Ice dump Hitmen; Get three of four points

The Score – Calgary 1 – Kootenay 5

What Happened – The Ice celebrated their WHL Championship with a fantastic pyrotechnics show. Nathan Lieuwen was the only one that started the game however and stopped almost everything that the Hitmen threw at him. His teammates woke up sometime in the second.

The Goals – Just when you were looking down the bench for Cody Eakin or Matt Fraser to start them off with a grand total of six shots 15 minutes into the second period, the Ice scored and they came in bunches. With their fourth power play chance of the game the Ice finally came alive when Joe Antilla came up with a puck down low and found a wide open Sam Reinhart. He lifted his 1st of the season past Glover to give the Ice a 1-0 lead… 27 seconds later the Ice fired a mirror image of the first goal except from the other side when Brock Montgomery found Eric Benoit in the same spot. Benoit went glove side – the same as Reinhart – to put the Ice up 2-0… Eric Benoit finished off the three-goal outburst in 1:40 with his second of the season after Elgin Pearce sent a great pass down the left wing to Benoit with a head of steam. Benoit beat Hitmen defender Kenton Helgesen and fired a wicked wrist shot that went, you guessed it, high glove-side to give the Ice a 3-0 lead.... The Hitmen finally solved Nathan Lieuwen when Justin Kirsch found Alex Gogolev streaking into the slot. He ripped his first of the season past Lieuwen. It would be the only one to get by the 20-year-old…. Jesse Ismond, no he wasn’t a brutal as he stated post-game on this night, slipped past Hitmen D-man Peter Kosterman after a great feed by Brock Montgomery and made it 4-1 with less than three minutes left… On a late power play Adam Rossignol notched his second of the night on another feed from Brock Montgomery to make the final 5-1.

The Pyrotechnics - They were a great way to celebrate the raising of the club's banners. The fireworks were loud, took your breath away and, thanks to a large flame-on machine, nearly singed the 2002 Banner hanging above. They didn't burn up but more than a few people thought they might go up in smoke.

The Rookies – Outshot 11-2 in the first Kootenay's biggest chance early came from the rookie line. Philp started the rush to Deschaneau and then took a great pass from Wood-Schatz who returned the favour and sent Philp in alone on Hitmen starter Brandon Glover, who then flashed the glove to make a great save; They almost opened the scoring in the second again with a errant pass by Glover right to Wood-Schatz. He was so surprised he had the puck with an open net he shot it wide.

The Hit – D Jeff Hubic, 17, pasted Hitmen forward Chase Clayton on the wall that drew a rise out of the 3253 at the Plex in the first period.

The Fight Card – A tussle in the Hitmen zone between Dylan McKinlay and Keaton Lubin. Call it a draw but it seemed to spark the home side four minutes later.

The Injury – Paulsen went down awkwardly near the end of the first and left the game. He returned in the second but seemed to be labouring somewhat. Paulsen and rookie Mike Simpson were gametime decisions with the nod going to Paulsen.

The Rookie Part II – In a late PK rookie Sam Reinhart took the defensive zone face-off. Yes, a 16-year-old, for the face off. He won it. Oh, he also killed penalties and scored. How old is he again?

The Hospital Run – A young girl in Section K took an errant puck in the face in the third period. A rushed trip to the hospital for some stitches and a bad bruise was lessoned somewhat with Ice forward Drew Czerwonka showing up with a stick signed by the team.

The Cuts – With Max Reinhart still with the Calgary Flames (one assist in tonight’s 2-1 loss to the Oilers) and Czerwonka out for at least two weeks with a shoulder injury, the club expects to come down from the 25 bodies still in camp by one this week, with the other decision not being made until Czerwonka is healthy.

Keeping the Faith – Those wondering what happened to Ice prospect D Tanner Faith, who got into four games as a 15-year-old last season, in his first shift during Ice training camp he suffered a shoulder injury that kept him out for all of training camp. He's returned to Wilcox to play with Notre Dame. Yes, save for an injury the could have seven 16-year-olds on their roster right now.

The Turning Point – An easy pick would be the 1:40 that the Ice put three goals behind Brandon Glover. However any of the 29 saves Lieuwen made to keep his team from being blown out would also suffice.

The Crowd – 3253

Rec Plex Three Stars

1. G Nathan Lieuwen – All world and bailed out his teammates all night long

2. D Joey Leach – Solid in trying to fill the void left by McNabb turning pro; two assists

3. F Victor Rask – Dangerous import couldn’t solve Lieuwen

Honourable Mention: Brock Montgomery; four assists, fresh off hernia surgery that healed much faster than anticipated, the 19-year-old played a big offensive role.

Up Next: The Lethbridge Hurricanes are here Tuesday night.

Hitmen 1 @ Ice 5

CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for regular season game between the Calgary Hitmen and Kootenay Ice; September 24, 2011

Goaltender Nathan Lieuwen stopped 29 of 30 shots he faced as the Kootenay Ice dumped the Calgary Hitmen 5-1 in WHL action Saturday night.

After a scoreless first period the Ice broke open the scoring with three goals in a 1:40 span. Rookie Sam Reinhart notched his 1st of the season on the power play 14:17 into the second. Adam Rossignol made it 2-0 27 seconds later with his first of the season and then Erik Benoit got his second of the season 1:13 later to give the Ice a 3-0 lead.

The Hitmen finally solved Nathan Lieuwen when Justin Kirsch found a streaking Alex Gogolev 10:46 into the third period with his 1st of the season. Lieuwen would shut the door after that as Jesse Ismond and Adam Rossignol added insurance goals for the 5-1 win.

Brock Montgomery finished the night with four assists.

Nathan Lieuwen stopped 29 of 30 shots for the win while Brandon Glover turned aside 13 of 18 shots in taking the loss.

First Period

No Scoring.

Penalties -- Niebrandt Ktn (interference) 7:14, Gogolev Cgy (tripping) 8:54, Trzonkowski Cgy (tripping) 12:20, Brassart Cgy (hooking) 14:25.

Second Period
1. Kootenay, S. Reinhart 1 (Antilla, Montgomery) 14:17 (pp)
2. Kootenay, Rossignol 1 (Montgomery, Hurley) 14:44
3. Kootenay, Benoit 2 (Pearce, Niebrandt) 15:57

Penalties -- Dirk Ktn (slashing) 3:27, Lubin Cgy McKinlay Ktn (fighting) 10:10, Kirsch Cgy (double roughing - served by Trzonkowski) Deschaneau Ktn (roughing) 12:34, Ismond Ktn (cross-checking) 20:00.

Third Period
4. Calgary, Gogolev 1 (Kirsch, Humphries) 10:46
5. Kootenay, Ismond 1 (Montgomery, Leach) 17:47
6. Kootenay, Rossignol 2 (Montgomery, Leach) 19:28 (pp)


Penalties -- Benoit Ktn (interference) 12:12, Risdon Cgy (elbowing) 19:10.


Shots on goal by
Kootenay: 2 11 5 - 18
Calgary: 11 10 9 - 30

Goal -- Kootenay: Nathan Lieuwen (W, 1-1) Calgary: Brandon Glover (L, 0-1)

Power Plays -- (goals-chances)
Kootenay: 2-5
Calgary: 0-4

Referee -- Ryan Bonnett, Tyler Adair. Linesman -- Scott Sharun, Mike Roberts.

Attendance -- 3253 (4264)

Scratches --
Kootenay: Mike Simpson (healthy), Max Reinhart (Calgary Flames - NHL), Drew Czerwonka (shoulder - three weeks), Jonathon Martin (4th of four-game suspension), Levi Cable (leg - day-to-day).
Calgary: Trevor Cheek, Ben Wilson, Alex Roach, John Lawrence, Luke Gordon, Greg Chase, Chris Driedger.

Summary courtesy Jeff Bromley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman