Hitmen host Cougars on WHL on Shaw
Prince George Cougars (30-12-2-0) at
Calgary Hitmen (15-19-2-4)
Saturday, Jan. 14 – 7 p.m. (Mountain) / 6 p.m. (Pacific)
Scotiabank Saddledome
Channels: Local Shaw SD; Shaw HD 304; Shaw Direct Satellite HD Classic 120 or HD Advanced 620
LIVE SCORING
The Prince George Cougars prowl into Calgary in search of another win when they take on the Hitmen Saturday night on WHL on Shaw.
At the tail end of a four-game Alberta road trip, the Cougars have gone 2-1-0-0 to this point in the Central swing, including a 6-5 shootout victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Friday night.
While the Cougars are wrapping up a four-game the Hitmen are returning from their own four-game sojourn through the East Division, in which Calgary grabbed points in its final two contests, including a 5-4 overtime win at Prince Albert on Jan. 11. Saturday’s return to the Saddledome marks the first of a four-game home stand that will see the Hurricanes visit for a Sunday matinee as well.
Both of these squads saw significant changes in the lead up to the WHL Trade Deadline.
For the Cougars, they added the likes of Nikita Popugaev, Radovan Bondra and Tanner Wishnowski, while the Hitmen jettisoned longtime soldiers Carsen Twarynski and Jordy Stallard, bringing in Jake Kryski and Luke Coleman. Calgary fans will get their first opportunity to see the new charges tonight, while Bondra and Popugaev have already proven valuable additions for Cougars’ general manager Todd Harkins.
The Cougars claws remain razor sharp with a seven-point cushion atop the competitive B.C. Division.
In Calgary, the Hitmen trail the Edmonton Oil Kings by a four-point spread for the second and final wild-card seed in the Eastern Conference.
Saturday evening marks the second and final meeting of the season between the Cougars and the Hitmen. Back on Oct. 29, Calgary scraped out a 3-2 overtime win on home ice against the visitors from Prince George, with veteran goaltender Cody Porter making 39 saves along the way and the now-departed Stallard striking for the extra-time winner.
Already without Stallard, the Hitmen will also move on without the services of Porter, who sustained a long-term injury on last week’s road trip through Saskatchewan. In his place, WHL veteran Trevor Martin has joined the club to work alongside Kyle Dumba in the Calgary crease.
Veteran Matteo Gennaro, a prospect of the NHL’s Winnipeg Jets, leads the scoring race for the Hitmen with 40 points (18G-22A) through 37 games. Kryski ranks second with 30 points (14G-16A) in 39 contests this season, including one goal in two games since joining the Hitmen.
The Cougars roll out a dangerous arsenal of weapons, headed by the newcomer Popugaev, who has managed 57 points (24G-33A) in 45 games split between the Warriors and Cougars. Since landing with Prince George, the towering Russian has secure six points (2G-4A) in five games. Veterans Jansen Harkins, Brad Morrison, Jesse Gabrielle and Bondra provide envious depth at the top end of the lineup.
Between the pipes, the aforementioned Dumba and Martin will shoulder the load through the foreseeable future in Calgary. The rookie Dumba is 3-5-2-1 this season, while the 20-year-old Martin is 1-1-0-1. Porter had appeared in 29 contests prior to his injury last week in Regina.
Ty Edmonds is enjoying a stellar 20-year-old season in northern B.C., going 23-8-1-0 with a 2.26 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in 33 outings.
Following Saturday’s clash in Calgary, the Cougars return home to host the Portland Winterhawks for back-to-back games Jan. 17 and 18 at the CN Centre. The Hitmen welcome the Hurricanes Sunday afternoon, before then seeing Red Deer (Jan. 18) and Victoria (Jan. 20) to close out the home stand.
Calgary Hitmen
Record: 15-19-2-4
Head coach: Mark French
Scoring leaders: C Matteo Gennaro (18-22-40); LW Jake Kryski (14-16-30); LW Beck Malenstyn (17-11-28)
Goaltending leader: Kyle Dumba (15GP, 3-5-2-1, 4.30 GAA, .854 SV%)
Power play: 17th – 17.0 per cent
Penalty kill: 17th – 76.4 per cent
Injuries/unavailable: F Lucas Cullen (upper body, indefinite); F Matt Dorsey (upper body, indefinite); D Drea Esposito (upper body, day to day); D Jakob LaPointe (upper body, day to day); G Cody Porter (upper body, eight to 12 weeks)
Prince George Cougars
Record: 30-12-2-0
Head coach: Richard Matvichuk
Scoring leaders: LW Nikita Popugaev (24-33-57); C Jansen Harkins (10-32-42); C Brad Morrison (16-24-40)
Goaltending leader: Ty Edmonds (33GP, 23-8-1-0, 2.26 GAA, .919 SV%, 1SO)
Power play: 18th – 16.4 per cent
Penalty kill: First – 86.5 per cent
Injuries/unavailable: N/A
Season series
Oct. 29 – Prince George (2) at Calgary (3) – OT
Jan. 14 – Prince George at Calgary
WHL on Shaw schedule
Tuesday, Jan. 17 – Moose Jaw Warriors at Kamloops Blazers
Saturday, Jan. 21 – Regina Pats at Swift Current Broncos
Friday, Jan. 27 – Regina Pats at Calgary Hitmen
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