Game Preview: Calgary vs Regina – 01.19.25
HITMEN HEADLINES: The Calgary Hitmen (24-12-3-2) wrap up a three-game weekend this afternoon by playing host to the Regina Pats (12-23-4-2). Game time is 4:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome in 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. There are also $6 Hitmen Happy Hour food and drink deals throughout the day and a post-game family skate. The Hitmen are coming off last night’s eight-round 3-2 shootout loss in Medicine Hat. Oliver Tulk and Tanner Howe staked Calgary to a 2-0 lead before Ryder Ritchie scored twice for the Tigers in the final 10 minutes. Defenceman Jonas Woo then scored the eventual winner in a game that took 2 hours and 43 minutes to play. Hitmen goaltender Anders Miller made 22 saves and was named the third star. Regina meanwhile last played on Friday and dropped a 3-2 home ice decision to Edmonton. Zach Pantelakis and Jace Egland scored for the Pats who erased deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 before ultimately falling to the Oil Kings.
WHERE THEY STAND: The Hitmen are third in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with 53 points, trailing Lethbridge by a single point with one game in hand on the ‘Canes. Regina is 10th with 30 points.
REGINA: Today marks the third of four regular season meetings between the two clubs. Calgary is 2-0 against the Pats, having outscored Regina by a combined 8-3. Ben Kindel (3g, 1a) and Oliver Tulk (4a) lead Calgary in the season series with four points each while Brandon Gorzynski (2g, 1a) and Carson Wetsch (2g, 1a) are next with three points each. Zachary Lansard (1g, 1a) has been the top performing Pat with two points. The Hitmen are 5-1-1-1 in their last eight home games against Regina. Their final meeting this season is Wednesday, Feb. 19 in Regina.
2024-25 SERIES RECAP
Oct. 25/24 in REG: Hitmen 3 Pats 1…Ben Kindel scored twice for Calgary including the game winner with 7:20 remaining.
Jan. 5/25 in CGY: Hitmen 5 Pats 2…Carson Wetsch paced the Hitmen with three points (2g, 1a).
INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CGY 64 REG 59 Power Plays: CGY 3-11 (27.3%) REG 0-3 (0%)
STREAKS: Ben Kindel (14g, 31a) has points in 24 of his last 25 games…Oliver Tulk (18g, 28a) has points in 21 of his last 22 games.
REUNION: Today’s game will see Hitmen forward and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Tanner Howe face his old club for the first time since a Nov. 21, 2024, deal that saw Calgary acquire Howe from Regina in exchange for defenceman Reese Hamilton, forward Keets Fawcett, a third-round pick in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft and a second-round pick in 2027. Howe played 217 career games with the Pats recording 240 points (98g, 142a) during parts of five seasons.
NHL RADAR: Three Hitmen are on NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings of the top North American skaters and goalies eligible for the 2025 NHL Draft. Among the skaters, Ben Kindel is ranked 20th with Brandon Gorzynski on the document 81st. On the goaltending list, Anders Miller is 19th. Overall, a total of 66 WHL players cracked the rankings.
HOME AND AWAY COMPARISION: The Hitmen 15-3-1-1 on home ice this season and have outscored their opponents by a combined 87-52 at the ‘Dome. Their 32 home points rank third best in the WHL. Regina is 6-11-3-0 on the road.
FAST FACTS: The Hitmen have cracked the CHL Top-10 Rankings for the first time this season, currently sitting eighth…Entering play today, Calgary has been outshot in back-to-back games for the first time this season…The Hitmen are 17-5-0-1 in their last 23 games picking up 35 of a possible 44 points.
WHL LEADERBOARD: The Hitmen have two of the WHL’s Top-5 scorers as Ben Kindel is tied for fifth with Luke Mistelbacher of Swift Current at 65 points while Oliver Tulk is fourth with 67 points.
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH: Oliver Tulk is four goals shy of 100. His 96 goals have him seventh on the clubs’ all-time goal scoring list, one goal behind Cody Sylvester for sixth place. Oliver Tulk is also 10th all-time in franchise scoring with 226 points, three points behind Cody Sylvester and Boris Protsenko who share eighth place with 229 points…Sawyer Mynio played career game 200 last night in Medicine Hat…Daniel Hauser is 55 saves shy of 4,000…Carter Yakemchuk is two assists shy of 100…
DID YOU KNOW? Calgary is 9-3-1-0 against teams from the East Division.
MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Lukas Hansen (Upper Body, Day-to-Day), Carter Yakemchuk (Lower Body, Day-to-Day).
HITMEN MONTH-BY-MONTH: September (1-1-0-0), October (4-4-2-1), November (7-3-1-0), December (6-3-0-0), January (6-1-0-1).
INKED: On Jan. 10 the Hitmen announced the signing of their fourth-round pick in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft as 18-year-old forward Ethan Merner committed to a WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement. The product of Kelowna, BC, made his WHL debut last night in Medicine Hat. He was sixth on the BCHL’s Langley Rivermen in scoring this season with 18 points (12g, 6a) in 30 games.
PROSPECT WATCH: Hitmen prospect Shaun Hildebrandt, a second-round pick 43rd overall in the 2024 WHL Prospects Draft, is playing U18 Prep in the CSSHL as a 15-year-old with Yale Hockey Academy. In 24 games the left-shot forward has 20 points (7g, 13a) to sit eighth in team scoring. Last season he was a second team all-star playing U15 prep with Yale. Highlights included a 10-point game (4g, 6a) in February. Hildebrandt, from Langley, BC, signed with the Hitmen in June of 2024.
UPCOMING GAMES: The Hitmen are back on the road this coming week for a pair of games. On Wednesday, Jan. 22 they visit the Warriors in Moose Jaw before a Saturday, Jan. 25 stop in Lethbridge against the Hurricanes. It’s then back to Scotiabank Saddledome to wrap up the weekend on Sunday, Jan. 26 at home against Red Deer. Note the later 6:00 p.m. start in another Sunday Funday presented by Brookfield Residential.
