GAME PREVIEW: Calgary vs Edmonton – 03.16.25
HITMEN HEADLINES: The Calgary Hitmen (43-15-3-3) are back inside the friendly confines of Scotiabank Saddledome this afternoon as they welcome the Edmonton Oil Kings (35-26-2-2) to the Stampede City for a 2:00 p.m. start. It’s another Sunday Funday presented by Brookfield Residential. In addition to $3 sips and snacks all game long, look for family fun entertainment on the west concourse plus $6 Hitmen Happy Hour food and drink deals throughout the day. Post game there will be a family skate and a Hitmen Team Autograph session at the Hitmen Booster Club Table behind Section 210. Fans can also find the 30th Anniversary Hitmen Booster Club hockey cards on sale this afternoon for the first time at $12 a pack. Proceeds benefit the Calgary Veterans Association Food Bank. There are 25 cards in total featuring all 24 players plus Hitmen mascot Farley the Fox.
LAST GAME RECAP: The Hitmen were on the ice last night in Lethbridge and posted a 3-1 victory. Ethan Moore scored a pair of goals, his 18th and 19th of the season, lifting Calgary to a 2-0 lead before Tanner Howe scored his 18th into an empty net. Calgary outshot the ‘Canes 26-25 and ran their point streak to 11 games (10-0-0-1). Edmonton also played last night, dropping a 4-1 decision to visiting Prince Albert. Miroslav Holinka scored the lone goal for the Oil Kings who trailed 1-0 after the first period and 3-1 after 40. Edmonton outshot PA 33-16 but Max Hildebrand made 32 saves in a first star performance for the Raiders.
WHERE THEY STAND: The Hitmen are third in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with 92 points, two points behind front-running Medicine Hat. Calgary has two games in hand on the Tigers who are idle today. Edmonton is seventh in the conference with 74 points, three points back of sixth place Saskatoon and three points ahead of eight place Swift Current.
EDMONTON: Today marks the eighth and final regular season meetings between the two Central Division rivals. Calgary is 6-1 against the Oil Kings, having won the last six. Connor Hvidston (2g, 7a) leads Calgary in the season series with nine points while Carson Wetsch (5g, 1a), Hunter Aura (3g, 3a), Carter Yakemchuk (2g, 4a), David Adaszynski (6a) and Oliver Tulk (2g, 4a) all have six. Gavin Hodnett (4g, 3a) is the top performer for Edmonton with seven points. Miroslav Holinka (2g, 3a) is next with five. The Hitmen are 3-0 on home ice against Edmonton this season.
2024-25 SERIES RECAP
Sept. 28/24 in EDM: Oil Kings 4 Hitmen 1…Alex Worthington made 33 saves for Edmonton in a first-star performance.
Nov. 29/24 in CGY: Hitmen 4 Oil Kings 2…Carter Yakemchuk broke a 2-2 tie for Calgary with 2:57 remaining.
Jan. 1/25 at EDM: Hitmen 4 Oil Kings 1…The Hitmen scored four unanswered goals as Carter Yakemchuk notched three points (1g, 2a).
Jan. 29/25 in CGY: Hitmen 6 Oil Kings 0…Calgary built period leads of 2-0 and 4-0.
Jan. 31/25 in EDM: Hitmen 5 Oil Kings 2…Ben Kindel scored twice while Daniel Hauser made 29 saves for Calgary.
Feb. 7/25 in CGY: Hitmen 4 Oil Kings 3 OT…Sawyer Mynio scored the winner after Edmonton scored twice in the final 1:25 to force extra time.
Mar. 16/25 in EDM: Hitmen 3 Oil Kings 2…Brandon Gorzynski and Carson Wetsch both notched 1a, 1a for Calgary.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CGY 259 EDM 199 Power Plays: CGY 4-31 (12.9%) EDM 5-30 (16.7%)
STREAKS: Sawyer Mynio (2g, 6a) is riding a five-game point streak…Daniel Hauser has won his last nine starts…Tanner Howe (3g, 7a) has points in four of his last five games.
HAUSER’S HISTORIC CLIMB: Daniel Hauser picked up career victory 122 last night in Lethbridge moving him into a with former Saskatoon Blade Nolan Maier atop the WHL’s all-time regular season wins list. Hauser reached the mark in 173 games while Maier did it in 216 appearances.
FAST FACTS: For the third week in a row Calgary remains eighth in this week’s CHL-Top 10 Rankings presented by Delta Hotels by Marriott…The Hitmen are 15-9-1-3 against the Central Division…Calgary is +83 in goals for and against while Edmonton is +32.
COUNTDOWN CLOCK: Counting today the Hitmen have four games remaining on their regular season schedule against the following opponents: EDM (1), RD (2), MH (1). Those four games will be played over a span of eight days.
40 WIN CLUB: Calgary’s 43 wins is the 10th most in franchise history and most since 2014-15 when they posted 45 wins and won the Central Division back when the schedule was 72 games.
HAUSER MAKES HISTORY: On Mar. 7 against Swift Current, Daniel Hauser cemented his name in the Hitmen record books when his shutout streak ended at 245 minutes and 25 seconds. He had broken Justin Pogge’s 2006 mark of 228:47 the previous game and in the process also set a new franchise with four straight shutouts, which also tied the WHL record. The previous club record of three straight shutouts was shared by Justin Pogge and Martin Jones
HOME AND AWAY COMPARISION: The Hitmen are 25-4-1-1 on home ice and riding a seven-game winning streak at Scotiabank Saddledome. Their 52 home points leads the WHL. Edmonton is 15-14-2-1 on the road.
WHL LEADERBOARD: Daniel Hauser is tied for second in the WHL with a 2.51 goals against average while his .915 save percentage is third and his five shutouts top the league…The Hitmen have two of the WHL’s Top-7 scorers. Ben Kindel is seventh with 97 points while Oliver Tulk is sixth with 98.
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH: Ben Kindel needs one goal to each 50…Carter Yakemchuk (179) is two points behind Michael Stone (181) for third place all-time in franchise scoring by a defenceman…David Adaszynski is two points away from 100 while Sawyer Mynio needs two assists to reach the century mark…Daniel Hauser is 25 minutes away from 10,000…Tanner Howe played career game 250 last night in Lethbridge
PLAYOFF TICKETS: The Hitmen are heading to the WHL Playoffs presented by Nutrien and have clinched home ice advantage in Round 1. Tickets for the first two games of their best-of-seven opening round series at Scotiabank Saddledome are on sale now at HitmenHockey.com/Tickets. Game 1 is Friday, Mar. 28 at 7:00 p.m. with Game 2 on Sunday, Mar. 30 at 2:00 p.m. Calgary’s opponent is yet to be determined.
MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Oliver Tulk (Lower Body, Day-to-Day), Carson Birnie (Lower Body, TBD).
EVERY CHILD MATTERS JERSEY AUCTION: Fans can bid on the Every Child Matters game worn and game issued jerseys worn last Sunday against Brandon. Designed by Indigenous artists, the sweaters are being auctioned online at elevateauctions.com until tomorrow, Monday, Mar. 17 at 8:00 p.m. MT. Net proceeds will benefit youth programming on Siksika Nation.
UPCOMING GAMES: Calgary returns the ‘Dome on Wednesday, Mar. 19 to host Red Deer at 7:00 p.m. before making the return trip to Central Alberta on Saturday, Mar. 22 for a 7:00 p.m. start at Peavey Mart Centrium.
