GAME PREVIEW: CALGARY AT BRANDON
HITMEN HEADLINES: The Calgary Hitmen (20-26-5-2) play their second game in as many days in Manitoba tonight as they visit the Wheat Kings (27-18-3-2) in Brandon. Game time is 6:00 p.m. MT at Westoba Place. The Hitmen will welcome leading scorer Riley Fiddler-Schultz back into the line-up after serving his one game WHL imposed suspension for slashing assessed in Saturday’s home game against Edmonton. The Hitmen are coming off last night’s 2-0 loss in Winnipeg where goaltender Brayden Peters made 35 saves in the setback. Brandon has been idle since Saturday’s 6-5 loss in Moose Jaw. Calgary is tied with Swift Current and Prince Albert for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference at 47 points. Brandon sits sixth with 59 points.
DID YOU KNOW? Counting tonight, the Hitmen have 15 games remaining in the regular season with nine of those on the road…Tonight is Game 2 of a season long seven game road trip and the second of eight straight away from Scotiabank Saddledome for Calgary. Riley Fiddler-Schultz leads the Hitmen in goals with 25. Sean Tschigerl and Blake Stevenson are next, both with 20…Calgary has killed 25 of their last 28 penalties for an 89.3% efficiency…Cael Zimmerman passed 1,000 face-off attempts last night in Winnipeg. He has now taken 1,014 draws this season, the eighth most by any centre in the WHL.
vs BRANDON: Tonight is the third of four regular season meetings with the Wheat Kings. Calgary is 1-0-1-0 against Brandon with both games back in Alberta. Riley Fiddler-Schultz (1g, 1a), Zac Funk (1g, 1a) and the departed Adam Kydd (2a) all have two points each for the Hitmen against Brandon. Mason Ward (1g, 2a) is the top performing Wheat King with three points. Nolan Ritchie (2g) and Riley Ginnell (2a) both have two. This is Calgary’s first trip to Brandon since January 17, 2020 when the Wheat Kings skated to a 3-1 victory. Josh Prokop notched the lone goal for the Hitmen while Jiri Patera made 30 saves for Brandon in a first star performance. Only six Hitmen players from that night remain on the current roster. The two teams will close their head-to-head schedule in one week on Wednesday, March 16 back here in Brandon.
2021-22 SERIES RECAP
Oct. 24, 2021 in CGY: Hitmen 3 Wheat Kings 2…Adam Kydd led the Hitmen with two assists.
Jan. 16, 2022 in CGY: Wheat Kings 3 Hitmen 2 OT…Nolan Ritchie scored the winner 3:46 into extra time.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CGY 74 BDN 49 Power Plays: CGY 1-8 (12.5%) BDN 1-8 (12.5%)
TRAVEL LOG: Calgary’s season high seven game road trip will see the club play those seven games in 11 days. Since leaving Calgary on Sunday morning, the Hitmen have travelled 1,583 kilometers.
MANITOBA TIES: The Hitmen have just one Manitoba born player on their roster in goaltender Ethan Buenaventura who hails from Winnipeg however Assistant Coach Trent Cassan is from the small town of Medora.
HOME AND AWAY COMPARISON: The Hitmen are 8-14-1-2 on the road this season. Brandon is 13-8-2-1 at home.
WHL TOP-10: Riley Fiddler-Schultz is eighth in the league in shots on goal with 218 and second in face-off wins with 655. Sean Tschigerl is tied for the WHL lead in shorthanded markers with five…Brayden Peters is fifth in minutes played at 2,216 and sixth in saves with 1,067.
DRAFT WATCH: NHL Central Scouting has named two Hitmen players to its midterm rankings ahead of the 2022 NHL Draft. Defenceman Grayden Siepmann checks in at 139 among North American skaters while forward Maxim Muranov is 141.
MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Billal Noori (season ending, upper body), Keagan Slaney (two weeks, upper body), Blake Heward (day-to-day, upper body).
HITMEN VS: (BDN 1-0-1-0), (EDM 1-5), (LET 1-2-2-1), (MH 5-1), (MJ 1-4), (PA 1-2-0-1), (RD 1-4-2-0), (REG 4-1), (SAS 2-2), (SC 3-2), WPG (0-3).
HITMEN MONTH-BY-MONTH: October (4-5), November (5-4), December (3-3-3-2), January (5-3-2-0), February (3-8), March (0-3).
REGULAR SEASON CAREER MILESTONE WATCH: Blake Stevenson needs five points to reach 100.
PROSPECT WATCH: Xander Schulte, Calgary’s sixth-round pick, 131st overall, in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft is playing in the Alberta Elite Hockey League with the U18 AAA St. Albert Raiders. The 16-year-old, who plays both forward and defence, has 23 points (13g, 10a) in 23 games.
JERSEY AUCTION: Fans can bid on the pink jerseys worn by Calgary during last Sunday’s Bret “The Hitman” Hart game presented by Romero Distilling. The online auction continues until Monday, March 14 at https://elevateauctions.com/BretHart with net proceeds to benefit the Prostate Cancer Centre.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Ethan Buenaventura was selected in the fourth-round, 77th overall, by the Hitmen in the 2019 Western Hockey League Prospects Draft. The 17-year-old goaltender is in his debut season and has made 28 or more saves in a game nine times during his 16 appearances. Buenaventura is seventh among rookie goalies in the WHL with 439 saves.
UPCOMING GAMES: The Hitmen road trip takes a day off tomorrow before resuming Friday, March 11 in Moose Jaw against the Warriors. Calgary then make stops in Regina (Mar. 12), Winnipeg (Mar. 15), Brandon (Mar. 16), Edmonton (Mar. 18) and Medicine Hat (Mar. 26). The Hitmen won’t return to Scotiabank Saddledome until Sunday, March 27 to host the Swift Current Broncos in the Every Child Matters game at 2:00 p.m.
