WHL Calgary Hitmen

Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Saturday, October 24 at Kelowna

Published on October 24, 2015 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Calgary Hitmen News Release


CALGARY HITMEN (7-5-0-1, 15 pts.) at KELOWNA ROCKETS (8-4-0-0, 16 pts.)

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015 - 8:05 p.m. MT - Prospera Place

TODAY'S GAME

The Calgary Hitmen wrap up their four-game British Columbia road trip tonight in Kelowna against the Rockets. The Hitmen are 1-2 on a swing that began with a back-to-back set against Prince George. After the Cougars won the opener 5-2 on Tuesday, they followed up with a 5-0 victory on Wednesday night. The Hitmen got back in the win column last night with a 4-2 victory in Kamloops. Brendan Burke made 23 saves in a first star performance while Beck Malenstyn, Jordy Stallard and Radel Fazleev all had a goal and an assist. Layne Bensmiller rounded out the scoring with Carsen Twarynski adding a pair of assists. The Hitmen sit second in the WHL's Central Division at 15 points, three points back of the front-running Red Deer Rebels while Kelowna leads the BC Division with 16 points.

HITMEN BROADCAST INFORMATION

Radio: Sportsnet 960-The Fan Webcast: WHL Live at whl.neulion.com

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STREAKS

- Radel Fazleev (2g, 4a) has points in three of his last four games.

- Carsen Twarynski (3a) has points in two of his last three games.

NOTEWORTHY

VS. KELOWNA: Tonight is the first of two regular season meetings between the two teams

with both to be played in Kelowna. The Hitmen won both games last season by a

combined score of 6-2. Over the last five years Calgary is 7-2 against the Rockets,

including a 4-0 record in Kelowna.

2014-15 SERIES RECAP Dec. 14/14 at CAL: CAL 4 KEL 1...After a scoreless first period the Hitmen took a 2-0 lead to the third period. Feb. 28/15 at KEL: CAL 2 KEL 1...Kenton Helgesen scored the go-ahead goal for Calgary with 4:03 remaining.

INSIDE THE SERIES Shots on Goal: CAL 55 KEL 49 Power Plays: CAL 1-7 (14.3%) KEL 1-9 (11.1%)

CANADA RUSSIA SERIES: Two Hitmen have been named to the 2015 CHL Canada Russia Series. Defenceman Travis Sanheim will suit up for Team WHL while centre Radel Fazleev will be on the opposing bench with Team Russia for the Western Hockey League portion of the tournament that begins with Game 1 in Kelowna, B.C. on Monday, Nov. 9 and will conclude on Tuesday, Nov. 10 with Game 2 in Kamloops, B.C. The OHL will host Games 3 and 4 while the QMJHL will wrap up the series as hosts for Games 5 and 6. Forward Jake Virtanen, currently with the Vancouver Canucks, will also be added to the Team WHL roster if he returns to the Hitmen prior to the start of the series.

VARIETY: Tonight is Game 14 of Calgary's 72 game regular season schedule. It comes against their ninth different opponent.

BURKE'S BLOCKADE: Hitmen goaltender Brendan Burke leads the WHL with a 1.06 goals-against average and .957 save percentage. The 20-year-old had his shutout streak snapped last night at 171:40, the second longest of his career. He was acquired at the 2015 WHL Trade Deadline from the Portland Winterhawks.

LIFE IS A HIGHWAY: Tonight is Calgary's 10th road game of the season, the most of any team in the WHL. Following this contest against the Rockets, the Hitmen will have completed 27.7 percent of their regular season road schedule just four weeks into the season.

GO TIME: Tonight's marks the end of a busy stretch for the Hitmen as it's their sixth game in eight days and fourth in five nights. Starting tomorrow it will take 14 days for Calgary to play their next six games.

PLAYING WITH THE LEAD: Calgary is a perfect 5-0 this season when leading after the first period and unbeaten at 7-0 when leading after 40 minutes.

DYNAMIC DUO: The Hitmen have two of the top four scoring defencemen in the WHL in Travis Sanheim and Jake Bean. Sanheim's team-leading 17 points (5g, 12a) tops all blueliners while Bean (7g, 7a) is tied for third with 14 points. Bean's seven goals is also a career high. Sanheim was a ninth round pick of the Hitmen, 177 overall, in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft while Bean was a protected list addition out of training camp two seasons ago.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Calgary's power play, in a 0-9 drought, is ninth in the WHL at 23.5%. The Hitmen have killed 13 of their last 15 shorthanded situations. Overall the penalty kill is sixth at 82.8%.

WELCOME BACK: Hitmen forward Taylor Sanheim has served all three games of his WHL imposed suspension under supplemental discipline relating to last Saturday's game in Medicine Hat. He's eligible to return to the lineup tonight in Kelowna.

JERSEY AUCTION: The Calgary Hitmen Hockey Club, in partnership with Canada Diagnostic Centres, has proudly launched the seventh annual Hitmen Fight Cancer campaign in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation - Prairies/NWT Region (CBCF). To support the cause, fans can now bid on select game-worn and game-issued pink-themed jerseys from Hitmen alumni players by visiting ElevateAuctions.com/HitmenFightCancer. The online auction closes at 9:00 p.m. MT on Friday, October 30. In the previous six years, the Calgary Hitmen with the support of their partners, players, staff and fans have raised over $87,460 through the club's Hitmen Fight Cancer initiatives.

Check out the Calgary Hitmen Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from October 24, 2015


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