Game Preview: Calgary vs Swift Current
HITMEN HEADLINES: The Calgary Hitmen (21-12-3-1) play the first of two weekend home games tonight when they welcome the Swift Current Broncos (19-16-0-1) to Scotiabank Saddledome. Game time is 7:00 p.m. for SpongeBob SquarePants night. The first 1,500 fans in the ‘Dome when doors open at 6:00 p.m. receive a scratch card to win a prize from the Hitmen, RE/MAX, or a discount at the FanAttic. Hitmen players will wear SpongeBob SquarePants themed jerseys that will be auctioned off with proceeds to the Alberta Children’s Hospital. Keep an eye on hitmenhockey.com and the Hitmen social channels for full auction details. Tonight’s game also includes 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.
RECENT RUN: The Hitmen have been idle since they closed a 3-1 Saskatchewan road trip with the lone setback on Sunday, falling 6-2 in Regina. Connor Bedard paced the Pats with four goals and two assists while Jacob Wright and Carson Wetsch scored for Calgary. The Broncos are coming off Wednesday’s 5-3 loss in Lethbridge where Tyson Laventure scored a pair of goals for the ‘Canes. Caleb Wyrostok, Josh Davies and Connor Hvidston replied for the Broncos who saw their season high seven-game winning streak snapped.
WHERE THEY STAND: The Hitmen are tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference with Lethbridge at 46 points and tied for eighth overall in the WHL. Swift Current holds the eighth and final playoff spot in the Conference and is tied for 11th in the league with Everett at 39 points.
SWIFT CURRENT: Tonight is the fourth of five regular season meetings between the two Central Division rivals. The Hitmen are 2-0-0-1 against the Broncos but the home team is 0-3. Grayden Siepmann (5a) leads all Hitmen with five points in the season series. Oliver Tulk (2g, 2a) is next with four. Clarke Caswell (2g, 1a) is the top performing Bronco with three points. Their final meeting is not until Sunday, Mar. 5 once again in Calgary.
2022-23 SERIES RECAP
Sept. 23/22 in SC: Hitmen 2 Broncos 1…The Hitmen never trailed as Ethan Buenaventura made 18 saves to record the win.
Sept. 24/22 in CGY: Broncos 3 Hitmen 2 Shootout…Luke Mistelbacher scored the shootout winner.
Dec. 7/22 in SC: Hitmen 4 Broncos 1…David Adaszynski scored a pair of power play goals for Calgary.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Shots on Goal: CGY 71 SC 83 Power Plays: CGY 4-16 (25%) SC 1-14 (7.1%)
PLAYER STREAKS: Jacob Wright (1g, 1a) and Keagan Slaney (1g, 1a) are both riding two-game point streaks. Riley Fiddler-Schultz (7g, 7a) saw his season and career high nine-game point streak end Sunday in Regina.
FAST FACTS: Calgary has only played three home games since Dec. 5 but tonight kicks off a stretch of games that will see the club play 10 of their next 12 on home ice…Calgary is 7-3 in their last 10…The Hitmen are 5-2-3-1 in one goal games this season…Hitmen sophomore Ethan Buenaventura has made seven straight starts in goal…Both teams are dynamite when leading after 40 minutes. Calgary is 16-0-0-1 while Swift Current is 15-0-0-0. Hitmen captain Riley Fiddler-Schultz is fifth in the WHL in face-off wins with 426. Oliver Tulk is 14th with 358.
TRADE WINDS: During Tuesday’s WHL Trade Deadline Day the Hitmen made a swap with the Prince George Cougars to get a little younger and deepen their prospects pool. Calgary acquired 18-year-old forward Carter MacAdams, and three picks in the WHL Prospects Draft in exchange for 19-year-old forward Zac Funk. The draft capital heading to the Hitmen is a second-round pick 2023, a second-round pick in 2024 and a fourth-round pick in 2024. MacAdams was a fourth-round pick of the Cougars, 70th overall in 2019, and will wear number 24 in Calgary. He has 21 points (6g, 15a) this season and is expected to make his Hitmen debut tonight against the Broncos.
MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Ethan Moore (lower body, week-to-week), Sean Tschigerl (upper body, day-to-day).
ROSTER MOVE: On Monday the Hitmen reassigned 17-year-old goaltender Alex Garrett to the U18 Saskatoon Blazers of the SMAAAHL. Garrett was Calgary’s seventh-round pick in the 2020 WHL Prospects Draft. This season with the Blazers he is 10-1 with a 3.31 goals against average and .890 save percentage.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Calgary’s penalty kill is number one in the WHL at 86.8%. On the flip side the power play is 21st at 16.7%.
HOME AND AWAY COMPARISON: The Hitmen are 8-5-1-1 on home ice this season and have played the fewest home games of any WHL team this season at 15. Conversely, Swift Current has played a league high 22 times on home ice. The Broncos are 7-7 on the road.
REGULAR SEASON CAREER MILESTONE WATCH: Carter MacAdams needs two points to reach 50 while Jacob Wright is three points shy of 100.
HITMEN MONTH-BY-MONTH: September (1-0-0-1), October (5-4-1-0), November (6-2-2-0), December (6-4-0-0), January (3-2).
UPCOMING GAMES: The Hitmen are back in the ‘Dome on Sunday, Jan. 15 to host the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Game time is 4:00 p.m. for another Sunday Funday, presented by Brookfield Residential. In addition to $2 sips and snacks specials all game long, look for concourse activities from TELUS Spark and a cast of characters outfitted by the Costume Shoppe. There are also $6 Hitmen Happy Hour food and drink deals throughout the day and a post-game family skate.
