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WHL Calgary Hitmen

Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Saturday, November 24 at Tri-City

November 24, 2018 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Calgary Hitmen News Release


CALGARY HITMEN (10-13-2-0, 22 pts.) at TRI-CITY AMERICANS (12-9-0-0, 24 pts.) Saturday - 8:05 p.m. MT - Toyota Center

TODAY'S GAME

The Calgary Hitmen play Game 6 of a season high seven game road trip tonight in Kennewick against the Tri-City Americans. The Hitmen are 4-1 on the swing following last night's 5-2 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds. Mark Kastelic and Luke Coleman both scored twice with Coleman adding an assist for a team leading three points. Carson Focht supplied the other Hitmen marker on a night where goaltender Carl Stankowski returned to Seattle to make 24 saves against his former team. The Hitmen penalty killers played a huge role killing all seven shorthanded situations including a 5-on-3 for 1:31. Kaden Elder and Jackson van de Leest both chipped in a pair of assists for Calgary which has now won five of their last six games.

BROADCAST INFORMATION Radio: Sportsnet 960-The Fan Webcast: WHL Live at whl.neulion.com ATTACHMENTS Media Kit

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STREAKS

- Jake Kryski (1g, 1a) has points in back-to-back games and in four of his last five contests.

- Luke Coleman (2g, 2a) and Carson Focht (1g, 3a) have points in back-to-back games.

- Carl Stankowski has won his last three starts in goal stopping 95 of 100 shots.

NOTEWORTHY VS. TRI-CITY: Tonight is the first and only regular season meeting between the Hitmen and Americans. Tri-City secured a 4-3 victory in their only battle last season on Feb. 14, 2018 at Scotiabank Saddledome. Dylan Coghlan recorded three assists with Parker AuCoin adding a goal and an assist. This is Calgary's first visit to Toyota Center since Nov. 16, 2016, when the Americans posted a 5-1 win. Defenceman Juuso Valimaki tallied three points with a goal and two assists. The last time Calgary beat the Ams was at the "Dome on Nov. 14, 2015. Jakob Stukel netted his first career hat-trick while Jackson Houck collected four assists in a 4-3 triumph.

FAMILIAR FACES: Tonight marks the return to Tri-City for Dakota Krebs and Carson Focht. Both were traded to Calgary on Jan. 6, 2018 along with a second-round pick (Tristan Zandee) in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft, a first-round selection in 2019 and a 2020 second-round pick in exchange for Jake Bean. Tonight also sees Calgary face former teammate Dom Schmiemann for the first time since he was dealt to the Americans on Oct. 6, 2018 in exchange for a fourth-round selection in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2020.

INSIDE THE ROAD TRIP: Calgary is 4-1 on their current road trip having outscored the opposition by a combined 18-9. Thirteen different players have picked up at least a point with Mark Kastelic (6g, 1a) leading the way with seven. Jake Kryski (2g, 3a), Luke Coleman (2g, 3a), Carson Focht (1g, 4a) and Egor Zamula (5a) are all next with five points. Special teams have been simply outstanding. The power play is 6-14 (42.9%) while the penalty kill is 19-20 (95%).

WHL TOP 15: Mark Kastelic is tied for second in the WHL in goals with 21 while his 32 points share 11th place. Josh Prokop is tied for 10th in rookie scoring with 12 points.

HIGHWAY TRACKER: Calgary's tilt in Kennewick against the Americans is the final stop in a stretch of six games in nine nights. Once the journey wraps up and the Hitmen return back to Calgary following tonight's game, they will have covered a grand total of 3,004 kilometers. So far they have gone 2,072 kilometers.

FAST FACTS: The Hitmen are just one point behind Medicine Hat for the final Eastern Conference Wildcard spot...Calgary has taken 122 more shots than they have given up this season and have only been outshot in six of their 25 games. The Hitmen have been shutout four times this season but are still averaging 3.56 goals per game...A Hitmen player has scored at least twice in a game 18 times this season this although Mark Kastelic's three-goal performance last Saturday in Spokane was the first Hitmen hat-trick.

DID YOU KNOW?: Following this seven game road trip, Calgary heads in the opposite direction playing 10 of their next 12 at home.

BOUNCING BACK: Since starting the season 0-5-1-0, the Hitmen have gone 10-8-1-0.

HOME AND AWAY COMPARISON: The Hitmen are 7-7 on the road while Tri-City is 4-4 at home.

TEDDY BEAR TICKETS: Due to overwhelming demand, press-level seating is open for The Brick Teddy Bear Toss. Tickets are available starting at $14.99 for adults and $9.99 for students and kids (plus applicable fees and taxes). Limited second level seating also remains. Fans are encouraged to bring a new small or medium-sized stuffed toy to toss onto the ice when the Calgary Hitmen score their first goal on Sunday, Dec. 9 against the visiting Kamloops Blazers. Game time at the 'Dome is 2:00 p.m.

NHL DRAFT: Mark Kastelic and Jackson van de Leest are both on NHL Central Scouting's November 'Players to Watch' list for the 2019 NHL Draft. They each received a "C rating' which indicates fourth/fifth/sixth round candidate.

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 17 points (6g, 11a) in 18 games. Getzlaf has played 935 career NHL games registering 892 points.

WORLD STAGE: Luke Prokop joined Hockey Canada at the 2018 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. The eight-team tournament saw Prokop and Canada White finish sixth. The Hitmen defenceman recorded one assist in five games. Prokop became the 28th player in franchise history to participate in the tournament joining fellow teammates Jackson van de Leest (2017), Carson Focht (2016), Jake Kryski (2014), Carl Stankowski (2016) and Riley Stotts (2016). Focht won gold with Canada White while van de Leest helped Canada Red capture silver.

CORRAL SERIES: The Hitmen will play a trio of regular season games this season at the historic Stampede Corral. "The Corral Series" presented by Adrenalin Source for Sports, will see the Hitmen host the Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday, Feb. 1, the Regina Pats on Wednesday, Feb. 6 and the Prince Albert Raiders on Friday, Feb. 8. All will be 7:00 p.m. starts in the vintage building that first opened on Dec. 15, 1950 and was the original home of the Calgary Flames from 1980-83. Each game will be dedicated to a former elite team who once called the Stampede Corral home by wearing commemorative jerseys of the Calgary Centennials, Calgary Wranglers and Calgary Cowboys. The series will feature a number of exciting events including an opening night pre-game celebration and beer gardens, a luncheon, merchandise and other activities that will make this a week to remember. Tickets go on sale Monday, Nov. 26 at 10 a.m. They start as low as $29.25 for adults and $21.75 for kids (plus applicable Ticketmaster fees and taxes). Also available is the three-game pack for $69 (plus applicable Ticketmaster fees and taxes). Additional details for the Corral Series will be announced in the coming months.

HITMEN GO GREEN: On Sept. 26, National Tree Day, the Calgary Hitmen announced their participation in an environmental initiative called One Ticket, One Tree. The Hitmen will begin a pilot project where a tree will be planted for reforestation projects in the province for each game day and group ticket sold to the One Ticket, One Tree game when they host the Oil Kings on Mar. 8 at 7:00 p.m. In addition, Hitmen players will be in the community this season doing their part to reduce their ecological footprint and bring awareness to local environmental issues.

HITMEN VS: (BDN 1-0), (EDM 0-1), (EVT 0-1), (KAM 0-0), (KEL 0-0), (KTN 2-1), (LET 1-2), (MH 1-1), (MJ 1-0), (POR 1-0), (PA 0-2), (PG 0-0), (RD 0-3-1-0), (REG 0-0-1-0), (SAS 1-2), (SEA 1-0), (SPO 1-0), (SC 0-0), (TC 0-0), (VAN 0-0), (VIC 0-0).

TICKET SPECIALS: The 2018-19 Hitmen Hockey Pass includes 34 tickets to be used anytime, in any combination. Pass holders also receive a $50 Scotiabank Saddledome gift card and a FREE ticket to a select Flames, Roughnecks or Stampeders game. Passes start at less than $7 per ticket for kids and under $15 for adults. Also available is the 10-game Hitmen Flex Pack to be used for any game, in any combination. Students and kids tickets are $10 per game, adults and seniors $20. Applicable fees and taxes apply. Visit HitmenHockey.com to score yours today!

UPCOMING GAMES All times in MT. Schedule subject to change. DATE

OPPONENT TIME BROADCAST

Nov. 30 at Red Deer 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet.ca/960 (Alt Stream)

Dec. 1 vs. Edmonton 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Dec. 2 vs. Moose Jaw 4:00 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Dec. 7 vs. Swift Current 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Dec. 9 vs. Kamloops 2:00 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan

PROMO CALENDAR

Upcoming home game highlights include: - The Brick Teddy Bear Toss on Dec. 9 vs. KAM

- Carols for Christmas on Dec. 14 vs. KEL

- Novice Jamboree on Dec. 16 vs. LET

- Soccer Day on Dec. 30 vs. VAN

- Airdrie Day on Jan. 1 vs. VIC

- Wizarding Day on Jan. 5 vs. MH

- CBE Night on Jan. 25 vs. PG

- Dodge Skate with the Hitmen on Jan. 27 vs. KTN - The Corral Series - Presented by Adrenalin Source for Sports on Feb.1 vs. BDN, Feb. 6 vs. REG and Feb. 8 vs. PA. Tickets on sale starting Nov. 26 - Family Game on Feb. 10 vs. MJ

- Lunar Celebration/Calgary Catholic on Feb. 15 vs. MH - TELUS BE BRAVE on Feb. 27 vs. SC - Multicultural Night on Mar. 1 vs. BDN - WHL Suits up with Don Cherry to Promote Organ Donation - Presented by RE/MAX on Mar. 3 vs. KTN - One Ticket, One Tree on Mar. 8 vs. EDM - Fan Appreciation on Mar. 17 vs. EDM

CAREER MILESTONE WATCH

- Vladislav Yeryomenko played career game 150 last night against Seattle while Carl Stankowski eclipsed 500 saves and Luke Coleman hit 50 goals.

- James Malm is six points away from 150.

- Jake Kryski played career game 300 on Saturday in Spokane while Luke Coleman played in game 250 Friday night against Kootenay. Coleman is also two goals away from 50.

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