Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Tuesday, February 23 vs Portland
February 23, 2016 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Calgary Hitmen News Release
CALGARY HITMEN (34-22-2-2, 72 pts.) vs PORTLAND WINTERHAWKS (31-25-3-0, 65 pts.)
Tuesday, February 23, 2016 - 7:00 p.m. - Scotiabank Saddledome
TODAY'S GAME
The Calgary Hitmen play Game 3 of a four game homestand tonight as they welcome the Portland Winterhawks to the Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary is coming off Sunday's 3-2 overtime loss to Medicine Hat. Trailing 2-1 after 40 minutes, the Tigers evened the score on a third period shorthanded marker from Alex Mowbray then won the contest when Chad Butcher scored on a breakaway 1:28 into the extra session. Former Hitmen goaltender Mack Shields was also a game story, making 39 saves as Calgary, who got goals from Jordy Stallard and Travis Sanheim, outshot Medicine Hat 41-24. The Hitmen went 0-4 on the powerplay. The Tigers 1-2. Calgary is third in the WHL's Central Division with 72 points, three points behind second place Red Deer. The Winterhawks are third in the U.S. Division at 65 points, just two points back of second place Seattle.
HITMEN BROADCAST INFORMATION
Radio: Sportsnet.ca/960 (Alt Stream)
Webcast: WHL Live at whl.neulion.com
TV: Shaw TV
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STREAKS
- Travis Sanheim (2g, 7a) is on a seven-game point streak and has points (4g, 25a) in 21 of his last 22 games. However Sanheim's 11-game home ice assist streak (15a) ended Sunday against Medicine Hat.
- Radel Fazleev (1g, 6a) has points in four consecutive games.
- Jordy Stallard (1g, 1a) has points in back-to-back games.
- Jakob Stukel (3g, 1a) saw his three-game point streak snapped Sunday against Medicine Hat.
NOTEWORTHY
VS. PORTLAND: Tonight is the first and only regular season meetings between the two teams in the 2015/16 campaign. Last season they met on Feb. 21 in Portland with the Winterhawks posting a 5-2 victory. Nicolas Petan led the way with four assists while Paul Bittner and Oliver Bjorkstrand both scored twice and set up another goal. Their last meeting at the "Dome was on Dec. 8, 2013, when Calgary skated to a 4-1 win. Pavel Padakin netted a pair of goals with Brady Brassart adding two assists. Of note, Brendan Burke, who started this season with the Hitmen after being acquired at the 2015 WHL Trade Deadline, was the Winterhawks goalie that day making 29 saves in the loss. In their last five meetings, Calgary is 3-2 against Portland including a 1-1 record in Alberta.
HERE WE GO: Tonight marks the fifth game in seven nights for the Hitmen. So far during this stretch they are 2-1-1-0. It's also Game 5 in a span that sees the Hitmen play seven games in 11 nights.
DID YOU KNOW? Calgary is 3-1 this season against teams from the U.S. Division....The Hitmen offense is ranked 11th in the league, averaging 3.28 goals for per game. On the flip side, they are ninth in goals against, surrendering a per game average of 3.07....Calgary has outshot their opponents in 42 of their 60 games this season
PLAYOFFS IN SIGHT: Calgary's current magic number to clinch a post-season berth is four points. Any combination of points either gained by the Hitmen or lost by Swift Current totaling four will lock up a playoff spot for Calgary. The Hitmen, who captured league titles in 1999 and 2010, have made the post-season in each of the last four seasons and have missed the playoffs only once since 1998.
ELITE COMPANY: Jake Bean netted his 20th goal of the season on Feb. 8 in Kamloops, becoming the first defenceman to record 20 or more goals in a WHL season since the 2013-14 campaign. That season Josh Morrissey (28), Ryan Pulock (23), Shea Theodore (22) and Madison Bowey (21) were all members of the 20-goal club. Bean now has 22 goals. The Hitmen franchise record for most goals by a defenceman in a single season is 23, set by Paul Postma in 2008-09.
WHAT'S LEFT: Including tonight, Calgary has 12 regular season games remaining, seven at home and five on the road.
RECORD BOOKS: Earlier this season, Travis Sanheim set a new franchise record for the longest assist streak by a defenceman at 14 games. The previous mark of eight was established by Matt Kinch from Nov. 21 to Dec. 10, 1999. Sanheim enters today's game with 115 career assists, 13th on the club's all-time regular season assist list. Greg Chase owns 12th spot with 117. The franchise leader is Brad Moran who had 246 career helpers.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Calgary's power play, which has scored at least once in three of the last four games, is 10th in the WHL at 21.1%. Only Lethbridge (69) and Victoria (60) have scored more power play goals than Calgary's 58 this season. The Hitmen penalty kill is sixth in the league at 82.1%.
POST-GAME AUTOGRAPHS: There won't be a post-game autograph sessions following tonight's game. Instead, season ticket holders are being invited onto the ice to be a part of a post-game group photo with the Hitmen. The autograph session will resume on Friday, Feb. 26 when fans can meet Jakob Stukel at the Hitmen Booster Club table located behind section 212 on the concourse.
SILVER MEDAL: Hitmen prospect Tristen Nielsen, a 2015 first-round WHL Bantam Draft pick, played for Canada in ice hockey at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. Canada advanced to the final but lost 5-2 to the United States in Sunday's gold medal game. Nielsen recorded one assist in five games.
NHL DRAFT WATCH: Six Hitmen are among the top players available for the 2016 NHL Draft. The midterm rankings list is compiled by NHL Central Scouting Service and splits prospects into both North American (NA) and International categories. There are five Hitmen among North American skaters, including Jake Bean who is the top-ranked Western Hockey League prospect at number 13. Teammates Jordy Stallard (84th), Carsen Twarynski (95th), Jakob Stukel (113th) and Beck Malenstyn (124th) round out the skaters list. Cody Porter also earned a spot in the rankings among North American goalies at number 18. The 2016 NHL Draft will be held at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York on June 24-25.
DYNAMIC DUO: Calgary has two of the top 10 scoring defencemen in the WHL in Jake Bean and Travis Sanheim. Bean (22g, 32a) has 54 points to sit fifth among defencemen while Sanheim's (10g, 41a) 51 points place him tied for sixth. Bean's career-high 22 goals lead the league while his 10 power play goals are tied for top spot. Sanheim is tied for fifth in assists among blueliners.
TEETER TOTTER: Calgary has been in a series of several runs this season. They started the 2015-16 schedule 5-1-0-1 before going 4-9-0-0 in their next 13 games. They then went on a major roll, posting a mark of 16-3-1-0, followed by a 2-5-0-0 stretch but are 7-4-1-1 since.
RACE FOR THE TOP: It would appear the Hitmen team scoring title will go down to the wire this season as three players are within eight points of each other; Radel Fazleev (59), Jake Bean (54), Travis Sanheim (51).
WHL COUNTDOWN: To celebrate 50 seasons, the Western Hockey League is counting down its Top 50 Players of All-Time, as voted by fans. So far, two former Hitmen have made the list in Pavel Brendl (No. 45) and Brad Moran (No. 38).
HITMEN ALUMNUS: Former Hitmen Victor Rask is having an excellent sophomore season in the NHL. The 22-year-old from Leksand, Sweden has 36 points (14g, 22a) in 58 games with the Carolina Hurricanes. Rask played two seasons in Calgary, from 2011 to 2013, collecting 101 points (47g, 57a).
PROMO CALENDAR
Hitmen single game tickets are on sale now. Upcoming home game highlights include:
- Multicultural Night on Sunday, Mar. 6 against Red Deer
- The North-South Shrine Hockey Challenge on Saturday, Mar. 12 against Edmonton
- Fan Appreciation Day, including a pre-game on-ice player awards ceremony, on Sunday, Mar. 20 versus Kootenay
MILESTONES
- Radel Fazleev needs five assists to reach 100.
- Jake Bean is seven points away from 100.
- Micheal Zipp is one point shy of 50.
- Tyler Mrkonjic is nine games away from 200 while Matteo Gennero is 10 games back of 200.
- Cody Porter is 12 minutes played away from 4,000.
- Dawson Martin scored his first career WHL goal on Feb. 20 against Lethbridge.
- Jackson Houck played his 300th career game on Feb. 20 against Lethbridge while Taylor Sanheim hit 100 career games on Feb. 19 in Medicine Hat.
- Nik Amundrud eclipsed 1,500 career saves Feb. 20 against Lethbridge.
Western Hockey League Stories from February 23, 2016
- Winterhawks Fall 6-2 in Calgary Tuesday - Portland Winterhawks
- Everett Silvertips Announce Tip-A-Tip Details, Schedule - Everett Silvertips
- Pats' Adam Brooks Named CHL Player of the Week - WHL
- Warriors' Zach Sawchenko Named Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week - WHL
- Chiefs Fans Come up Big, Chip in over $2,000 to Dairy for Life - Spokane Chiefs
- Game 61: February 23 vs. Regina - Medicine Hat Tigers
- Calgary Hitmen Game Preview - Tuesday, February 23 vs Portland - Calgary Hitmen
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