DUBNetwork Feature Game of the Night: November 3, 2019 Edmonton Oil Kings 11-1-3-0 @ Calgary Hitmen 8-4-1-0 2:00PM (MST)
It’s a Sunday matinee battle of Alberta, as the Oil Kings travel down the highway to play the Calgary Hitmen. For the third time this season Josh Williams and the Oil Kings are set to do battle with Carson Focht and the Hitmen. Both teams have picked up a win in the season series between each other, with the Hitmen winning the first game 4-3 in overtime in Calgary. The Oil Kings won the most recent battle a 6-4 win in Edmonton back on October 12.
Edmonton has only one regulation loss all season and is not only leading the Central Division but the Eastern Conference. Calgary has played three fewer games than the Oil Kings and sit eight points back of Edmonton. Both teams’ power plays have been hot to start the season and are currently operating at over 20% efficiency. Edmonton comes into the game this afternoon on a roll, picking up points in 11 straight games. The last time the Oil Kings didn’t pick up a point was way back on September 29 their lone regulation loss to the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Calgary is looking to bounce back after two straight defeats.
Riley Sawchuk has led the Oil Kings offensively this season. Sawchuck was acquired by the Oil Kings from the Tri-City Americans in May, following their run to the WHL Eastern Conference final in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2021 WHL Bantam Draft. Sawchuk is in his fourth and final WHL season, having been with Tri-City for the past three seasons. Sawchuk was selected in the sixth round of the 2014 WHL Bantam Draft by Tri-City and collected a career-high 20 goals and 53 points in 67 games with the Americans last season. This season Sawchuk has 19 points in 15 games including a team leading nine goals.
Sawchuk is tied for the team lead in points with forward Josh Williams. Williams who is in his first full season with the Oil Kings was acquired during last season from the Medicine Hat Tigers. The 19 points for Williams has him on pace to not only beat his career high in points but to shatter them. He set his career high last season putting up 33 points between Medicine Hat and Edmonton. Jake Neighbours rounds out the Oil Kings top three scorers this season. With 16 points in 15 games Neighbours, like Williams, is well on his way to shatter his career high (24) in points which he set last season. Rookie goaltender Sebastian Cossa has a flawless record to start his WHL career. He improved his record to 5-0-0-0 last game for Edmonton making 26 saves on 29 shots in a 4-3 win over Saskatoon Blades Friday night.
Calgary has been led by the play of two NHL prospects, defenceman Egor Zamula and forward Carson Focht. Zamula, a Philadelphia Flyers prospect, is coming off a 56 point campaign last season with Calgary. Egor, who scored a total of ten times last season with the Hitmen, has scored four times and added 11 assists in 13 games this year. Zamula sits second in league leading scoring by a defenceman behind only Alex Cotton of the Lethbridge Hurricanes who has 17 points in 17 games. Focht, who was picked by the Vancouver Canucks in the fifth round in the 2019 NHL draft, is tied with Zamula in scoring so far this season. Carson has scored a nine goals and added six assists. Focht really came into his own last season with Calgary. He had 64 points, including 26 goals in 68 games, his first full season with Calgary.
Jett Woo, who is also a Vancouver Canucks prospect, is in his first season with the Calgary Hitmen. Woo, the Vancouver Canucks 2018 second-round pick, was acquired from the Moose Jaw Warriors in exchange for import defenceman Vladislav Yeryomenko, forward Ryder Korczak, the 11th overall selection in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft, and a second-round pick in 2021. So far this season, Woo has seven points in 12 games and was also named an alternate captain for the Hitmen earlier on in the year. Last season for Moose Jaw, Woo set career highs in all offensive categories with 12 goals, 54 assists for 66 points while playing in 62 games. Woo along with teammate Focht will represent team WHL in the upcoming Canada Russia Series. Fellow teammate Egor Zamula will skate for team Russia in those games as well. Team captain Mark Kastelic, and Ottawa Senators prospect, picked up 12 points in just nine games since returning from Senators training camp. Kastelic scored 47 times last season, which made him third in the league in scoring goals.
Expected in goal:
- Todd Scott (Edmonton) – Todd is in his third season in the WHL. In nine appearances this season, Toss has five wins and has a 2.84 GAA and .903 SAV%. Last season he posted 11 wins in 17 appearances including a shut-out.
- Brayden Peters (Calgary) – Peters, a Taber, Alberta native, has appeared in three games this season, winning two. But he has looked strong in all his appearances posting a 1.41GAA and a .947SAV% in those games. Peters who was selected in the fifth round of the 2017 WHL draft, appeared in two games last season picking up his first career win in the process.
Also in action:
Red Deer Rebels @Regina Pats 4pm CDT
-The Pats were a period away from surprising the Prince Albert Raiders on Friday. Instead a big final frame from the Raiders handed the Pats their 11th regulation loss in 14 games. They get the reeling Rebels, who have dropped seven straight.
Medicine Hat Tigers @Vancouver Giants 4pm PDT
-The B.C. road trip started swimmingly for the Tigers with a 6-3 win in Victoria. James Hamblin had a hat-trick. The Giants stopped a three-game skid with a victory over Tri-City last night.
Kamloops Blazers @Portland Winterhawks 5pm PDT
-The Winterhawks welcome Ryan Hughes back to Portland for the first time since trading him to Saskatoon last season. They also hope for a three-in-three sweep.
Everett Silvertips @Spokane Chiefs 5:05pm PDT
-The last time the Chiefs hosted the Silvertips, Jake McGrew hurt his knee among other things in a fight with Gianni Fairbrother. He is out indefinitely now after surgery.
