ICE CHIPS: The KOOTENAY ICE enter tonight's action with a 37-29-1-3 record (21-12-1-1 at home, 16-17-0-2 on the road, 6-1 in overtime, 3-3 in shootouts)... KOOTENAY has clinched a playoff berth for the 17th consecutive season, the longest active streak in the WHL...The ICE will also finish with a .500 or better record for a WHL record 16th straight season...Following tonight's contest KOOTENAY will conclude the regular season at CALGARY March 22.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN: KOOTENAY is currently carrying 24 players (two goaltenders, nine defensemen and 13 forwards)...The ICE roster is made up of three 1994-born players, 11 1995-born players, three 1996-born players, five 1997-born players, and two 1998-born players...KOOTENAY has seven first-year players on its roster.
DID YOU KNOW: Forward LUKE PHILP leads the ICE in home scoring with 44 points (14-30-44)...Forward JAEDON DESCHENEAU is second with 42 points (18-24-42)...KOOTENAY holds a 65-60-13-4 lifetime record versus CALGARY (41-28-4-1 at home, 24-32-9-3 on the road, 5-9-8 in overtime)...Tonight marks the sixth of seven meetings between the ICE and HITMEN with KOOTENAY holding a 3-2-0-0 record in the season series...Goaltender WYATT HOFLIN broke an 18 year-old ICE franchise record with his 1,725th save of the season March 13 versus MEDICINE HAT...The previous record of 1,724 saves was set by TIM WINTERS during the inaugural 1996-97 campaign in EDMONTON...HOFLIN, who also recorded a franchise record 35th victory this season March 14 at RED DEER (33 saves), is tied with MACKENZIE SKAPSKI (2012-13) for the franchise record in games played in one season (65)...Forward ZAK ZBOROSKY put up a career high three points March 18 at LETHBRIDGE (2-1-3)...LUKE PHILP recorded his 200th career point (goal) March 10 versus the HURRICANES...PHILP is the 14th player in franchise history to amass 200 points with the club...JAEDON DESCHENEAU reached the 30-goal mark for the third consecutive season March 10 against LETHBRIDGE...DESCHENEAU is the fourth player in franchise history to put up three consecutive 30-goal campaigns (JARRET STOLL from 1999-2000 - 2001-02, NIGEL DAWES from 2002-03 - 2004-05, RYAN RUSSELL from 2004-05 - 2006-07)...Forward AUSTIN VETTERL made his 200th career appearance in an ICE uniform March 14 against the REBELS...Forward SAM REINHART is three assists short of 200 career helpers...REINHART is also two appearances shy of 250 career games played...Defenseman TYLER KING is two games away from 100 appearances in a KOOTENAY uniform.
STREAK: TYLER KING (0-6-6) and MATT ALFARO (3-1-4) have recorded points in each of their last three games.
INJURY: Defenseman TANNER FAITH will be out of the ICE lineup three to five months with an upper body injury.
ONE YEAR AGO: After 70 games of the 2013-14 season the ICE were 39-27-2-2, after 71 games 39-27-2-3 and after 72 games 39-28-2-3.
DRAFTED PLAYERS: SAM REINHART - Buffalo Sabres (1st Round, 2014 NHL Draft), TIM BOZON - Montreal Canadiens (3rd Round, 2012 NHL Draft), RINAT VALIEV - Toronto Maple Leafs (3rd Round, 2014 NHL Draft), JAEDON DESCHENEAU - St. Louis Blues (5th Round, 2014 NHL Draft), TANNER FAITH – Minnesota Wild (5th Round, 2014 NHL Draft).
TONIGHT’S OFFICIALS: The Referees for tonight’s game are CHRIS CRICH and CHRIS SCHLENKER...The Linesmen are MIKE ROBERTS and SCOTT SHARUN.