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WHL Calgary Hitmen

Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Sunday, December 13 at Red Deer

December 13, 2015 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Calgary Hitmen News Release


CALGARY HITMEN (20-12-1-1, 42 pts.) at RED DEER REBELS (20-10-0-0, 42 pts.)

Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015 - 5:00 p.m. MT - ENMAX Centrium

TODAY'S GAME

The Calgary Hitmen play the fourth of five straight games on the road when they visit the Red Deer Rebels this evening. Calgary is 2-1 on their road trip and coming off Friday's 4-3 loss in Moose Jaw. The Hitmen pumped 40 shots on goal but Warriors goaltender Brody Willms was named the first star marking 37 saves. Beck Malenstyn, Loch Morrison and Layne Bensmiller all scored for Calgary who could not overcome a 4-0 second period deficit. The Hitmen, at 42 points, are tied for the WHL's Central Division and Eastern Conference lead with the Rebels. They top Brandon by a single point in the conference and Lethbridge by two points in the division.

HITMEN BROADCAST INFORMATION

Radio: Sportsnet 960-The Fan

Webcast: WHL Live at whl.neulion.com

STREAKS

- Travis Sanheim (2g, 7a) is riding a six-game point streak.

- Layne Bensmiller (2g, 2a) has goals in back-to-back games.

- Jordy Stallard (4g, 2a) had his career-high four-game point streak snapped Friday in Moose Jaw while Carsen Twarynski (2g, 2a) and Jakob Stukel (2g, 2a) both saw their two-game goal scoring streaks come to an end.

- Radel Fazleev (1g, 3a) has points in two consecutive games.

NOTEWORTHY

VS RED DEER: Today is the third of seven regular season meetings between the two teams. Calgary has picked up three of a possible four points with a win and a shootout loss. Jake Bean (2g, 4a) and Travis Sanheim (1g, 5a) top the Hitmen with six points each against Red Deer. Ivan Nikolishin (1g, 2a) is the leading Rebel with three points against Calgary. Over the last five seasons, Calgary is 18-5-1-3 against the Rebels including an 8-3-0-2 record in Red Deer. Their next meeting is not until Friday, February 12 in Calgary.

2015-16 REGULAR SEASON SERIES RECAP

Oct. 9/15 at CAL: CAL 4 RD 1...Hitmen built period leads of 2-1 and 4-1.

Oct. 10/15 at RD: RD 5 CAL 4 SO...Rebels, who led 3-1, forced OT scoring with 37 seconds left.

INSIDE THE SERIES

Shots on Goal: CAL 56 RD 56 Power Plays: CAL 4-10 (40%) RD 1-7 (14.3%)

DIVISIONAL DIET: Today's game against the Rebels kicks off a stretch of seven straight contests against teams from the Central Division. As part of this schedule, the Hitmen will also play Medicine Hat, Kootenay and Lethbridge twice. Calgary has a record of 4-4-0-1 against teams from their own division this season.

DID YOU KNOW? Calgary's 43 third-period goals scored are the fourth-most of any team in the league.

INSIDE THE STREAK: Calgary has picked up 23 of a possible 28 points going 11-2-1-0 in their last 13 games. They have outscored their opponents by a combined 58-36 while outshooting them 473-336.

LIFE IS A HIGHWAY: The Hitmen, who have won four of their last six games away from the Scotiabank Saddledome, have played the most road games of any team in WHL at 19 or 52.8 percent of their road schedule for the entire season. By comparison, the Kamloops Blazers have played a league-low 11 games away from home.

ONE YEAR AGO: Calgary is one point ahead of last year's team that finished first in the Central Division with 95 points. Though 34 games during the 2015-15 season, the Hitmen had 41 points and sported a record of 19-12-1-2. This season, Calgary has scored 19 fewer goals but they have also given up two less.

TEETER TOTTER: Calgary has been through a series off three different runs this season. They started the 2015-16 schedule 5-1-0-1 before going 4-9-0-0 in their next 13 games. Since then, they've posted a record of 11-2-1-0.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS: Calgary Hitmen teammates Travis Sanheim and Radel Fazleev departed Thursday to try out for their home country ahead of the 2016 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. Sanheim is one of 30 players at Canada's National Junior Team Selection Camp while Fazleev is one of 29 players attending Russia's Preparation Camp at the Novogorsk facility near Moscow.

BEAR FACTS: On Dec. 6, the Hitmen held their 21st annual Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss. Fans tossed a record 28,815 stuffed toys, to bring the total number of teddy bears collected since the inaugural event, held in 1995 to 299,419. This year's game was also played in front of the first-ever teddy bear toss sellout of 19,289 fans. Among the over 50 local agencies to benefit this season; Calgary Food Bank, Stephen's Backpacks, Salvation Army and Siksika Children's Services.

FLYING FAZLEEV: Third year Hitmen forward Radel Fazleev not only leads Calgary in scoring this season but his 42 points (14g, 28a) rank tied for seventh in the league scoring race with Jon Martin of Swift Current and Ivan Nikolishin of Red Deer.

GAME-WORN JERSEY AUCTION: During the 21st annual Petro-Canada Teddy Bear Toss, the Hitmen wore red-themed teddy bear jerseys that are now up for bid in an online auction. It began Monday and closes TONIGHT, Sunday, Dec. 13, at 9:00 p.m. Fans can bid on the game-worn jerseys by visiting www.elevateauctions.com. Proceeds from the jersey auction will support the CBC Calgary Suncor Food Bank Drive. New this year, each jersey is accompanied by a custom-made teddy bear. The auction bears, dressed in a one-of-a-kind Hitmen T-shirt, each come with a $25 gift card, courtesy of Build-A-Bear Workshop, and a personalized player voice message.

NHL DRAFT WATCH: Hitmen defenceman Jake Bean, forward Beck Malenstyn and goaltender Cody Porter have all been named to the National Hockey League's Players to Watch list for November in advance of the 2016 NHL Draft. The list, compiled by NHL Central Scouting Service, groups prospects by league and gives each player an individual rating. Bean, one of 49 players from the Western Hockey League on the list, received an "A" ranking which indicates a first-round candidate. Malenstyn and Porter received "C" ratings, indicating a fourth, fifth or sixth-round selection.

TRADE WINDS: On Nov. 30, the Hitmen acquired 18-year-old goalie Nik Amundrud (am-un-DROOD) from the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft. So far in Calgary he is 1-1 with a 3.10 goals against average and .865 save percentage.

DYNAMIC DUO: Calgary has two of the top five scoring defencemen in the WHL in Travis Sanheim and Jake Bean. Sanheim (8g, 23a) has 31 points to sit tied for second while Bean's 29 points (12g, 17a) is tied for fifth among defencemen. Bean's career-high 12 goals top all blueliners while his five power play markers is tied for second among all rearguards. Sanheim's 23 assists rank tied for fourth.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Calgary's power play, which has scored 31 goals in 34 games, is 10th in the WHL at 20.3%. The Hitmen penalty kill, which has surrendered 26 goals this season, is seventh in the league at 82.6%.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Chris Driedger, who played three seasons with the Hitmen, from 2011-14, got his second taste of NHL action last night. He came off the bench for Ottawa playing 31:49 while stopping all 11 shots he faced in Montreal against the Canadiens. Driedger had a perfect relief appearance last season as well, stopping 10 shots. The 21-year-old appeared in 148 career games for Calgary, collecting 88 wins.

HOLIDAY CHEER: The Calgary Hitmen are offering a special ticket package during the holiday season. Fans can purchase tickets to two holiday games for $25. There are four games to pick from which include; Dec. 19 vs. MH, Dec. 28 vs. KTN, Dec. 30 vs. LET and Jan. 3 vs. BDN. For full details visit hitmenhockey.com.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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