert on Tuesday and Saskatoon next Friday.  Both are 7:00 p.m. starts at Scotiabank Saddledome.

                                                     Photo Credit: ClintTrahan.com

Calgary Hitmen 5 at Vancouver Giants 0
Friday, February 7, 2014 - Pacific Coliseum - Vancouver, BC

Calgary 1 2 2 - 5
Vancouver 0 0 0 - 0

1st Period
1, Calgary, Brassart 25 (Rissling, Roach), 12:01.
Penalties-Traber Van (roughing), 3:44; Rankin Cal (roughing), 16:48; Roach Cal (delay of game), 17:35; served by Malenstyn Cal (too many men), 19:39.

2nd Period
2, Calgary, Virtanen 33 (Sanheim, Helgesen), 7:05 (PP).
3, Calgary, Tambellini 6 (Rissling, Chase), 16:19 (PP).
Penalties-Trzonkowski Van (tripping), 5:17; Osipov Van (interference), 7:56; Dosanjh Van (tripping), 15:24; Roach Cal (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 16:19; Geertsen Van (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 16:19; Harmsworth Cal (high sticking), 19:14.

3rd Period
4, Calgary, Tambellini 7 (Brassart, Chase), 14:47 (PP).
5, Calgary, Lang 8 (Padakin, Helgesen), 19:54.
Penalties-Rissling Cal (roughing), 5:30; Tambellini Cal (holding), 9:14; Lang Cal (tripping), 9:35; Hamilton Van (holding), 14:08; Brassart Cal (tripping), 16:02.

Shots on Goal
Calgary 10-11-8-29. Vancouver 10-10-24-44.

Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 3 / 5; Vancouver 0 / 9.

Goalies
Calgary, Driedger 21-13-3-3 (44 shots-44 saves). Vancouver, Rathjen 11-5-3-1 (21 shots-18 saves); Lee 16-16-3-2 (8 shots-6 saves).

A-5,005
Referees-Mike Campbell (89), Brett Iverson (24).
Linesmen-Justin Hull (49), Nathan Van Oosten (115).

Hitmen 7 Royals 6 OT

Pavel Padakin scored his second goal of the night on a breakaway 1:26 into sudden death lifting the Calgary Hitmen to a 7-6 overtime win over the Victoria Royals Wednesday night at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

The victory completed a monumental comeback for the Hitmen who trailed 5-1 just past the midway mark of the second period.

Jaynen Rissling, Chase Lang, Brady Brassart, Adam Tambellini and Mike Winther also scored for Calgary.  It was Wither’s goal that tied the game with just less than eight minutes remaining in the third period.

Greg Chase chipped in a pair of assists for Calgary who earned a split of this back-to-back set with the Royals on Vancouver Island. 

Ben Walker scored twice for Victoria who got singles from Austin Carroll, Alex Blomqvist, Logan Fisher, and Steven Hodges.

The Royals outshot Calgary 44-35 with Mack Shields picking up the win in goal.

The victory improves the Hitmen record to 32-15-3-3, good for third place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with 72 points.

Calgary now head to Vancouver to play the Giants Friday night before wrapping up their BC road trip Saturday in Kamloops.

Calgary Hitmen 7 at Victoria Royals 6 OT
Wednesday, February 5, 2014 - Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena - Victoria, BC

Calgary 0 3 3 1 - 7
Victoria 3 2 1 0 - 6

1st Period
1, Victoria, Walker 21 (Brown, Hicketts), 7:28 (PP).
2, Victoria, Carroll 26 (Walker, Hicketts), 16:40 (PP).
3, Victoria, Blomqvist 19 (Fransoo, Fushimi), 19:46 (PP).
Penalties-Virtanen Cal (roughing), 4:30; Hodges Vic (interference, roughing), 4:30; Rissling Cal (cross checking), 7:12; Roach Cal (roughing), 16:09; Chase Cal (roughing), 18:21.

2nd Period
4, Calgary, Padakin 18 (Shields), 1:36.
5, Victoria, Fisher 5 (Crunk, Skapski), 3:20.
6, Victoria, Walker 22 (Carroll), 10:52.
7, Calgary, Rissling 7 (Chase, Tambellini), 14:06 (PP).
8, Calgary, Lang 7 (Padakin, Draude), 18:19.
Penalties-Brassart Cal (hooking), 7:37; Brown Vic (roughing), 14:00.

3rd Period
9, Victoria, Hodges 14 (Magee), 4:19.
10, Calgary, Brassart 24 (Roach, Malenstyn), 5:03.
11, Calgary, Tambellini 5 (Rissling, Roach), 6:36 (PP).
12, Calgary, Winther 6 (Chase, Brassart), 12:23.
Penalties-Fransoo Vic (boarding), 1:40; Hodges Vic (hooking), 6:22; Lang Cal (tripping), 7:18; Walker Vic (slashing), 15:02.

OT Period
13, Calgary, Padakin 19   1:26. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal
Calgary 11-7-16-1-35. Victoria 15-16-12-1-44.

Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 2 / 5; Victoria 3 / 5.

Goalies
Calgary, Shields 14-2-0-0 (44 shots-38 saves). Victoria, Vollrath 17-5-1-1 (35 shots-28 saves).

A-4,413
Referees-Adam Griffiths (36), Pat Smith (12).
Linesmen-Riley Friesen (76), Kirk Van Helvoirt (107).

Royals 7 Hitmen 2

The Victoria Royals scored two goals 51 seconds apart late in the second period to erase a 2-1 deficit and never looked back in a 7-2 win over the Calgary Hitmen Tuesday night at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.

Austin Carroll had a hat-trick to power the Royals who got singles from Alex Blomqvist, Logan Nelson, Braden Oleksyn and Logan Fisher.

Connor Rankin and Brady Brassart netted goals for Calgary.  For Brassart it was his 100th career regular season marker in the Western Hockey League.

Victoria outshot the Hitmen 46-26 to win the first half of back-to-back games between the two clubs.

The rematch goes tomorrow night in the BC capital as the Hitmen look for their first win on the road trip following an 0-2 start.

                                                           Photo Credit:  Jon Howe

Calgary Hitmen 2 at Victoria Royals 7
Tuesday, February 4, 2014 - Save-On-Foods Memorial Arena - Victoria, BC

Calgary 2 0 0 - 2
Victoria 1 2 4 - 7

1st Period
1, Calgary, Rankin 16 (Zipp, Lang), 12:17.
2, Victoria, Blomqvist 18 (Hodges, Fransoo), 16:35.
3, Calgary, Brassart 23 (Chase, Thomas), 19:31 (PP).
Penalties-Nelson Vic (charging), 18:18.

2nd Period
4, Victoria, Carroll 23 (Nelson, Walker), 18:46.
5, Victoria, Nelson 17 (Blomqvist), 19:37.
Penalties-Rissling Cal (elbowing), 4:26; Hodges Vic (cross checking), 5:00; Virtanen Cal (hooking), 9:09; Rissling Cal (major-fighting), 11:29; Kanzig Vic (major-fighting), 11:29; Virtanen Cal (checking from behind), 13:37.

3rd Period
6, Victoria, Carroll 24 (Hicketts, Hodges), 3:46.
7, Victoria, Oleksyn 1 (Soy, Walker), 5:19.
8, Victoria, Fisher 4 (Crunk, Fushimi), 8:11.
9, Victoria, Carroll 25 (Soy, Fransoo), 15:03 (PP).
Penalties-Rissling Cal (holding), 10:07; Brassart Cal (slashing), 14:32; Rankin Cal (high sticking), 18:27.

Shots on Goal
Calgary 9-7-10-26. Victoria 11-20-15-46.

Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 1 / 2; Victoria 1 / 6.

Goalies
Calgary, Driedger 21-13-3-3 (39 shots-33 saves); Shields 14-2-0-0 (7 shots-6 saves). Victoria, Vollrath 17-5-1-1 (26 shots-24 saves).

A-4,031
Referees-Curtis Marouelli (86), Derek Zalaski (8).
Linesmen-Tim Digby (75), Ryan Gibbons (73).

Ice 5 Hitmen 2

The Calgary Hitmen jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead, but could not hold on falling 5-2 to the Kootenay Ice in Cranbrook.

Chris Driedger opened the score for Calgary getting credit for an Ice own goal when an offensive zone Kootenay pass to the blue line missed the defence and went all the way down into an empty net on a delayed penalty call.  Driedger becomes just the sixth goalie in WHL history, the first in 10 years, to score a goal.

Brady Brassart also scored for Calgary before the Ice roared back scoring two in the second and three more times in the third period including a pair of goals into an empty net.

Kootenay is now a perfect 3-0 on home ice against the Hitmen this season.

Calgary Hitmen 2 at Kootenay Ice 5
Saturday, February 1, 2014 - Western Financial Place - Cranbrook, BC
Calgary 2 0 0 - 2
Kootenay 0 2 3 - 5

1st Period
1, Calgary, Driedger 1   5:45 (EN).
2, Calgary, Brassart 22 (Padakin), 5:54 (SH).
Penalties-Virtanen Cal (charging), 5:45; Franko Ktn (hooking), 7:46; Steenbergen Ktn (slashing), 17:43.

2nd Period
3, Kootenay, Bozon 22 (Descheneau, Reinhart), 3:48.
4, Kootenay, Vetterl 9 (Franko, Dirk), 13:56.
Penalties-Virtanen Cal (inter. on goaltender), 4:37; Mahon Cal (major-fighting, game misconduct), 11:57; Martin Ktn (major-fighting), 11:57.

3rd Period
5, Kootenay, Bozon 23 (Reinhart, Cross), 1:13.
6, Kootenay, Descheneau 31 (Cable, Reinhart), 19:08 (EN).
7, Kootenay, Vetterl 10 (Peel), 19:51 (EN).
Penalties-Dirk Ktn (holding), 1:48; Brassart Cal (slashing), 2:19; Virtanen Cal (tripping), 2:37; Brassart Cal (cross checking), 4:46; Brassart Cal (tripping), 12:50; Virtanen Cal (delay of game), 15:14; Rissling Cal (high sticking), 15:58.

Shots on Goal
Calgary 8-11-4-23. Kootenay 5-14-12-31.

Power Play Opportunities
Calgary 0 / 3; Kootenay 0 / 8.

Goalies
Calgary, Driedger 21-13-3-3 (29 shots-26 saves). Kootenay, Skapski 20-13-2-1 (22 shots-21 saves).

A-2,449
Referees-Brett Iverson (24), Fraser Lawrence (10).
Linesmen-Jared Mackey (52), Justin Slimm (105).

Hitmen 7 Wheat Kings 4

The Calgary Hitmen got goals from seven different players in a 7-4 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Greg Chase led all Hitmen with three points, scoring once and setting up two others.

Chris Driedger made 27 saves to pass Martin Jones for the franchise record for most regular season saves in a career.  Jones finished his time in Calgary with 3,374 stops.

The victory also snapped a four game winless slide for the Hitmen who will now play their next five games on the road.

                                            Photo Credit:  Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Brandon Wheat Kings 4 at Calgary Hitmen 7
Friday, January 31, 2014 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

Brandon 0 3 1 - 4
Calgary 3 0 4 - 7

1st Period
1, Calgary, Brassart 21 (Padakin), 0:38.
2, Calgary, Virtanen 32   12:25.
3, Calgary, Lang 6 (Winther, Thomas), 19:09 (PP).
Penalties-Helgesen Cal (slashing), 6:20; Mahon Cal (cross checking), 14:20; Lang Cal (tripping), 15:09; Pilon Bdn (interference), 18:35.

2nd Period
4, Brandon, Lindgren 8 (Coulter), 11:40.
5, Brandon, Roy 7 (McGauley, Quenneville), 15:14.
6, Brandon, Lisoway 5 (Lindgren, Hunter), 19:56.
Penalties-Lang Cal (hooking), 1:28; Green Bdn (major-fighting), 9:20; McGauley Bdn (roughing, roughing), 9:20; Lang Cal (roughing), 9:20; Mahon Cal (major-fighting), 9:20; Roach Cal (roughing), 17:25.

3rd Period
7, Calgary, Chase 29 (Tambellini, Virtanen), 5:32.
8, Calgary, Tambellini 4 (Brassart, Padakin), 12:26.
9, Calgary, Thomas 5 (Chase), 14:29.
10, Brandon, Hawryluk 15 (Lindgren, McGauley), 19:11 (PP).
11, Calgary, Rankin 15 (Winther, Chase), 19:37.
Penalties-Coulter Bdn (boarding), 3:28; Brassart Cal (interference), 18:03.

Shots on Goal
Brandon 12-12-7-31. Calgary 12-13-17-42.

Power Play Opportunities
Brandon 1 / 6; Calgary 1 / 3.

Goalies
Brandon, Honey 10-10-2-0 (42 shots-35 saves). Calgary, Driedger 21-13-3-3 (31 shots-27 saves).

A-8,934
Referees-Clayton Hall (42), Brett Iverson (24).
Linesmen-Cory Lundquist (128), Scott Sharun (103).

Americans 4 Hitmen 1

Winnipeg Jets prospect Eric Comrie made 39 saves at the Tri-City Americans beat the Calgary Hitmen in their lone meeting of the season.

The game was scoreless headed to the third period before the Hitmen struck first when Greg Chase counted his 28th goal of the season.

But it was all Americans after that scoring four unanswered goals, including one into an empty net, en route to victory.

The loss drops the Hitmen record to 0-3-1-0 in their last four games.

                                          Photo Credit:  Brad Watson - Calgary Hitmen

Tri-City Americans 4 at Calgary Hitmen 1
Wednesday, January 29, 2014 - Scotiabank Saddledome - Calgary, AB

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

1st Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Helgesen Cal (interference), 12:12; Plutnar T.c (holding), 16:29; Chase Cal (roughing), 18:20.

2nd Period
No Scoring.
Penalties-Virtanen Cal (interference), 0:45; Wotherspoon T.c (hooking), 5:09; McAndrews T.c (inter. on goaltender), 10:38; Chase Cal (holding), 12:59.

3rd Period
1, Calgary, Chase 28 (Helgesen), 1:24.
2, Tri-City, Williams 30 (Carlo), 3:04.
3, Tri-City, Purtill 8 (Nickles, Tot), 11:34.
4, Tri-City, Comrie 3 (Tot), 16:46.
5, Tri-City, Williams 31 (McCue), 19:20 (EN).
Penalties-McCue T.c (boarding), 6:57; Zipp Cal (delay of game), 13:52.

Shots on Goal
Tri-City 10-5-16-31. Calgary 12-16-12-40.
Power Play Opportunities
Tri-City 0 / 5; Calgary 0 / 4.
Goalies
Tri-City, Comrie 23-19-2-3 (40 shots-39 saves). Calgary, Shields 14-2-0-0 (30 shots-27 saves).
A-6,462
Referees-Matt Kirk (4), Jonathan Spurgeon (7).
Linesmen-Jared Mackey (52), Justin Slimm (105).