FIVE REASONS WHY CALGARY LEADS SERIES ,
The Calgary Hitmen return home with a commanding 3- 1 series lead over the Kootenay Ice after winning both games in Cranbrook. On Friday night, they can eliminate the Ice from the Western Hockey League playoffs. Here are five reasons why the Calgary squad
1. Scoring from dynamic duo down
It has been well documented that Kootenay forwards Jaedon Descheneau and Sam Reinhart combined for 34 points to lead the Ice to a six- game ouster of the Hitmen in Round 1 of last year’s playoffs. This year, the Hitmen have done a far better job. Through four games, Descheneau leads the Ice with three goals and three assists, while Reinhart has also scored three times to go with a pair of helpers. It’s not a perfect shutdown model, but at least the dangerous duo isn’t producing three points a game like it did last year. “We really keyed on their top guys and didn’t give them too much time and space,” said Hitmen defenceman Travis Sanheim after Calgary’s 7- 2 win in Cranbrook on Wednesday. “That’s what we need to do against those guys. Get in their face and shut them down like that.”
2. Key contributions from Kanzig
When the Hitmen acquired Keegan Kanzig in November from the Victoria Royals in exchange for Greg Chase, they were hoping the hulking defenceman would add some toughness. Not only has the six- foot- six, 242- pounder from Athabasca done that, but he’s also proving to be a reliable shutdown defenceman, as evidenced by his teamleading plus- six rating through four games, including going plus- four on Wednesday. “It’s a continuation on where his plusminus was in the regular season as one of the top plus- minus guys in the league,” said Hitmen coach Mark French about Kanzig’s impressive plus- 38 mark in the regular season. “He’s a heavy player. Our thought was, a guy like Keegan can step in, and as the series wears on, there’s a level of attrition that builds up with the way he plays. I think he’s a guy built for the playoffs.”
3. Rookies making an impact
Led by Belarusian forward Pavel Karnaukhov, the Hitmen boast a host of rookies making contributions in their first taste of WHL playoff action. Karnaukhov has fired three goals to go with two assists, while fellow freshmen Taylor Sanheim and Jake Bean notched their first playoff markers earlier in the series. After his milestone moment in Game 1, Bean went down with a lowerbody injury and he’s listed as day to day. Fellow rookie rearguard Loch Morrison stepped into the lineup and registered his first playoff point with an assist on a goal by Sanheim on Wednesday. Jordy Stallard and Carsen Twarynski have also set up a goal each in the Round 1 series to hit the scoresheet for the first time in their WHL playoff careers. “They gave us important minutes,” said French of his Hitmen rookie contingent.
4. Hitmen see, Hitmen do
It’s hard not to be impressed by the success the Calgary Flames are having this season in their quest to prove doubters wrong by making a push to qualify for the NHL playoffs. Seeing as how the Hitmen locker- room is just down the hall from where the Flames hang out at the Scotiabank Saddledome, the junior- aged players can’t help but get caught up in the hype when they see their professional counterparts go about their business. “I don’t think there’s any doubt that there’s a ripple effect,” said French, who’s happy his players can learn from such great role models. “I think as an organization ( we should) be very proud of the way the Flames are playing and how they’ve represented themselves this year and I think there is a carry- over and a sense of pride that way. I know our guys feel it and I know as a staff we feel it.”
5. Intangibles, this and that
Calgary also had a 2- 0 lead over Kootenay last year in the first round of the playoffs before the Ice rallied for three straight wins to upset the Hitmen in six games. The Hitmen guaranteed that history wouldn’t repeat itself by winning Game 4 handily in Cranbrook ... Heading into the 2015 playoffs, Hitmen defenceman Colby Harmsworth had just one assist in 20 playoff games. His two- assist performance on Tuesday gave him three helpers this year so far to quadruple his career post- season output ... Adam Tambellini recorded his first WHL playoff hat trick on Tuesday. Not to be outdone, linemate Connor Rankin reeled off three goals on Wednesday for his first playoff hatty ... Thanks to sudden- death wins in games 2 and 3, the Hitmen improved their all- time record in playoff overtime games to 27- 17.