Game Preview: Calgary at Regina – 10.25.24
HITMEN HEADLINES: The Calgary Hitmen (4-5-1-0) play the first of back-to-back games on the road tonight in two different provinces as they meet the Regina Pats (5-4-1-0) in the Saskatchewan capital. Game time is 7:00 p.m. at the Brandt Centre. The Hitmen saw their three-game point streak come to an end on Wednesday, falling 4-2 in Medicine Hat. With the game tied 2-2 early in the third period, the Tigers netted a pair of goals 46 seconds apart en route to victory. Ben Kindel and Carson Wetsch both scored for the Hitmen who outshot Medicine Hat 22-17. Regina meanwhile has been idle since last Saturday when they posted a convincing 8-0 win over the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds. Logan Peskett scored twice while 12 different Pats recorded at least a single point.
REGINA: Tonight marks the first of four regular season meetings between the two clubs. Last season the Hitmen went 0-3-1-0 against the Pats and were outscored by a combined 20-10 despite recording 35 more shots. Ben Kindel (1g, 5a) led Calgary in the season series with six points while Carter Yakemchuk (2g, 2a) and Keets Fawcett (1g, 3a) both notched four. Tanner Howe (3g, 9a) was the top performing Pat with 12 points. Tye Spencer (4g, 4a) was next with eight. Over the past five seasons Calgary has gone 9-7-1-1 against the Pats but just 3-6 in Regina. Their next meeting is not until Sunday, Jan. 5 back at Scotiabank Saddledome.
2023-24 SERIES RECAP
Oct. 11/23 in REG: Pats 5 Hitmen 4…Regina scored twice in the final 4:32 to erase a 4-3 deficit.
Jan. 28/24 in CGY: Pats 4 Hitmen 3 OT…Tye Spencer buried the winner on a breakaway 3:33 into the extra session.
Feb. 7/24 in CGY: Pats 5 Hitmen 3…The Pats built a 4-1 third period lead on the strength of three power play goals.
Feb. 19/24 in REG: Pats 6 Hitmen 0…Ewan Huet made 38 saves to record the shutout while Tanner Howe (1g, 3a) recorded four points.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CGY 164 REG 129 Power Plays: CGY 2-12 (16.7%) REG 7-18 (38.9%)
STREAKS: Three Hitmen in Ben Kindel (4g, 6a), Carson Wetsch (4g) and Carter Yakemchuk (3g, 4a) are all on four-game point streaks. For Wetsch it’s also a four-game goal scoring streak which is tied for the longest such streak in the WHL this season. Maxim Muranov (2a) and Ethan Moore (1g, 1a) both have points in back-to-back games. Oliver Tulk (1g, 4a) saw his three-game point streak end Wednesday in Medicine Hat.
ROAD WARRIORS: Tonight is Game 2 in a stretch away from the ‘Dome that sees Calgary play 10 of their next 12 games in enemy rinks culminating with a six-game U.S. Division road trip from Nov. 8-16.
FAST FACTS: The Hitmen have scored a least one power play goal in four straight games…Three Hitmen have at least one shot on goal in all 10 games this season in Ben Kindel, Carson Wetsch, and Oliver Tulk…On Monday the Hitmen reassigned 18-year-old defenceman Brandon Osborne to a TBA team…Carson Wetsch is 11th in the WHL in shots on goal with 43.
INKED: Eight days ago, on Oct. 17 the Hitmen signed 16-year-old prospect Noah Kosick to a Western Hockey League Scholarship and Development Agreement. Kosick was Calgary’s first-round pick, 11th overall in the 2023 WHL Prospects Draft. Last season the product of Victoria, BC, recorded 62 points (12g, 50a) in 29 games as a 15-year-old playing U18 Prep in the CSSHL with Pacific Coast Academy. Kosick made his WHL debut last Saturday against Lethbridge and scored his first career goal.
HOME AND AWAY COMPARISION: The Hitmen are 0-4-0-0 on the road this season. Regina is 4-3-0-0 at home.
PROSPECT WATCH: Two Hitmen in Ben Kindel and Reese Hamilton have been selected to play in the 2024 CHL USA Prospects Challenge presented by Kubota. The two-game series will see the top first-year NHL Draft-eligible prospects from the CHL take on the U.S. National Under-18 team Nov. 26 and 27 in London and Oshawa, Ontario.
WE MEET AGAIN: The Pats roster features a pair of former Hitmen in Aleksey Chichkin and Connor Bear. Both were traded to the Pats just under two months ago on Sept. 26 in exchange for a pair of picks in the WHL Prospects Draft, a fourth-round pick in 2025 and a third-round selection in 2026. Chichkin played 61 games with the Hitmen last season in his rookie campaign. The shutdown defenceman recorded 10 points (1g, 9a) and 92 penalty minutes. Bear, a former Hitmen prospect, skated in four games with the Hitmen during a pair of callups a season ago and was held pointless.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Forward Ethan Moore is in his third full season with the Hitmen and enters tonight with 61 career points (26g, 35a) in 136 games. Last season he rattled off a personal best 14-game point streak from Dec. 13 to Jan. 26. During the 2021-22 season, Moore led the Okotoks AAA U18 Oilers in scoring with 39 points (17g, 22a) in 33 games.
ROSTER CONSTRUCTION: There are 24 players on the Hitmen roster with 18 veterans and seven rookies. Roster breakdown as follows:
20’s (3) – Buenaventura, Hvidston, Muranov, 19’s (6) – Adaszynski, Moore, Tulk, Hurtig*, Williams, Yakemchuk, 18’s (5) – Wetsch, Valliant, Leonard, Fawcett, Bowland*, 17’s (7) – Hamilton, Mayes, Kindel, Gorzynski, Pisarczyk. Aura*, Svancara*, 16’s (3) – Kosick*, Tu*, Ng*
*Denotes rookie
MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Robin Svancara (Upper Body – Indefinitely).
UPCOMING GAMES: The Hitmen road trip wraps up tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 26 in Brandon against the Wheat Kings. Game time is 6:00 p.m. (MT). Calgary is then back in Scotiabank Saddledome to face the Medicine Hat Tigers on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 6:00 p.m.
