WHL Calgary Hitmen

Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Friday, March 1 vs. Brandon

March 1, 2019 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Calgary Hitmen News Release


CALGARY HITMEN (32-22-5-1, 70 pts.) vs. BRANDON WHEAT KINGS (29-23-3-4, 65 pts.)

Friday, March 1, 2019 - 7:00 p.m. MT - Scotiabank Saddledome

TODAY'S GAME

The Calgary Hitmen close a two-game homestand tonight against the Brandon Wheat Kings. Game time is 7:00 p.m. at Scotiabank Saddledome for Multicultural Night. The evening begins with a special pre-game ceremony featuring representation and flags from 18 different countries. The Mount Royal Rocky Mountain Taiko Ensemble will also be in attendance to perform during whistle breaks and during the second intermission. Calgary is coming off Wednesday's 9-3 win in the 3rd annual TELUS BE BRAVE Anti-Bullying game. Carson Focht scored a career-high four goals while Kaden Elder notched his first ever Western Hockey League hat-trick to lead the scoring attack. The Hitmen, who led 3-2 after the opening period, extended their advantage to 7-2 through 40 minutes. Luke Coleman and James Malm also scored for Calgary with Josh Prokop adding four assists and Vladislav Yeryomenko three helpers.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Radio: Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Webcast: WHL Live at whl.neulion.com

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STREAKS

- Four Hitmen take three-game point streaks into tonight's game: Carson Focht (4g, 6a), James Malm (4g, 4a), Kaden Elder (3g, 3a) and Egor Zamula (4a).

- Luke Coleman (2g, 1a), Riley Stotts (3a) and Orca Wiesblatt (2a) all have points in back-to-back games.

- Vladislav Yeryomenko (3g, 3a) has points in four of his last five games.

NOTEWORTHY

VS BRANDON: Tonight is the fourth and final regular season meetings between the Hitmen and Wheat Kings. Calgary is 1-1-1 against Brandon with two of the games decided in overtime. Mark Kastelic (4g, 1a) and Luke Coleman (3g, 2a) lead the Hitmen with five points each in the season series while Vladislav Yeryomenko (1g, 2a) and Carson Focht (3a) are next with three. Stelio Mattheos (3g, 4a) is the top-performing Wheat King with seven points. Zach Wytinck (6a) is next with six. Calgary is 2-4-1 in their last seven home games against Brandon.

2018-19 SERIES RECAP

Oct. 20/18 at BDN: CGY 4 BDN 3 OT...Mark Kastelic netted the winner 45 seconds into the extra session.

Feb. 1/19 in CGY: BDN 6 CGY 5 OT...Luka Burzan scored the winner 16 seconds into overtime.

Feb. 20/19 in BDN: BDN 5 CGY 1...Wheat Kings jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the game was six minutes old.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Shots on Goal: CGY 93 BDN 91 Power Plays: CGY 5-10 (50%) BDN 3-9 (33.3%)

PLAYOFF CHASE: With eight games to go in the regular season, Calgary is third in the Central Division sitting three points ahead of Medicine Hat which occupies the first Eastern Conference Wildcard spot. Looking up, the Hitmen are six points behind Lethbridge for second in the division. Medicine Hat is in Edmonton tonight while Lethbridge is on the road in Moose Jaw.

HOME AND AWAY: Calgary is 18-9-3-0 at home this season while Brandon is 10-13-2-2 on the road.

WELCOME BACK: Hitmen forward Mark Kastelic returns to the line-up tonight following a two-game WHL imposed suspension for a boarding major and game misconduct on Feb. 22 in Regina.

FAST FACTS: During Wednesday's victory over Swift Current, Carson Focht became the first Hitmen player since Brock Nixon to score four goals in a game. Nixon netted his four markers in a 9-2 home ice win against Brandon on Jan. 27, 2008. Pavel Brendl holds the franchise record for most goals in a single game with five, set on Nov. 11, 2000...Including today, Calgary has four home games left in the regular season and four on the road ...Mark Kastelic has 14 multi-goal games this season...Since January 1, Calgary has posted a record of 22-8-3-0...The Hitmen have only been outshot once in the last 16 games...James Malm has scored a career-high 27 goals.

ROSTER MOVES: On Monday the Hitmen returned 16-year-old goaltender Brayden Peters to the Lethbridge AAA Midget Hurricanes and recalled 15-year-old forward Zac Funk from the BCMMHL's Fraser Valley Thunderbirds where he leads the team in scoring with 55 points (33g, 22a) in 36 games. Funk made his WHL debut Wednesday against Swift Current. The transactions leave Calgary with seven defencemen, two goalies and 15 forwards.

HITMEN MONTH-BY-MONTH: September (0-3-1-0), October (4-6-1-0), November (6-5-0-1), December (6-2-1-0), January (9-3-0-0), February (7-3-2-0).

DID YOU KNOW?: Mark Kastelic is the first Hitmen player to score 40 goals in a season since Matteo Gennaro netted 43 in the 2016-17 season. Prior to Gennaro, Adam Tambellini scored 47 goals in 2014-15. Kastelic's 84 career goals have him 15th on the clubs all-time goal scoring list, trailing Jake Virtanen by just one marker for 14th spot. Brad Moran holds the franchise record with 204.

WHL TOP 15: Mark Kastelic is third in the WHL in goals with 43, his 70 points sit tied for 15th and his 22 power play markers lead the league. Egor Zamula is seventh in defencemen scoring with 49 points. Dakota Krebs is tied for eighth in plus/minus among defenceman at +26.

MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: Jake Kryski (indefinite, upper body). Hunter Campbell (indefinite, lower body), Cael Zimmerman (week-to-week, upper body).

PROSPECT WATCH: Tristan Zandee, Calgary's second-round pick, 36th overall, in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft is having an excellent season. The 15-year-old is playing AAA Midget with the Airdrie CFR Chemicals Bisons. In 32 games Zandee has 34 points (20g, 14a) to sit tied for the team lead in scoring.

HITMEN ALUMNUS: Ryan Getzlaf, who played four seasons with the Hitmen from 2001-05, is in the NHL with the Anaheim Ducks. The 33-year-old forward from Regina, SK has 39 points (11g, 28a) in 54 games. Getzlaf has played 971 career NHL games registering 914 points.

CAREER YEARS: With 11.8 percent of the regular seasons schedule remaining, Eleven Hitmen have set new career highs in point totals. Their previous best is in brackets: Mark Kastelic 70pts (45), James Malm 68pts (66), Kaden Elder 56pts (32), Carson Focht 52pts (33), Riley Stotts 50pts (44), Egor Zamula 49pts (18), Cael Zimmerman 25pts (18), Dakota Krebs 20pts (16), Jackson van de Leest 19pts (5) and Hunter Campbell 13pts (11), Layne Toder 11pts (10).

UPCOMING GAMES

All times in MT. Schedule subject to change.

DATE OPPONENT TIME BROADCAST

Mar. 2 at Kootenay 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet.ca/960 (Alt Stream)

Mar. 3 vs. Kootenay 4:00 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Mar. 6 at Medicine Hat 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet.ca/960 (Alt Stream)

Mar. 8 vs. Edmonton 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Mar. 9 at Lethbridge 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan

PROMO CALENDAR

Upcoming home game highlights include:

- TONIGHT vs. BDN is Multicultural Night

- RE/MAX Presents: WHL Suits up with Don Cherry to Promote Organ Donation, Sunday Funday presented by Ricky's All Day Grill and RE/MAX Chuck-A-Puck on Mar. 3 vs. KTN

- One Ticket, One Tree on Mar. 8 vs. EDM

- Fan Appreciation and Sunday Funday presented by Ricky's All Day Grill on Mar. 17 vs. EDM

CAREER MILESTONE WATCH

- Vladislav Yeryomenko is four points shy of 100.

- Riley Stotts needs four goals for 50.

- Jack McNaughton reached 1,000 saves on Wednesday against Swift Current.

- Devan Klassen scored his first career WHL goal last Saturday in Swift Current.

- Jackson van de Leest played game 100 in Regina on Feb. 22.

Check out the Calgary Hitmen Statistics



Western Hockey League Stories from March 1, 2019


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