Full primer for Medicine Hat series
Fresh off a first- round series win over the Kootenay Ice, the Calgary Hitmen head into Round 2 against the team they beat out for the Western Hockey League’s Central Division title by a single point — the Medicine Hat Tigers. As the series begins on Frid
1. THE NET FACTOR
Veteran Medicine Hat Tigers goalie Marek Langhamer looks to be in fine form heading into the second round of the playoff against the Calgary Hitmen. The 20- year- old Czech netminder stopped 154 of 163 pucks that the Red Deer Rebels fired his way to lead the Tigers to a Round 1 win in five games. While the Tigers have a clear- cut No. 1 netminder, the same can’t be said for the Hitmen, who used both Brendan Burke and Mack Shields in their first- round triumph over the Kootenay Ice in seven games. With Burke still nursing an upper- body injury he sustained in Game 6 against the Ice, Shields will get the start on Friday. “We’re very comfortable with him,” said Hitmen coach Mark French of Shields. “He won a big game for us in there earlier in the year.”
2. THE ARENA FACTOR
A lacrosse game between the Calgary Roughnecks and Edmonton Rush on Friday and an Eric Church concert at the Scotiabank Saddledome the next night forced the Hitmen to start their second- round series against the Tigers on the road in Medicine Hat. Judging by their success of winning two of three games at The Arena in the regular season, the Hitmen can’t wait for puck drop on Friday night. “It’s a cool old- school rink,” said Adam Tambellini, who leads the WHL post- season scoring parade with seven goals and eight assists. “I think it’s their last year playing in it, so we’ll be excited to get things going there. I’m sure it’ll be sold out as well. Those games are always fun even in the regular season. It’s a tight rink and things happen fast.”
3. THE SPEED FACTOR
Medicine Hat forwards Trevor Cox and Cole Sanford terrorized opposing teams with their speed and scoring prowess in the regular season. Cox piled up 109 points on 29 goals and 80 assists, while Sanford fired 50 goals to go with 45 helpers. Cox and Sanford then combined for 14 points to lead the Tigers to their firstround victory over the Rebels in five games. The Hitmen know full well that the pair will be ready and raring to go on Friday. “It’ll be a really good challenge for us,” French said. “You look at the first- round series and obviously Cox and Sanford had a lot to do with them moving on. They have some good scoring depth that certainly will look to be coming through in the second round, but like every team there’s a few guys that you really want to mark.”
4. THE KANZIG FACTOR
When Hitmen GM Mike Moore traded Greg Chase to the Victoria Royals in November and got Keegan Kanzig in return, he was hoping that the hulking defenceman would make a difference come playoff time. In Calgary’s 6- 2 win in Game 7 over the Ice, Kanzig finished with a plus- three rating to push him to plus- 10 overall in the first round. That mark leads all players heading into Round 2 of the WHL postseason. After helping to contain Ice snipers Sam Reinhart and Jaedon Descheneau, Kanzig is relishing the chance to shut down Cox and Sanford. “I just focus on being mean and playing big and hard to play against,” said the six- foot- six, 242- pound Calgary Flames prospect. “If it intimidates other players, so be it.”
5. THE DEPTH FACTOR
By now everybody knows what the likes of Tambellini, Connor Rankin, Kenton Helgesen and Radel Fazleev can do offensively for the Hitmen, while it’s no secret that the Tigers rely heavily on Cox, Sanford and Dryden Hunt to put the puck in the net. It’s going to be interesting to see which depth players from each team step to the forefront. Rookie forwards Carsen Twarynski and Beck Malenstyn have high hopes that they can rise to the challenge for the Hitmen. “It should be good and it should be a depth battle for sure,” said Twarynski. Added Malenstyn: “It definitely comes down to those third and fourth lines battling it out. The biggest thing that the coaches talked to me about is just bringing the energy that I try to bring every night.”