Blades Challenge Hitmen at Home

Category: ArticleNovember 27, 2009

Head-to-Head
rThe Blades and Hitmen met up on October 17^th at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary. Stefan Elliott (North Vancouver, BC), Curtis Hamilton (Kelowna, BC), Jeremy Boyer (Saskatoon, SK), Brent Benson (Weyburn, SK), and Gaelan Patterson (Saskatoon, SK) bulged the twine as the Blades skated away with a 5-1 victory. Tyler Fiddler replied for the Hitmen. Adam Morrison (White Rock, BC) got the call between the pipes for the Blades and made 23 saves in the win. Michael Snider turned aside 26 shots in defeat for the Hitmen.

Saskatoon Blades
rThe Blades (20-3-0-3, 43 points, 1^st in East Division, 1^st in Eastern Conference) get back to action one night after defeating the Lethbridge Hurricanes 3-2 in a shootout on home ice. Boyer and Walker Wintoneak (Flin Flon, MB) scored for the Blades in regulation while Derek Hulak (Saskatoon, SK) sealed the win in the shootout. Steven Stanford (Calgary, AB) made 23 saves in goal to claim the victory.

Hulak leads the Blades in scoring on the season with 12 goals and 21 assists for 33 points. Wintoneak is second with 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points. Elliott, tied for second among WHL defensemen, is third in team scoring with 9 goals and 17 assists for 26 points.

Wintoneak, following his goal last evening, now has 14 markers on the season to lead the team.

Randy McNaught (Nanaimo, BC) has moved back atop the Western Hockey League penalty minutes list with 89 minutes on the season. Darian Dziurzynski (Lloydminster, AB) is sixth in the league with 76 penalty minutes.

Five Blades remain near the top of the WHL plus/minus list – Elliott (T-2^nd – +22), Sam Klassen (Watrous, SK) (T-2^nd – +22), Wintoneak (4^th – +21), Hulak (T-5^th – +20), and Patterson (T-5^th – +20).

Morrison, with 16 games played this season, leads the team in appearances between the pipes and has put together a 10-3-0-3 record with a 2.40 goals against average (4^th in the WHL), and a .918 save percentage (5^th in the WHL). Stanford has seen action in 12 games this season and sports a 10-2-0-0 record to go along with a 2.07 goals against average (1^st in the WHL) and a .922 save percentage (T-2^nd in the WHL).

The Blades feature the WHL’s 19^th-ranked power play, working at a 14.9% efficiency rating. On the flip side, the team features the #2-ranked shorthanded unit in the league, killing off 87.7% of chances.

Calgary Hitmen
rThe Hitmen (19-8-1-0, 39 points, 1^st in Central Division, 2^nd in Eastern Conference) come into tonight’s action on the heels of a 3-2 overtime defeat at the hands of the Prince Albert Raiders last evening.

Veteran forward Brandon Kozun leads the team in scoring with 11 goals and 36 assists for 47 points, good enough for second in the Western Hockey League scoring race. Defenseman Michael Stone sits second on the team with 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points, which puts him in a tie for second in WHL defensemen scoring. Overager Joel Broda is third in team scoring with 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points on the campaign.

Stone’s 13 goals lead the team in that category.

Ian Schultz has racked up 51 minutes in penalties to lead the team so far this season.

Kozun and defenseman Matt MacKenzie share the team lead in plus/minus with a +9 rating this year.

In between the pipes, the Hitmen feature the goaltending tandem of Martin Jones and Michael Snider. Jones has appeared in 16 games and sports an 11-5-0-0 record with a 2.66 goals against average (8^th in the WHL) and a .905 save percentage (T-10^th in the WHL). Snider is 8-2-1-0 on the season with a 2.16 goals against average (3^rd in the WHL) and a .922 save percentage (3^rd in the WHL).

The Hitmen have the #1 power play in the WHL, currently working at a 30.4% clip on the season. While shorthanded the Hitmen are ranked 4^th in the league, killing off 84.2% of situations while a man down.

Blades vs Hitmen
rAnother exciting night of promotions are set for tonight’s game including the popular Home Depot “Race Around the World Contest” during the second intermission. One lucky contestant will move one step closer to securing tickets to the gold medal game at the 2010 World Junior Hockey Championships.

Also be sure to get your dancing shoes on for the “Dance for Your Dinner” contest during the first intermission.

Finally, be sure to get your name in the draw for an 18-game flex pack at the Blades sales booth located at the top of Section A.

Tickets for tonight’s big Eastern Conference matchup can be purchased online at ticketmaster.ca, by calling 938-7800, or by visiting any Ticketmaster outlet.

PORTLAND, OR – The Portland Winter Hawks acquired 17-year-old forward Matt Sokol Monday from the Medicine Hat Tigers in exchange for a 5th round choice in the 2007 WHL Bantam Draft.
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rSokol had (0-1-1), 4 penalty minutes and a +2 rating in 8 games this season with the Tigers. Last year, as a 16-year-old, the 5’11, 185 pound center-winger had (0-2-2) with 11 penalty minutes and an even rating dressing for just 14 games of spot duty on a veteran-laden Tiger team that won the Central Division championship.
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rÂÂIt is important that we add some skill into our lineup,Â? said General Manager Ken Hodge. ÂÂThis works well with our age group that we are trying to develop. After Matt becomes comfortable with our systems, we think he has a chance to be a contributor for us this season.Â?
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rIn 2004-05, Sokol, from Los Angeles, California and a graduate of the California Wave minor hockey association that produced Winter Hawks’ defenseman Cameron Cepek and several other WHL players, played for the Syracuse Stars of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League, posting (6-14-20) in 35 games.
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rÂÂWe saw quite a few players at Matt’s age group with the California Wave program and felt that group was very strong,Â? said Portland Coach Mike Williamson. ÂÂWe hope Matt adds some speed and skill to our lineup and grows with the group of young players that we have.Â?
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rTigers Head Coach and General Manager Willie Desjardins also commented on today’s trade.
r”Matt is a good young hockey player that wasn’t able to get the ice time he wanted to develop, we wish Matt all the best in Portland and throughout the remainder of his career.”
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rTo fill the open spot on the their roster the Tigers have recalled 17-year-old defenseman Mark Isherwood from Burnaby of the BCJHL.
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r”We are real excited to have Mark back with us,” stated Desjardins. “Mark played real well for us as a 16-year-old during his time here last season. He is a good skater and another power play defenseman who will contribute this year but is also a big part of our future.”
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rBRUINS ACQUIRE PROUDLEY FROM BRANDON
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rCHILLIWACK, BC – The Chilliwack Bruins announced today that they have acquired 17 year old forward Mike Proudley from the Brandon Wheat Kings in exchange for a 5th round pick in the 2007 WHL Bantam Draft. The 5-foot-9, 188-pound left-winger spent last season with the Neepawa Natives of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League scoring 15 goals and notching 24 points and 31 penalty minutes in 44 games. He was also a member of Team Western at the 2006 World Under 17 Challenge. Proudly was selected by the Wheat Kings in the fourth round of the 2004 WHL Bantam Draft. He will arrive in Chilliwack on Tuesday.
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rBruins General Manager Darrell May commented on today’s deal.
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rÂÂMike is a young, skilled player who has the ability to create scoring chances. He’s an excellent skater who has good offensive instincts. He’s smart and he works extremely hard.Â?
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Blades Challenge Hitmen at Home

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