Game Day: Hitmen on hunt for eighth straight win
Jason Pirie/hitmenhockey.com
The Calgary Hitmen will put their season-high seven-game winning streak on the line when the Regina Pats pay a visit tonight to the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Having not lost on ‘Dome ice since falling 4-1 to the Edmonton Oil Kings on Nov. 4, the Hitmen return home after doubling up both the Prince Albert Raiders and Saskatoon Blades by identical 4-2 scores on the road.
“The Prince Albert game was one of the best examples of what can happen when you have no passengers,” Hitmen head coach Mark French said. “We had everybody going, everybody contributing. It was a complete 60-minute effort. And I thought in the Saskatoon game, which was a hard game to follow up with after a tough game the night before, I thought we had a lot of guys playing the right way.”
Overall, the Hitmen during this impressive stretch have collected victories over the Kootenay ICE, Tri-City Americans, Prince George Cougars, Everett Silvertips, Prince Albert Raiders and the Saskatoon Blades twice.
It should be a challenging road ahead for the Hitmen, however.
Prior to the league-wide Christmas hiatus, Calgary is slated to play nine games in 18 days through December, which includes a taxing five-game road trek from Brandon to Medicine Hat.
“It’s really important that we stay focused because our schedule gets a lot tougher here,” French said. “We want to make sure we finish off the right way before the Christmas break.”
Hitmen goaltender Cody Porter has won his last six starts and has gone 8-2 with a 2.60 goals against average and .885 save percentage with one shutout since being acquired from Vancouver in late October.
Another new piece that has appeared to have no problems fitting into the Hitmen puzzle is 19-year-old right wing Tyler Mrkonjic, who was acquired this month from the Prince George Cougars in exchange for a 2016 sixth-round pick.
In seven games with the Hitmen, the 6’3” 200-pound Mrkonjic has recorded three goals and two assists, including both game-winning goals during the team’s recent two-game Saskatchewan road swing.
“I have loved everything about playing in Calgary since coming here,” Mrkonjic said. “The guys have all been great, the organization is first-class, and it’s been fun to play in front of our fans. It will be nice to get home where we have had a lot of success.”
The Hitmen have also had plenty of success against the Pats, blanking them on the road by a score of 3-0 on Oct. 4 before notching five power play goals en route to a 5-1 home win two weeks later.
In those previous two meetings, Calgary outshot the Pats by a 65-39 margin while killing off all 10 of Regina’s power play opportunities.
Regina’s special teams play, though, has been its downfall all season. Both its power play and penalty kill are ranked 21 of 22 in the league.
The Pats, who sit fourth place in the East Division with an 11-10-2-0 record, have lost three of their last four outings – all on the road – including a 6-4 setback to the Edmonton Oil Kings at Rexall Place on Wednesday.
Tonight’s matchup with the Hitmen will be game number five of nine consecutive on the road for John Paddock’s Pats due to the Canadian Western Agribition taking over the Brandt Centre.
“I don’t particularly like (the schedule) but you have to look at the positive of it. There’s nothing you can do about it,” Paddock told the Regina Leader-Post. “The schedule comes out, you just have to go with it.”
If Regina’s road schedule is not daunting enough, Calgary defenceman Travis Sanheim and centre Pavel Karnaukhov – two key components to this year’s Hitmen lineup – have been practicing with contact this week and are inching closer to making a return. There is an off-chance that one, if not both, could return tonight. Sanheim has been sidelined since Nov. 4, while Karnaukhov, who has dressed for only nine of Calgary’s 27 games this season, has not seen action since Oct. 18.
Hitmen Home Record: 9-3-0-0
Pats Away Record: 5-6-1-0
Hitmen Injuries: Defenceman Travis Sanheim (upper body, day-to-day), defenceman Jakob LaPointe (upper body, day-to-day), right wing Jackson Houck (upper body, 3 to 5 weeks), centre Pavel Karnaukhov (upper body, day-to-day) and right wing Matt Dorsey (lower body, indefinite).
Pats Injuries: Defenceman Colby Williams (upper body, indefinite).
Game Broadcasts: Sportsnet 960 (Alt Stream), WHL Live
Season Series: Calgary leads 2-0
Hitmen Leaders:
Goals – Radel Fazleev (13)
Assists – Radel Fazleev (20)
Points – Radel Fazleev (33)
Plus/Minus – Radel Fazleev and Keegan Kanzig (+6)
Penalty Minutes – Taylor Sanheim (52)
Power Play Goals – Jackson Houck and Jake Bean (5)
Shorthanded Goals – Radel Fazleev (3)
Hitmen to Watch:
D Jake Bean – The 17-year-old hometown product continues to impress. Presently riding a three-game point streak, with two goals and three assists, the 6’1” 170-pound defender’s offensive game has not been affected by the absence of defence partner Travis Sanheim. He has gone from being recognized as a ‘B’ candidate (projected second/third round pick) to an ‘A’ candidate (first round pick) by Central Scouting for the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He has collected two goals and three assists in two games against the Pats this season, while eight of his 11 goals have come on home ice.
Pat to Watch:
C Sam Steel – The Sherwood Park, AB native is currently enjoying a five-game point streak where he has recorded one goal and five assists. Overall, the sophomore centre has racked up seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points and a plus-seven rating in 23 games this season. With only two penalty minutes to his name, the 5’11” 175-pound pivot could be considered an early favourite for the Brad Hornung Trophy as the WHL Most Sportsmanlike Player. Like Bean, Steel has been listed as an ‘A’ candidate prospect by Central Scouting.
