The Calgary Hitmen were rolling along in the WHL until Sunday afternoon when the Edmonton Oil Kings beat them 8-4.
It was a shot of reality for the Hitmen, and head coach Paul McFarland says it will be a valuable lesson before heading into the playoffs.
“The playoffs are not going to be smooth sailing all the time, other teams are trying to win too,” he said.
“They’re going to have their moments in the game that they push against us. We have to bend and not break. They’re also going to have games where they beat us, that’s just the reality. It’s just about us responding and getting back to what we do.”
Destiny in their own hands
The Hitmen have three games left in the regular season: a home-and-home series against the Red Deer Rebels – Wednesday in Calgary and Saturday in Red Deer – and then they close out the season on Sunday at home against the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The good news for the Hitmen is if they win out, they will finish first in the Eastern Conference.
Defenceman Hunter Aura says this is what the Hitmen have played so hard for all season.
“We’ve put ourselves in a great spot and we think we’re confident,” said the 17-year-old. “We want to win all of these games and to finish first.”
Can’t take the Rebels lightly
The game against the Tigers could very well determine who finishes first in the East.
Veteran forward Tanner Howe says they’re not worrying about the Tigers just yet, they’ve got two important games against the Rebels.
“We’ve learned our lesson from last game against them,” he said.
“They beat us there in Red Deer, so we’re not going to take them lightly. We know every team in the league is a good one, so we’ve got to bring our ‘A game’ and do what we do best.”
Dealing with adversity
Taking one on the chin is never easy, but sometimes you need that adversity to get on the same page and bring your group even closer together.
Forward Ethan Moore says it’s probably not such a bad thing.
“We haven’t faced very much, in a way, and I think near the end it’s good to have that little bit of adversity and be able to go out next game and be our best.
Hitmen Schedule
Here’s the schedule for the remaining three games:
- Red Deer @ Calgary on Wednesday at 7 p.m.;
- Calgary @ Red Deer on Saturday at 7 p.m.; and
- Medicine Hat @ Calgary on Sunday at 5 p.m.
