Game Preview - Halifax vs Calgary
Feb 3, 2023
The Halifax Thunderbirds will welcome the Calgary Roughnecks to Scotiabank Centre on Saturday night for an inter-divisional showdown in The Nest. Opening face-off is set for 7:00 p.m. AT.
Scouting the Thunderbirds
The Thunderbirds exploded for 17 goals in their last outing against the Rochester Knighthawks. It’s the third time the team has scored 15-plus in a game so far this year and the team had 11 different goal-scorers in the blowout victory.
Austin Shanks had his best game of the year to date with three goals and five assists, bringing his season total to 25 points in six games.
Randy Staats and Clarke Petterson are the top two scorers on the Thunderbirds, sitting at 38 points apiece. Ryan Benesch and Cody Jamieson continue to provide steady outings offensively. Benesch has 33 points while Jamieson has 30 points.
With a four-point outing against Rochester, Eric Fannell continued his run of strong play. Bo Bowhunter and Chris Boushy each had three goals. Boushy leads the team with 18 markers on the year.
Warren Hill is coming off his best performance of the year, in which he turned away a season-high 43 shots while holding Rochester to single digits. He’ll be a major key for the Thunderbirds again on Saturday.
Scouting the Roughnecks
Calgary has gone through an offensive face-lift over the last two years with the departures of both Dane Dobbie and Curtis Dickson via free agency. Jesse King is the main face of the Roughnecks’ offence this year. However, it’s Tyler Pace who currently leads the team in scoring with 34 points in six games.
King sits second on the team with 31 points, but after that, there’s a drop-off in production. Haiden Dickson (8 G, 7 A), defender Shane Simpson (9 G, 5 A), and Tanner Cook (7 G, 6 A) round out the team’s top-five scorers.
Simpson and Transition Player of the Year finalist Zach Currier help to push the pace from the back end for the Roughnecks. That’s aided by goaltender Christian Del Bianco, who’s currently averaging well over a point per game with 10 assists so far this year.
In the cage, the Calgary starter has continued to be a steady presence. He holds a 3-3 record on the year with a 10.16 goals-against average and a .790 save percentage.
Broadcast Info
Fans can catch the Thunderbirds in action at home on TSN Direct in Canada and ESPN+ in the United States.
Milestone Watch
Ryan Benesch needs seven goals to become the sixth player in league history to reach 500 in his career…Benesch needs two loose ball recoveries to reach 1,200 in his career
Cody Jamieson needs five loose ball recoveries to reach 700 in his career…Jamieson needs one game played to surpass Shawn Williams for second all-time in Franchise History…Needs three goals to surpass Shawn Williams for second all-time in Franchise History
Clarke Petterson needs six assists to reach 100 for his career
David Brock needs two points to reach 100 in his career