HITMEN SNAP LOSING STREAK WITH 5-2 WIN OVER WHEATS KINGS

Playing their sixth game in nine nights on the road, the Calgary Hitmen skated to a 5-2 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings on Wednesday night at Westoba Place.

Sophomore forward Zac Funk led the charge with a goal and two assists while Blake Stevenson netted a pair of goals.  Steel Quiring (1g,1a), Cael Zimmerman (1g, 1a) and Riley Fiddler-Schultz (2a) also had multi-point nights for the Hitmen.

Goaltender Brayden Peters was rock solid in the net making 30 saves and was the backbone of a penalty kill that held Brandon to just one goal on eight chances.

Calgary fired 35 shots at Wheat Kings goalie Carson Bjarnason led by Funk’s six shots on goal.

The victory snapped a seven game winless slide for Calgary and moves them to within a point of Regina for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

The Hitmen will now head back to Alberta but will continue their season-long seven game road trip in Edmonton on Friday, March 18 against the Oil Kings.

Calgary won’t return home to Scotiabank Saddledome until the final weekend of the month when they host the Swift Current Broncos on Sunday, March 27.  The 2:00 p.m. start is the Every Child Matters game dedicated to Indigenous youth empowerment through sport and a celebration of the Blackfoot culture including traditional cuisine.  It’s presented by Siksika Health Services in partnership with the Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary, Okaki, and the Blackfoot Confederacy.