GAME PREVIEW: CALGARY VS RED DEER – 03.11.23
HITMEN HEADLINES: The Calgary Hitmen (26-26-5-3) host the Red Deer Rebels (40-17-3-3) this afternoon in the back half of a home-and-home set. Game time is 2:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome on a day where Calgary will honour Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart for the outstanding contributions he has made to the franchise when a ‘Forever A Hitmen’ banner for Hart will be raised and remain on permanent display at the ‘Dome. A pre-game ceremony will enshrine Hart as the fourth inductee in the ‘Forever A Hitmen’ program. It’s all part of the third annual Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart game presented by Vallen. Players will wear a specially designed jersey reflective of their namesake while fans will also be treated to a post-game on-ice wresting show presented by Dungeon Wrestling. ‘Havoc at the Hashmarks’ will feature three matches while the game worn and game issued jerseys will be sold in an online auction that opens at 5:00 p.m. at elevateauctions.com/BretHart with proceeds to support the Prostate Cancer Centre. This afternoon’s game features the $6 Hitmen Happy Hour from when doors open until the opening faceoff. Items include pizza, burgers, hot dogs, 14-ounce beer, highballs and 5-ounce house wine all for $6 each.
LAST GAME RECAP: The Hitmen posted a 4-3 come-from-behind win over the Rebels last night in Red Deer. Carter Yakemchuk tied the game on the power play with .6 seconds left in regulation before Riley Fiddler-Schultz scored the game winner with 36.9 seconds remaining in overtime.
WHERE THEY STAND: The Hitmen are tied with Swift Current for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot at 60 points, trailing seventh place Medicine Hat by just a single point. Calgary has one game in hand on both teams. Red Deer leads the Central Division and sits second in the conference with 85 points
RED DEER: Today is the eighth and final regular season meeting between the two clubs. Calgary is 2-3-2-0 against Red Deer. Sean Tschigerl (4g, 2a) and Oliver Tulk (1g, 5a) are the performers for Calgary with six points each. Jacob Wright (2g, 3a), Riley Fiddler-Schultz (1g, 4a) and Carter Yakemchuk (1g, 4a) are all next with five. Kai Uchacz (8g, 1a), has led the way for the Rebels with nine points. Jayden Grubbe (2g, 6a) and Kalan Lind (2g, 6a) both have eight. Calgary is 4-4-4-0 in their last 12 home games against Red Deer.
2022-23 SERIES RECAP
Oct. 8/22 in RD: RD 3 CGY 2 OT…Jace Isley scored twice including the winner on a penalty shot.
Oct. 19/22 in RD: RD 5 CGY 2…Ben King led the Rebels with three points (2g, 1a).
Nov. 27/22 in CGY: RD 3 CGY 2 OT…Hunter Mayo scored the winner on a power play 3:51 into extra time.
Dec. 29/22 in RD: RD 4 CGY 1…Kai Uchacz notched a hat-trick for the Rebels.
Jan. 1/23 in CGY: RD 5 CGY 3…The Rebels broke a 3-3 tie with 3:36 to go.
Jan. 22/23 in CGY: CGY 4 RD 2…Brayden Peters made 32 saves while Sean Tschigerl notched a goal and an assist.
Mar. 10/23 in RD: CGY 4 RD 3 OT…Sean Tschigerl (2g, 1a) and Riley Fiddler-Schultz (1g, 2a) notched three points each.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CGY 232 RD 220 Power Plays: CGY 4-33 (12.1%) RD 6-31 (19.4%)
PLAYER STREAKS: Riley Fiddler-Schultz (3g, 5a) is on a four-game point streak. Sean Tschigerl (4g, 2a) and Carter Yakemchuk (2g, 2a) have points in back-to-back games. Brayden Peters has won his last two starts stopping 66 of 72 shots for a .917 save percentage.
FAST FACTS: Calgary has won back-to-back games for the first time since early January when they rattled off three straight victories. The Hitmen are also on a three-game point streak (2-0-0-1)…Calgary is four goals away from 200 this season…The Hitmen went 60% on face-off’s last night in Red Deer. Matteo Danis is three face-off wins away from 300…Calgary is 13-10-3-1 against teams from their own division.
WHL TOP-10: Riley Fiddler-Schultz is second in the WHL in faceoff wins with 777 and tied for fifth in the league in shots on goal with 242…Carter Yakemchuk is fifth in goals by a defenceman with 16 while his 13 power play tallies lead all blueliners.
PLAYOFF PUSH: Counting today, the Hitmen have eight games remaining in the regular season with four at home and four on the road. Their opponent breakdown is as follows; (LET 3X’s), (EDM 2X’s), (MH 2X’s), RD.
MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Billal Noori (upper body, week-to-week), Carson Wetsch (lower body, week-to-week).
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Hitmen penalty kill is 11 for its last 12 and is number one in the WHL at 84.8%. On the flip side the power play has scored in 12 of its last 15 games to climb to 17th in the league at 19.2%.
HOME AND AWAY COMPARISON: Calgary is 11-13-3-3 on home ice. Red Deer is 19-10-1-2 on the road.
REGULAR SEASON CAREER MILESTONE WATCH: Blake Heward is two games away from 100. Grayden Siepmann needs one assist for 50.
ALUMNI UPDATE: Cody Sylvester is in the ECHL with the Atlanta Gladiators. The 30-year-old forward leads the team in scoring with 65 points (29g, 36a) in 57 games. Sylvester was a five-year member of the Hitmen from 2008-13 and left his mark on the franchise with 229 points (97g, 132a) in 315 games. Highlights include a franchise record seven points (1g, 6a) in a game set on March 5, 2013 in Saskatoon.
UPCOMING GAMES: The Hitmen are back in the ‘Dome on Wednesday, Mar. 15 to host the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Game time is 7:00 p.m. Calgary will then make the return trip to Lethbridge on Friday, Mar. 17 for a 7:00 p.m. start at ENMAX Centre.
