Crunch time has come for Hitmen
Playoff push must start now
The time for the Calgary Hitmen to make a move is now. Right now.
The Hitmen return to the Saddledome for a pair of home games this weekend after a four-game road trip that saw them earn three points out of a possible eight.
They’re hovering four points back of the WHL’s final Eastern Conference Wild Card position, and if they’re going to make a push to catch the Edmonton Oil Kings, it’s going to have to come soon.
“The goal that we clearly have is for the next nine games, which takes us to the end of January, and we have seven home games (in that stretch) — there are periods where you’ve got to take advantage,” Hitmen head coach Mark French said.
“So we’re going to look at that as our next goal, being these next nine games and really giving ourselves a push into that last playoff spot and setting ourselves up for February and March.”
That certainly won’t be easy, at least not at first.
On Saturday, the Hitmen will welcome the Prince George Cou- gars to town for a 7 p.m. game, and on Sunday they’ll play host to the Lethbridge Hurricanes at 4 p.m.
The Cougars happen to have the second-most points in the WHL so far this season with 60, while the Hurricanes are second in the Central Division.
It’s a tough test on a back-toback, and French knows his team will need to be on top of their game from the opening faceoff against the Cougars.
“We’re playing two strong teams and two physical teams,” French said. “It’s important for us to come out and start the game on time.
“Coming off a road trip, invariably that first game at home is a tough one. I think we’ve got to understand there’s an urgency now and we’ve got to come out and make sure we’re ready to go and not be reactive.”
The Hitmen didn’t find much success in their two games against the Hurricanes this season. They lost the first meeting 4-0 in the third game of the Hitmen’s season, then fell 4-2 in the second meeting, a late-November showdown.
The Calgary crew has had more success against the Cougars, though, with the Hitmen coming out on top in a 3-2 overtime game in late October.
It’s hard to say whether any of that past history will really matter this weekend.
The Hitmen, after all, made two trades at the trade deadline, welcoming 18-year-old forwards Luke Coleman and Jake Kryski into the fold.
The offence, meanwhile, has come alive.
The Hitmen were struggling to score in the season’s opening months, but are finding the back of the net with increasing regularity.
In their five games in 2017, the Hitmen have scored 17 goals, and the scoring has come from up-anddown the lineup.
“I think secondary scoring is always important for every team and I think we’re getting some guys who, earlier in the season, were playing in different roles and are now stepping up into some increased roles and are starting to score,” French said.
That scoring hasn’t necessarily translated into wins, but at least it’s giving the Hitmen a chance.