WHL Calgary Hitmen

Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Saturday, November 23 at Moose Jaw

Published on November 23, 2019 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Calgary Hitmen News Release


CALGARY HITMEN (12-6-2-1, 27 pts.) at MOOSE JAW WARRIORS (9-10-1-0, 19 pts.)

Saturday, November 23, 2019 - 6:00 p.m. MT - Mosaic Place

TODAY'S GAME

The Calgary Hitmen, winners of two in a row, wrap up a season long six-game road trip tonight in Moose Jaw against the Warriors. The Hitmen are 3-1-1-0 on the swing following last night's 4-3 overtime victory in Brandon. Vancouver Canucks prospect Carson Focht netted the winner 3:40 into extra time. The Hitmen forced the extra session when Orca Wiesblatt tallied his second goal of the game just 51 seconds into the third period. Blake Allan provided the other Calgary marker with Hunter Campbell adding a pair of assists. Rookie defenceman Evan Toth also picked up an assist for his first career point in the Western Hockey League. The Wheat Kings, who trailed 2-0 after the opening frame, did all their damage in the second period on goals from Connor Gutenberg, Marcus Sekundiak and Cole Reinhardt. Both teams fired 34 shots with goaltender Jack McNaughton making 31 saves for Calgary and Ethan Kruger recording 30 stops for Brandon.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

Radio: Sportsnet 960-The Fan begins with a 60 minute pre-game show at 5:00 p.m.

Webcast: WHL Live at whllive.com

ATTACHMENTS

Media Kit

STREAKS

- Egor Zamula (4a) and Jett Woo (1g, 2a) are both on three-game point streaks.

- Orca Wiesblatt (2g, 1a) has points in back-to-back games.

- Jack McNaughton has won his last three starts posting a 1.96 goals against average and a .930 save percentage.

- Blake Allan (2g, 1a) has points in three of his last four games.

- Riley Stotts (2g, 3a) saw his four-game point streak end last night in Brandon.

NOTEWORTHY

VS. MOOSE JAW: Tonight is already the third of four regular season meetings between the Hitmen and Warriors. Calgary has grabbed both games so far by a combined score of 10-5. Carson Focht (3g), Jonas Peterek (2g, 1a), Orca Wiesblatt (2g, 1a), Josh Prokop (1g, 2a), Riley Stotts (1g, 2a) and Jett Woo (3a) all have three points each for Calgary in the season series. Ryder Korczak (2g) and Brayden Tracey (2a) are the top performers for the Warriors with two points each. Dating back to last season, the Hitmen are 6-0 against their Eastern Conference rivals after having lost the previous 11 games. The two teams won't meet again until Sunday, Jan. 5 in Calgary.

2019-20 SERIES RECAP

Oct. 18/19 at CGY: CGY 6 MJ 3...Orca Wiesblatt led the Hitmen attack with two goals and an assist.

Oct. 25/19 at MJ: CGY 4 MJ 2...Josh Prokop and Riley Stotts paved the way with a goal and an assist each.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Shots on Goal: CGY 72 MJ 38 Power Plays: CGY 2-8 (25%) MJ 1-7 (14.3%)

FAST FACTS: Egor Zamula is fourth among defencemen in league scoring with 21 points....Mark Kastelic is tied for fifth in goals in the WHL with 15 and leads the league with three shorthanded markers...Calgary has been to overtime six times this season, only Prince Albert (7) has made more trips to extra time...The Hitmen have played more games against the East Division this season, tonight is their 11th, than the eight meetings against teams from their own Central Division.

GAME DATA: This is an Eastern Conference matchup; this season the Hitmen have a record of 11-5-1-1 against Eastern Conference foes and a record of 7-2-1-0 against the East Division.

PICKING UP POINTS: Calgary has recorded at least a point in six of their last seven games posting a record of 4-1-1-1.

DOWN TO THE WIRE: Ten of Calgary's last 13 games have all been within a goal in the final 90 seconds.

HITMEN MONTH-BY-MONTH: September (3-0-1-0), October (5-3-0-0), November (4-3-1-1).

HITMEN PLEDGE: 'The Hitmen Pledge powered by ENMAX' is here. As part of the 25th anniversary season fans and members of the community are asked to take the pledge and donate 25 volunteer hours to a charitable cause. One lucky winner will receive $25,000 to gift to a registered Southern Alberta charity of their choice. Full details can be found at https://hitmenhockey.com/pledge.

SHOT CLOCK: The Hitmen have outshot their opponent in 12 of their last 15 games.

HOME AND AWAY COMPARISON: Calgary is 6-2-2-0 on the road this season, going 5-1-1-0 in their last seven games away from the 'Dome. Moose Jaw is 7-4-0-0 at home. Tonight marks their first game back at Mosaic Place following a three-game road trip.

WORLD STAGE: Hitmen forward Sean Tschigerl was a member of Canada Black at the 2019 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge co-hosted earlier this month between Medicine Hat, AB and Swift Current, SK. Tschigerl served as an alternate captain and finished the eight team tournament with two points (1g, 1a) in five games.

ONE YEAR IMPROVEMENT: Calgary is 11 points ahead of their start through 21 games last season when they owned a record of 7-12-2-0.

MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS INJURY REPORT: James Malm (upper body, two weeks), Riley Fiddler-Schultz (lower body, week-to-week), Tye Carriere (lower body, two-three weeks), Cael Zimmerman (lower body, indefinite).

TEDDY BEAR TICKETS: Due to overwhelming demand, press-level seating for the Dec. 1 ENMAX Teddy Bear Toss is now open. Game time is 4:00 p.m. against the Red Deer Rebels. General admission tickets in the third level are available for only $9.99 for kids 12 and under and $14.99 for adults (plus applicable fees and taxes). They can be purchased at Ticketmaster, the Scotiabank Saddledome box office or by phone at 1-855-985-5000. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the toss in Calgary with the goal of taking back the world record for most bears tossed in a single game. The AHL's Hershey Bears set a new mark last season of 34,798. "Our fans have supported this terrific cause since day one and have told us they want the record back," said Hitmen Assistant Manager of Business Operations Rob Kerr. "A full building that sees everyone bring two stuffed animals to toss on the ice after our first goal would break the record. It would also accomplish the greater goal of helping more than 60 local agencies this holiday season including the Alberta Children's Hospital and Salvation Army." All interested charities are encouraged to contact info@hitmenhockey.com to request their number of bears.

HITMEN ALUMNUS: Beck Malenstyn, who played parts of five seasons with the Hitmen from 2013 to 2018, made his NHL debut on Wednesday for the Washington Capitals. The 21 year-old forward had started the season in the AHL with the Hershey Bears recording six points (3g, 3a) in 18 games. He had 14 shifts for the Caps playing 10:02 minutes while recording three shots on goal. During his time in Calgary, Malenstyn notched 99 points (48g, 51a) in 200 games. He becomes the 45th Hitmen alumnus to play at least one game in the National Hockey League.

HITMEN IN THE COMMUNITY: This holiday season the Hitmen are once again partnering with the Calgary Zoo for ZOOLIGHTS. Hitmen players will visit the Zoo's outdoor rink on four occasions for public skating. The first visit is Tuesday, Nov. 26 when Mark Kastelic and Dakota Krebs will pop in from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Fans can take advantage of a special Hitmen/ZOOLIGHTS Family Pack. For $99.99 plus GST receive four Hitmen ticket vouchers and four ZOOLIGHTS tickets (2 Adults, 2 Child). Full details available at hitmenhockey.com/zoolights

UPCOMING GAMES

All times MT. Schedule subject to change.

Date Opponent Time Broadcast

Fri., Nov. 29 vs. REG 7:00 PM Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Sat., Nov. 30 at EDM 2:00 PM Sportsnet.ca/960 (Alt Stream)

Sun., Dec. 1 vs. RD 4:00 PM Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Fri., Dec. 6 vs. EDM 7:00 PM Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Sat., Dec. 7 at EDM 7:00 PM Sportsnet.ca/960 (Alt Stream)

PROMO CALENDAR

Hitmen single game tickets are on sale now at all Ticketmaster locations. Upcoming home game highlights include:

- Christmas Miracles for SHINE on Fri. Nov. 29 vs. REG

- ENMAX Teddy Bear Toss on Sun. Dec. 1 vs. RD

- Carols for Christmas on Fri. Dec. 6 vs. EDM

- Sunday Funday, presented by Ricky's All Day Grill on Dec. 8 vs. EVT

- Sunday Funday, presented by Ricky's All Day Grill on Dec. 15 vs. LET

- Soccer Day on Mon. Dec. 30 vs. EDM

CAREER MILESTONE WATCH

- Jett Woo is one game shy of 200 and needs three assists for 100.

- Luke Prokop is three games away from 100.

- Dakota Krebs needs two points to reach 50.

- Egor Zamula, who needs five points for 100, played game 150 on Wednesday in Regina.

- Mark Kastelic passed the 100 goal total last Saturday in Saskatoon and now has 103. Kastelic is also 14th on the clubs all-time points list with 188, five points behind Kenton Smith who holds 13th place.

- Last Saturday against the Blades, Jack McNaughton moved ahead of Aaron MacDonald and into 13th spot on the clubs all-time saves. He is 64 saves behind Gerry Festa for 12th place.

Check out the Calgary Hitmen Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from November 23, 2019


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