Hitmen Report: a pair of weekend shutouts

While the Calgary Flames are scrambling for their playoff lives, the Calgary Hitmen are virtually assured a playoff spot in the Western Hockey League. The club continued trekked towards the playoffs with a quiet week that saw them be shut out and shut their opposition out on back to back evenings.

On Friday the Hitmen were shut out on home ice, losing 4-0 to the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. The goalies were the story of the game. Vegas prospect Jiri Patera made 37 saves to shut the door on Calgary. Hitmen netminder Brayden Peters made 38 saves on 42 shots, but couldn’t grab the victory.

On Saturday, the Hitmen bounced back with a 5-0 win over Red Deer. They got two goals each from Jackson van de Leest and Carson Focht, plus a single goal by Connor Gabruch to pace the offense. The game was very one-sided: 14 saves were enough for Jack McNaughton to cement the win (and shutout).

The Hitmen have a busy week ahead of them, playing four games over six nights. They host the Prince Albert Raiders on Friday, head to Red Deer on Saturday to face the Rebels, then head back home to host the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Sunday and the Regina Pats on Wednesday.

Calgary is 27-16-4-1, sitting fourth place in the WHL’s Central Division. They’re eight points back of Medicine Hat for a divisional playoff spot with two games in hand. They’re 20 points up on non-playoff Red Deer with 20 games left. A playoff spot is all but mathematically assured.

The key race right now is the Hitmen trying to stay ahead of Saskatoon Blades and sticking in the first wildcard spot. The first wildcard buys them a first round date with the Winnipeg ICE and a slot in the Eastern Division bracket, where all three playoff teams have fewer points than the three Central Division playoff teams. The second wildcard would see them face the Alberta teams in the Central Division.

The Hitmen are still waiting for the debut of forward Kyle Olson, acquired from the Tri-City Americans prior to the trade deadline. Formerly Tri-City’s captain and a strong offensive presence, he should be a good addition to their ensemble prior to the playoffs. Hitmen head coach Steve Hamilton hinted last week that Olson’s debut would happen soon rather than later and he’s listed as day to day on the WHL’s injury report.