After a strong start, the debut for three Calgary Hitmen players was spoiled Friday at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Dominic Schmiemann, Riley Stotts and Conner Chaulk were acquired last weekend and were being baptized by fire as the Hitmen kicked off a three games in three days, which started with a 5-3 loss Friday night to the Prince Albert Raiders at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
The three days of practice with their new teammates prior to puck drop against the Raiders appeared to be paying off early.
Just 1:15 into the first, the new roommates connected on the game’s opening goal.
The limited Conner Chaulk era got off to a great start as the 20-year-old Regina native kept a puck alive along the boards in the offensive zone by chipping it up to Jakob Stukel. Stukel did the rest as he cut to the net, made a slick move in tight and backhanded one past the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect and Calgary native Ian Scott.
“Playing in front of this crowd for the first time was pretty exciting. I’m looking forward to doing it more often,” said Chaulk, who was impressed with the 5,930 fans in attendance. “The chemistry (with Stukel) seems to be there right away. In the first two periods, it felt like we were always in their end. “
“It helps living with Stukel, we can build that chemistry on and off the ice.”
Chaulk filled in for the departed Matteo Gennaro on Stukel’s line. With the former Hitmen captain now calling Swift Current home, Stukel is the only Hitmen in double figures for goals.
Stukel looks to be the one burdened with shouldering the offensive load for the Hitmen (7-15-3-1) moving forward after the team traded away a former 40-goal scorer Gennaro. The Surrey product showed tonight that he was certainly up to the task.
With the Hitmen trailing 4-2 midway through the third and on the penalty kill, Stukel provided a spark with a vintage effort.
Stukel secured his second of the game in the third period with Schmiemann in the box for tripping. Stukel, as he has done for so many of his 77 career goals in the past, turned on the afterburners and chased down a loose puck, beating two Raider defenders in the process before lifting a puck over Scott in tight.
Aside from a pair of minors, Schmiemann came exactly as advertised; the big-bodied blue liner was an anchor in his own zone all night. Using his size and reach, he disrupted loose pucks, rebounds and passes in front of the net. He also laid out another big body in Brett Leason later in the third.
“It can be hard to deal with sometimes, jumping into a new arena with new linemates. Conner competed well in the faceoff circle, was good along the walls. Dom was physical back there, he got some minutes in and it was good to see him more and Riley has skill and made plays. I was happy with all of them. We will watch film and see what we need to address with them moving forward,” said Hitmen first-year head coach Dallas Ferguson.
It’s one thing to play in a new arena and with new linemates, but for Stotts, he was playing a fairly new position for him this season.
Through 23 games with the Swift Current Broncos, Stotts was mostly slotted at left wing and made four rare starts at centre.
In his first game with the Hitmen, he went 8-for-14 from the faceoff dot, while picking up some run with the first power play unit, worked in some penalty kill time and was on the ice with the goalie pulled.
“I like him (at centre). He covers a lot of the ice, he’s an intelligent player and he gives us more options. He adds depth to our lineup with adding another centreman and it’s always good to have options,” said Ferguson.
Earlier this week, the Hitmen learned that Tristen Nielsen, who has been flipping back-and-forth between the third line wing and centre position, will be out at least six weeks with an upper-body injury. The Hitmen also learned that rookie defenceman Andrew Viggars will be out just as long with a similar injury.
Stotts seemed to pick up Nielsen’s slack as he picked up a pair of assists in his debut, both with the special teams units. He was later rewarded with an assist after poking the puck out of his zone, springing Stukel loose while short handed. He also set up the new Hitmen leading scorer on the power play late in the second.
The Raiders (11-10-4-1) were called for too many men when Stotts had the vision to spot Jake Bean across the zone. Bean used a head fake to clear a lane in the middle of the slot and ripped a wrister top cheese past Scott, to give him four goals and 23 points in 22 games this season.
This is the new brand of hockey for the Hitmen. They were already one of the lowest scoring teams in the league with Gennaro and don’t figure to climb any higher without him. They will need solid play in their defensive zone and timely saves from the 20-year-old Calgary Flames prospect Nick Schneider to keep them in hockey games.
Unfortunately tonight, three of the four goals allowed by Schneider were either redirected on net or hit an object en route to the net.
In the first, NHL Entry Draft prospect Cale Fonstad continued his strong 17-year-old season when a pass in front of the net was obstructed by a pair of skates. Schneider was playing the pass and gliding out of position when Fonstad swooped in, skating around the netminder for his ninth of the season.
In the second, Max Martin snapped a shot from the blue line and it appeared to hit a stick on its way to the net, slowing down like a change up before sliding through Schneider’s five-hole. It appeared as if he didn’t fully see the shot.
The Hitmen allowed the Raiders to waltz in on an easy two-on-one rush, as Just Nachbaur rifled a shot over the blocker of Schneider, tied for the most losses with 12.
Parker Kelly scored the winner at the 5:02 mark of the third, when a shot from his defenceman hit a body in front. He quickly grabbed the loose puck and powered one past Schneider who was still trying to find where the original shot ended up.
Sean Montgomery added an empty-netter with 1:19 remaining, closing the books on the Hitmen debuts.
“We came back out after the second and our compete wasn’t there. They capitalized on their chances and we didn’t,” said Luke Coleman, who played 123 games with the Raiders after being selected 104th overall in the 2013 Bantam Draft. He was traded to the Hitmen last year for Jordy Stallard.
“We are not that team that can take 20 and 30 minutes off each night and expect to win. I thought we got disconnected with our coverages away from the puck and the game got a little bit too up and down for me,” said Ferguson. “I hope we are ready for tomorrow. We need to compete for 60 minutes.”
The Hitmen’s conditioning will be put to the test this weekend as they partake in their first of three series that sees them play three games in three nights.
“It’s good to get these games in a row like this. It’s the easiest way to get in a grove with the new guys and get to know everyone. If we play like we did in the first two periods the rest of the way, we should be fine,” said Stotts.
The Hitmen will be in Red Deer tomorrow night to take on the Rebels (9-16-3-0) at the Enmax Centrium, before retuning home Sunday afternoon for a tilt with the wildcard leading Regina Pats (14-12-2-0). Puck drop is slated for 4 p.m.
The Hitmen are now three games into their second-biggest home stand of the season. They have gone1-2 so far and have nine of their 14 games at the friendly confines. There is room for improvement in the worst division in the league, as nine of those 14 come against Central Division opponents.
