Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Sunday, December 16 vs. Lethbridge
December 16, 2018 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Calgary Hitmen News Release
CALGARY HITMEN (15-14-3-1, 34 pts.) vs. LETHBRIDGE HURRICANES (17-9-4-2, 40 pts.)
Sunday - 4:00 p.m. MT - Scotiabank Saddledome
TODAY'S GAME
The Calgary Hitmen play their final game before an 11-day holiday break this afternoon as they welcome the Lethbridge Hurricanes to the Scotiabank Saddledome. Game time is 4:00 p.m. It's another Sunday Funday which includes face painters, concourse activities, giveaways and a post-game family skate that is FREE with a game ticket. Sunday Funday features a specially priced $9.99 ticket for kids 12 and under and a $14.99 ticket for adults (plus applicable fees and taxes). The Hitmen are coming off yesterday's 3-2 overtime loss in Edmonton which saw Andrew Fyten net the winner 40 seconds into sudden death. The Oil Kings erased a 2-0 second period deficit on goals from Vince Loschiavo and David Kope. It was Kope's marker with 8:28 remaining that forced extra time. The loss snapped Calgary's five game winning streak. Kaden Elder with his 13th goal of the season and Jake Kryski with his 17th replied for the Hitmen. Edmonton outshot Calgary 44-34 with both goalies named stars of the game. Jack McNaughton of the Hitmen finished with 41 saves while Dylan Myskiw made 32 stops.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Radio: Sportsnet 960-The Fan Webcast: WHL Live at whl.neulion.com
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STREAKS
- James Malm (3g, 5a) and Egor Zamula (5g, 7a) are both riding six-game point streaks.
- Carson Focht (4a) is on a four-game run.
- Jake Kryski (4g, 1a) and Kaden Elder (2g, 2a) have points in three consecutive games.
- In his last six games, goalie Jack McNaughton has stopped 159 of 172 shots for a .924 save percentage.
- Riley Stotts (2g, 8a) saw his four-game point streak snapped yesterday in Edmonton.
NOTEWORTHY VS. LETHBRIDGE: Today is the fourth of six regular season meetings between the Hitmen and Hurricanes. Lethbridge leads the series 2-1 with the two teams combining for 30 goals in three games. Mark Kastelic (4g, 3a) is Calgary's top scorer with seven points against the "Canes while Jake Kryski (1g, 4a) is next with five. Logan Barlage (3g, 3a) leads all Hurricanes' performers with six points. Their next meeting isn't until Wednesday, Feb. 13 in Lethbridge.
2018-19 SERIES RECAP Oct. 12/18 at CGY: CGY 6 LET 5...Mark Kastelic led Calgary with two goals and an assist. Oct. 26/18 at CGY: LET 7 CGY 6... Zach Cox scored with 6:34 remaining to snap a 6-6 tie. Nov. 9/18 at LET: LET 4 CGY 2...The Hitmen lost despite holding Lethbridge to 19 shots.
INSIDE THE SERIES Shots on Goal: CGY 105 LET 88 Power Plays: CGY 1-9 (11.1%) LET 3-10 (30%)
BOUNCING BACK: Since starting the season 0-5-1-0, the Hitmen have gone 15-9-2-1.
RECENT RUN: Calgary has picked up 20 of a possible 26 points in their last 13 games posting a record of 9-2-1-1. Special teams have been a major driver with the power play a combined 12-36 (33.3%) while the penalty kill is 41-46 (89.1%).
WHL TOP 15: Mark Kastelic is seventh in the WHL in goals with 22 while his 125 shots on goal rank 15th. Josh Prokop is 14th in rookie scoring with 16 points. Egor Zamula is in a two-way tie for seventh in defencemen scoring with 29 points.
ROSTER MOVES: On Thursday, Dec. 13, the Hitmen recalled goaltender Matthew Armitage from the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. The 19-year-old has a 2.62 goals against average and .924 save percentage in the BCHL this season.
TEDDY BEAR RECAP: Hitmen forward Kaden Elder scored 4:18 into the first period of The Brick Teddy Bear Toss 2018 on Dec. 9 triggering a waterfall of 29,635 stuffed toys at the Scotiabank Saddledome. That tally set a new franchise record for most bears collected in a single toss breaking the previous mark of 28,815 established in 2015. Nearly 70 local agencies, including the Salvation Army, Calgary Food Bank, Siksika Nation and Hospice Calgary will share the bears this holiday season. The Brick also donated 25 cents for every bear tossed to the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation for a total of $7,408.75. Each bear was counted one by one by over 100 volunteers which included students, teachers, grandparents and hockey fans. Since the inaugural 1995 toss, the Hitmen, with generous support from their partners and fans, have provided the community with 377,583 teddy bears.
DID YOU KNOW?: Hitmen defenceman Vladislav Yeryomenko helped Team Belarus win silver at the 2019 IIHF World U20 Championship in Germany. Belarus finished the Division I Group A tournament yesterday with a 2-0 round-robin loss to Latvia but still claimed second spot. This was the third trip to the World Juniors for Yeryomenko. He also won gold in 2017.
POST-GAME AUTOGRAPHS: Meet Jack McNaughton after today's game. The rookie goaltender will be signing autographs at the Hitmen Booster Club table located behind section 212.
GAME-WORN AND GAME-ISSUED JERSEY AUCTION: During The Brick Teddy Bear Toss 2018, Hitmen players wore special red-themed teddy bear jerseys with snow-capped numbers and a Santa hat on the primary logo. They are now being sold in an online auction which closes Sunday, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m. MT. Fans can bid on the jerseys along with five team-signed helmets at https://elevateauctions.com/TeddyBearJerseys2018 with proceeds benefiting the Children's Miracle Network.
HOME AND AWAY COMPARISON: The Hitmen are 8-6-2-0 at home while Lethbridge is 7-5-4-0 on the road.
HOLIDAY STOCKING STUFFER: The Hitmen are offering fans a special gift idea this holiday season. For $19.99 plus GST you receive a Hitmen single game voucher redeemable for any remaining regular season game in Scotiabank Saddledome, a signed Hitmen puck and a $5 Scotiabank Saddledome Card. Some exclusions do apply. Go to hitmenhockey.com to purchase yours today.
CANADA WINTER GAMES: Two Hitmen prospects have been named to the 2019 Canada Winter Games. Forward Sean Tschigerl will suit up for Team Alberta with defenceman Tyson Galloway on Team B.C. Manitoba has yet to name its roster for the tournament which will be held in Red Deer from Feb. 16-22.
CORRAL SERIES: The Hitmen will play a trio of games this season at the historic Stampede Corral. Tickets start at $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). "The Corral Series" presented by Adrenalin Source for Sports, will see Calgary 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 are 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 Corral home by wearing commemorative jerseys of the Calgary Centennials, Wranglers and Cowboys. The series features 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.
HITMEN GO GREEN: The Calgary Hitmen are participating in an environmental initiative called One Ticket, One Tree. The pilot project will see a tree planted for reforestation projects in the province for each game day and group ticket sold to the One Ticket, One Tree Hitmen game against Edmonton on Mar. 8. Hitmen players are also in the community this season doing their part to reduce their ecological footprint and raising awareness to local environmental issues. MAYFAIR DIAGNOSTICS HITMEN INJURY REPORT: Carl Stankowski (6-8 weeks, lower body), Tye Carriere (Indefinitely, upper body).
HITMEN VS: (BDN 1-0), (EDM 1-1-1-0), (EVT 0-1), (KAM 1-0), (KEL 1-0), (KTN 2-1), (LET 1-2), (MH 1-1), (MJ 2-0), (POR 1-0), (PA 0-2), (PG 0-0), (RD 0-4-1-0), (REG 0-0-1-0), (SAS 1-2), (SEA 1-0), (SPO 1-0), (SC 1-0), (TC 0-0-0-1), (VAN 0-0), (VIC 0-0).
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 arena on four occasions for public skating. The first appearance was Dec. 8 when Carson Focht, Josh Prokop and mascot Farley the Fox all dropped by. Weather permitting Hitmen players will also visit the rink on Dec. 27, Dec. 29 and Jan. 3.
UPCOMING GAMES All times in MT. Schedule subject to change.
DATE OPPONENT TIME BROADCAST
Dec. 28 at Edmonton 7:00 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan
Dec. 30 vs. Vancouver 2:00 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan
Jan. 1 vs. Victoria 1:00 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan
Jan. 4 vs. Red Deer 4:00 p.m. Sportsnet.ca/960 (Alt Stream)
Jan. 5 vs. Medicine Hat 1:30 p.m. Sportsnet 960-The Fan
PROMO CALENDAR
Upcoming home game highlights include: - Novice Jamboree and Sunday Funday on Dec. 16 vs. LET
- Soccer Day and Sunday Funday on Dec. 30 vs. VAN
- Airdrie Day on Jan. 1 vs. VIC - Wizarding Day on Jan. 5 vs. MH - Sunday Funday on Jan. 20 vs. RD - 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 and Sunday Funday 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 and Sunday Funday on Mar. 3 vs. KTN - One Ticket, One Tree on Mar. 8 vs. EDM - Fan Appreciation on Mar. 17 vs. EDM
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
- James Malm is three games shy of 200 and two assists away from 100. He reached the 150 point mark on Dec. 9 against Kamloops.
- Riley Stotts is two games shy of 150 while Kaden Elder needs five points for 100.
- Jack McNaughton passed 1,000 minutes played last night against Kelowna.
Western Hockey League Stories from December 16, 2018
- Cougars Edged by Giants - Prince George Cougars
- Hitmen head into 11 day holiday break 15-15-3-1 after 6-4 loss - Calgary Hitmen
- WHL Linesman Nathan Van Oosten Receives WHL Milestone Award - WHL
- ICE Visit Oil Kings Before Christmas Break - Kootenay Ice
- Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Sunday, December 16 vs. Lethbridge - Calgary Hitmen
- Winterhawks Game Day Preview: Portland vs. Tri-City - Game #34 - Portland Winterhawks
- Americans Make Late Comeback, Earn 3-2 Overtime Victory over Winterhawks - Tri-City Americans
- Giants Fall 4-2 Saturday Night in Victoria - Vancouver Giants
- Broncos Put up Five Goals in Loss to Raiders - Swift Current Broncos
- Royals Rise Above Giants - Victoria Royals
- Silvertips Spread around Scoring in 6-1 Win - Everett Silvertips
- Wheat Kings Score a Teddy Bear Toss Win - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Hawks Play Well, But Fall Short in Overtime - Portland Winterhawks
- Tigers Drop 2-1 to Rockets - Medicine Hat Tigers
- Silvertips Skate Past T-Birds - Seattle Thunderbirds
- Blades Head Home with Single Point After Wild One in Brandon - Saskatoon Blades
- Raiders Close Out First Half With Win Over Broncos - Prince Albert Raiders
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