Game 11-Portland 5 at Hitmen 6

[Hitmen1]

The Calgary Hitmen play their second game in as many days this afternoon as they welcome the Portland Winterhawks to the Pengrowth Saddledome. The Hitmen are coming off a 5-1 home ice loss to the Saskatoon Blades last night. The Blades got goals from five different players and blew the game open in the second period when they outshot the Hitmen 13-3 building a 3-0 lead. Tyler Fiddler scored the lone Hitmen goal on the night, his eighth of the season late in the third period. The win by the Blades has helped create a five-way tie for first place in the WHL Eastern Conference as Calgary , Edmonton , Medicine Hat , Moose Jaw and Saskatoon all have 14 points.

VS PORTLAND : Today is the first and only meeting of the season with the Winterhawks. Last season the two teams met in Portland with the Hitmen posting a 5-1 win. Brett Sonne had a pair of goals for Calgary who outshot the Hawks 49-23. The last time Portland was in the Pengrowth Saddledome was on Friday, January 25th 2008. The Hitmen recorded a 6-0 win and fired a franchise record 65 shots on goal. Now a member of the Colorado Avalanche, T.J. Galiardi scored twice in the win.

Complete Preview Here. (http://www.hitmenhockey.com/index.asp?newsID=285)

[Hitmen1]

What a wild game at the Saddledome today. The Hitmen came back from a 3-0 deficit, a 4-3 deficit, only to blow a 5-4 lead, but in the end and right at the end (39 seconds left) score to win 6-5.

I didn't bother ordering the game online today so my comments are based on what I heard from the Hitmen radio broadcast. First, the for much of the game the Hitmen were not willing to get dirty and compete in tough areas and the Winterhawks took full advantage. Secondly, the Hitmen young backend has been exposed the last couple of games. It appears that the Hitmen are not use to teams putting on a major forecheck and high pressure on their defencemen as they come out of the zone, teams like Edmonton and Red Deer tend to sit back and allow the Hitmen to gain speed into the offensive zone and as a result the Hitmen are very successful. The Blades and Winterhawks pressure, pressure, pressure and it creates all kinds of issues.

Boxscore:

First period

1. Portland, Niederreiter 5 (Johansen, Rutkowski) 8:41 (pp)

Penalties - Jordan Port (high-sticking) 4:41, Beach Cal (hooking) 8:28, Johnston Port (roughing), Beach Cal (elbowing) 12:49, Ponich Port (high-sticking) 13:03, Rutkowski Port (kneeing) 17:56

Second period

2. Portland, Rattie 2 (Walker) 2:52
3. Portland, Niederreiter 5 (Johansen) 3:47
4. Calgary, Kozun 4 (Schaber, MacKenzie) 5:28
5. Calgary, Sylvester 2 (Bonsor, Hilton) 8:39
6. Calgary, Fiddler 8 (Rissling, MacKenzie) 13:34 (pp)

Penalties - Morrow Port (cross-checking) 6:08, Broda Cal (holding the stick) 8:58, Rattie Port (slashing) 11:47, Morrow Port, Schaber Cal (roughing) 15:00, Broda Cal (tripping) 15:21, Bobbee Port (hooking) 17:11.

Third period

7. Portland, Walker 7 (Morrow, Bobbee) 4:45 (pp)
8. Calgary, Schaber 3 (Foucault, Rissling) 9:39 (pp)
9. Calgary, Schultz 4 (Schaber, MacKenzie) 17:24 (pp)
10. Portland, Johansen 6 (Rattie, Aronson) 17:52
11. Calgary, Kozun 5 (Schultz, Schaber) 19:20

Penalties - Stone Cal (tripping) 3:47, Johnston Port (slashing) 8:08, Bonsor Cal (double high-sticking) 12:33, Johansen Port (interference) 13:24, Rutkowski Port (roughing) 16:23, Walker Port, Fiddler Cal (roughing), Niederreiter Port, Stone Cal (roughing, misconduct).

Shots on goal by:
Portland 12 / 7 / 10 - 29
Calgary 11 / 13 / 14 - 38

Goal - Portland: Mucha (L, 4-3-0); Calgary: Jones (W, 4-0-0).

Powerplays (goals-chances) - Port: 2-6; Cal: 3-8.

Referees - Devin Klein, Greg Sarauer. Linesmen - Bobby Bedingfield, Ian Shaver.
Attendance: 7,024.

[Toe Drag]

What a wild game at the Saddledome today. The Hitmen came back from a 3-0 deficit, a 4-3 deficit, only to blow a 5-4 lead, but in the end and right at the end (39 seconds left) score to win 6-5.

I didn't bother ordering the game online today so my comments are based on what I heard from the Hitmen radio broadcast. First, the for much of the game the Hitmen were not willing to get dirty and compete in tough areas and the Winterhawks took full advantage. Secondly, the Hitmen young backend has been exposed the last couple of games. It appears that the Hitmen are not use to teams putting on a major forecheck and high pressure on their defencemen as they come out of the zone, teams like Edmonton and Red Deer tend to sit back and allow the Hitmen to gain speed into the offensive zone and as a result the Hitmen are very successful. The Blades and Winterhawks pressure, pressure, pressure and it creates all kinds of issues.
Can anyone tell me who were the scratches today, and why? Are the Hitmen deserving of their number 1 ranking in the CHL?

Boxscore:

First period

1. Portland, Niederreiter 5 (Johansen, Rutkowski) 8:41 (pp)

Penalties - Jordan Port (high-sticking) 4:41, Beach Cal (hooking) 8:28, Johnston Port (roughing), Beach Cal (elbowing) 12:49, Ponich Port (high-sticking) 13:03, Rutkowski Port (kneeing) 17:56

Second period

2. Portland, Rattie 2 (Walker) 2:52
3. Portland, Niederreiter 5 (Johansen) 3:47
4. Calgary, Kozun 4 (Schaber, MacKenzie) 5:28
5. Calgary, Sylvester 2 (Bonsor, Hilton) 8:39
6. Calgary, Fiddler 8 (Rissling, MacKenzie) 13:34 (pp)

Penalties - Morrow Port (cross-checking) 6:08, Broda Cal (holding the stick) 8:58, Rattie Port (slashing) 11:47, Morrow Port, Schaber Cal (roughing) 15:00, Broda Cal (tripping) 15:21, Bobbee Port (hooking) 17:11.

Third period

7. Portland, Walker 7 (Morrow, Bobbee) 4:45 (pp)
8. Calgary, Schaber 3 (Foucault, Rissling) 9:39 (pp)
9. Calgary, Schultz 4 (Schaber, MacKenzie) 17:24 (pp)
10. Portland, Johansen 6 (Rattie, Aronson) 17:52
11. Calgary, Kozun 5 (Schultz, Schaber) 19:20

Penalties - Stone Cal (tripping) 3:47, Johnston Port (slashing) 8:08, Bonsor Cal (double high-sticking) 12:33, Johansen Port (interference) 13:24, Rutkowski Port (roughing) 16:23, Walker Port, Fiddler Cal (roughing), Niederreiter Port, Stone Cal (roughing, misconduct).

Shots on goal by:
Portland 12 / 7 / 10 - 29
Calgary 11 / 13 / 14 - 38

Goal - Portland: Mucha (L, 4-3-0); Calgary: Jones (W, 4-0-0).

Powerplays (goals-chances) - Port: 2-6; Cal: 3-8.

Referees - Devin Klein, Greg Sarauer. Linesmen - Bobby Bedingfield, Ian Shaver.
Attendance: 7,024.
an anyone tellme who the healthy scratches were for the game today and are the Hitmen, deserving of their number oneranking in the CHL

[Toe Drag]

Who were the scratches and why today vs Portland?

[Hitmen1]

Who were the scratches and why today vs Portland?

The Hitmen scratches today were:

D-Austin Madaisky
F-Micha Fisenko
F-Justin Kirsch
F-Jon Lawerance
F-Mackenzie Royer

Not sure why Madaisky was scratched my guess is alittle banged up but not certain, Fisenko played vs the Blades on Saturday but prior to that had missed a couple of days with an inury. The other 3 forwards are just extra players at this point in time.