Tyler Lowey

Bean-less Hitmen suffer glancing blow

A tumultuous week for the Calgary Hitmen ended on and unfortunate deflection in front of their own net with 9:28 remaining in regulation.

Playing five games in seven days is a lot to handle, but other teams go through the same quirks at some point throughout the season. What most teams don’t put up with is seeing one of the franchises greatest players walk out the door along with an established sniper just days earlier.

But nobody will feel sorry for the Hitmen, even after seeing the replay of Ted Brennan’s pass ricochet off the skate of Marek Skvrne to spoil the rookie goaltender’s best performance of the season.

The Hitmen hung in there with the B.C. Division-leading Kelowna Rockets, but still came out on the wrong side of things, losing 3-1 after a Conner Bruggen-Cate empty netter put the crowd of 8,687 to bed Sunday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

Trades happen. The Jake Bean wasn’t the first roster move of the season, and it might not be the last, as the hours tick away leading up to the Wednesday 3 p.m. trade deadline.

“It’s just part of the game. We gotta learn to deal with it and cope with it,” said the 20-year-old Jakob Stukel, who is one of the names that has the potential to be moved this week. “We have new guys coming in and they’re a big part of this team now. We know we can play with any team in the league. Points are really crucial right now, we just have to keep bearing down.”

After only taking three minors in last night’s 6-1 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes, the Hitmen took three penalties in the first period.

If it wasn’t for the solid play of backup netminder Matthew Armitage, who was making his first start since Dec. 3, the league’s third-best power play could have silenced the large crowd early.

Armitage faced 14 shots in the opening frame, a season high for the rookie netminder.

On his game early, Armitage was closing out on shooters and flying around his crease to turn aside any rebound opportunities.

There wasn’t much he could have done on the Rockets opening goal in the second period while on another power play. The play by the net turned hectic, as the puck leaked out to the top of the zone, when James Hilsendager roofed his sixth of the season through a crowd.

“I thought Army was competitive, he let pucks hit him and he gave us a chance to win tied 1-1 entering the third. He was battling and guys were blocking shots. Our penalty kill went 7-for-8 tonight and usually your goaltender is a big part of that,” said Hitmen Head Coach Dallas Ferguson.

The Hitmen initially drew first blood when Mark Kastelic, who saw his five-game goal-streak snapped over the weekend, looked to start a new one when he deflected in a Cael Zimmerman point shot on the power play in the first period.

Ferguson wasted no time throwing his new players out there in the first period.

Despite playing in Prince George last night, the new bodies looked impactful and provided some juice to a lineup that was playing its third game in 48 hours.

The two top-10 picks the Hitmen acquired this season from the 2015 WHL Bantam Draft were put on the same line. Carson Focht flanked Riley Stotts, and the two even saw power play shifts together.

Other than taking a cross checking penalty on his first shift in Hitmen colours, defenceman Dakota Krebs did a great job for the most part communicating and getting back on defence to neutralize rushes by the deadly Carsen Twarynski in the second period.

“I liked both new guys tonight. They look like solid players; Carson has poise with the puck and is a smart hockey player, and Dakota plays a big, heavy game, has good puck plays and they should be big parts of our team moving forward,” said Ferguson.

Also returning to the lineup was defenceman Vladislav Yeryomenko, who missed eight games while representing Belarus at the World Junior Championship.

Playing with less than three affiliated players for the first time this weekend, the Hitmen were scrapping, trying to find a way to solve backup netminder Roman Basran.

Jakob Stukel has scored 84 goals in his WHL career, but missed a glorious chance for his 85th in the second period when he bolted down the ice with Hunter Campbell on a short-handed two-on-one. Campbell did his part to suck in Basran and the defender, but Stukel sent the puck right back through the other side of the crease.

“Their defender was blocking my view a bit, I was going to the net with my stick on the ice and I didn’t get a good look at it. That’s one that I got to put in and bear down,” said Stukel.

This marked the 18th time the Hitmen have lost a game by one goal, or lost a game which included an empty-netter.

Games like this are tough to swallow, regardless of whoever is or isn’t in the lineup.

“Yeah it stings – every loss stings, it doesn’t matter if it’s a close game or a blowout, every loss stings,” said Armitage, who is still searching for his first-career win after making 28 saves in his 10th appearance this season.

The next time the Hitmen hit the ice, the trade deadline will have officially passed. One of their shiniest pieces remaining on the roster hasn’t let any trade talk distract him.

“I’m not focusing on that too much. Right now, I’m a Hitmen; I love it here and I want to contribute to this team as much as I can and our goal is to make the playoffs. I’m trying to do my best to be a big part of this team,” said Stukel.

Whether he is or not, is out of his control. Hitmen General Manager Jeff Chynoweth stated today during the Bean press conference that he could move anybody on the roster if the deal makes sense.

The Hitmen will leave town Tuesday afternoon for a brief swing through Saskatchewan, which kickoffs Jan. 10 in Moose Jaw against the Warriors. The next Hitmen home game is slated for Jan. 16, when the Saskatoon Blades are in town.