Candice Ward

Mattson and Zummack push Chiefs past Hitmen in 6-3 victory

Despite being the only meeting between the Spokane Chiefs and Calgary Hitmen, Saturday’s contest at the Saddledome did not disappoint. Although the Hitmen ended up dropping the game by a score of 6-3, the battle included lead changes, a first career WHL goal and fantastic performances from Eli Zummack and Leif Mattson, which ultimately fueled the Chiefs victory.

Leif Mattson (Photo- Portland Winterhawks/Matthew Wolfe)

The Hitmen opened the game with solid pressure and a high volume of early shots on Lukas Parik. The Calgary penalty kill also provided momentum when killing  a Jett Woo penalty against the lethal Chief power play. It was near the 10 minute mark that Spokane began to take over and it did not take long for them to capitalize on this momentum. Mattson was the first Chief to bury one on Brayden Peters as the overager swung wide from the right boards and tucked five-hole to come to within one goal of his career high. Not 30 seconds later, Luke Toporowski took advantage of an out of position Peters and extended the Spokane lead. Spokane continued to control much of the play down low in the Calgary zone. However, Calgary managed to sneak out of the first down just two.

Brayden Peters – Photo By: Candice Ward

Calgary started the second frame on a strong note, once again establishing quality zone time fuelled by the Carson Focht and Mark Kastelic lines. Eventually, it was Orca Wiesblatt who was spotted by Jackson Van De Leest and beat Parik near the side to cut the deficit. The Hitmen continued their high-pace play and maintained offensive zone pressure. They were rewarded with another goal just over two minutes later. After Evan Toth held the line, Kyle Olson found Cael Zimmerman to complete a gorgeous passing play and tie the game at two. Rory Neill was the next Hitmen player to contribute as the 15-year-old defenseman caught Parik out of the crease and tallied on a left point slapper. This goal stands as Neill’s first career WHL point and goal in just his third game. With over five minutes left in the second, the Hitmen had taken over the game completely and began exhausting the Chiefs defenders with excellent cycling. The Chiefs, however, were provided with a much-needed spark when Adam Beckman beat Peters from the top of the left hash marks. This swing of momentum and a late pinch from Van De Leest gave the Chiefs the opportunity to take the lead on a crucial 2-on-1 rush, and it was Toporowski who did not disappoint and regained the lead for the Chiefs after receiving a pass from Zummack. The Chiefs once again left the ice with a lead, thanks to Toporowski’s second of the contest. 

Adam Beckman (Photo- Portland Winterhawks/Matthew Wolfe)

Spokane was given an early power play in the third after former Chief Connor Gabruch was penalized for hooking. The Chiefs power play was rather uneventful as Calgary was able to easily kill off the two minutes and gain momentum from it. Unfortunately for Calgary, it was Spokane’s first shot of the period, delivered by Ty Smith, that beat Peters for the two goal lead. Just 10 seconds later, the Hitmen ran into more problems when Van De Leest was sent off for cross checking. This time around, the Chiefs man advantage was able to capitalize as Mattson redirected the puck in for his second of the evening. Soon after, tempers began to boil for the Hitmen who had allowed two goals in the early stages of the third. The Chiefs were able to coast to victory and earn revenge after last season’s 5-1 loss to Calgary on home ice.

The Hitmen will resume play a week from now when they take on the Red Deer Rebels in the Westerner Park Centrium.

 

The Hitlist:

  • Eli Zummack recorded five assists vs. the Hitmen, four of which were primary, while Leif Mattson tallied a pair of goals and assists. Mattson tied his career-best single-game point total while Zummack set a new career high.
  • The Hitmen have been outscored 16-7 in their last 10 games and 10-1 in their last five. All 10 of their opponents in those games have clinched playoff berths.
  • Rory Neill was Calgary’s third-round selection in the 2018 Bantam Draft and has enjoyed a terrific season with the Winnipeg Wild Midget AAA while recording 52 points (14-38-52) in just 35 games.