Hitmen win shootout
Chase goal beats stubborn Blades
Greg Chase wasn’t pleased that the Calgary Hitmen let the Saskatoon Blades back in the game on Thursday night.
So, he took matters into his own hands and scored the lone goal of the shootout, leading the Hitmen to a 4-3 win and sending the 6,017 fans at the Saddledome home happy.
“We found a way to win tonight and that’s all that matters,” said Chase, who also had a goal and two assists to run his point-scoring streak to four games.
Brady Brassart also had a goal and two assists as the Hitmen (6-3-1) built up a 3-1 lead over the Blades (5-5-2) by the 1:48 mark of the third period.
The Blades poured on the pressure and responded with goals from Clayton Kirichenko, his first in the WHL, and Nikita Scherbak, his second of the game.
“We came out and scored a goal and then they got a couple lucky ones,” Chase said. “There’s nothing you can do about that. We had a couple really good chances in overtime to win it and then we won it in a shootout, so it’s good.”
Zgraggen also scored for the Hitmen, while goalie Mack Shields made 32 saves through regulation and overtime, and added three more in the shootout.
Saskatoon goalie Alex Moodie made 40 saves to help earn the Blades a point in their seventh-straight game.
“They’re a really good team,” said Brassart of the Blades. “A lot of people don’t give them credit. They lost a lot since last year, but they’re finding ways to win this year and it was a good opportunity for us.”
Pavel Padakin had a great chance in front during a Hitmen power play in the first period, but the Czech forward fanned on his backhand attempt.
Calgary then had a two-man advantage for 50 seconds but couldn’t find a way to get any pucks past Moodie.
With the Hitmen on another power play early in the second, a shot by rookie defenceman Ben Thomas clanged off the post behind Moodie.
Chase finally broke the scoreless deadlock at 9:58 of the second when he shovelled a shot from the slot past Moodie on Calgary’s fourth power play of the game.
Scherbak answered right back for the Blades just over three minutes later when he picked up a rebound and deposited it into the back of the net behind Shields.
Zgraggen then converted a cross-ice pass from Chase with 3:21 to go in the second before Brassart put the Hitmen up 3-1 early in the third.
The Blades answered with an even-strength marker by Kirichenko and a power play goal by Scherbak to tie up the game and force overtime.
“Being down two goals, our guys pushed really hard and that’s all we can ask for,” said Saskatoon coach Dave Struch. “We’re a young team. We’re going to have these lapses throughout the season. It’s how we react to them that’s going to be the key for us.”
Next up, the Hitmen will travel to Red Deer to face the Rebels before returning home to host the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Sunday (4 p.m.) in the Hitmen Fight Cancer game when the Saddledome ice will be coloured pink.