Pominville, Wild, Spoil Flames Debut for Hanowski

Ben Hanowski nearly had a perfect debut in the NHL for the Calgary Flames; the only thing missing was the W. Al Dannity looks back on a big night for the rookie and an even bigger one for Minnesota’s Jason Pominville.

It was a night where the new kids stole the show. One was making his first ever start in the NHL; the other was doing all he could to win over his new fans after a trade. Jason Pominville scored twice for the Minnesota Wild as they took a 4-3 win at the Saddledome. Those score brought Pominville’s total to four goals in six games since being traded to the Wild from Buffalo, in exchange for two prospects and two draft picks. Mikko Koivu and Pierre-Marc Brouchard also scored for the Wild as they moved past St Louis into sixth place in the Western Conference.

The Wild held a 2-0 lead entering the final period against a young Calgary line-up. With the Flames missing veteran Alex Tanguay, Matt Stajan, and Brian McGrattan, their prospects looked grim. Jim Hudler halved the deficit at 3.42 of the third but the Wild regained momentum with two more goals to take a 4-1 lead. That was when Ben Hanowski made his presence felt.

At 11.19 of the third the youngster batted in a loose puck to score on his first day as a pro. Having captained his college team in the Frozen Four just last week, Hanowski had made an impact in the big leagues. “I’ve got a lot to work on. The pace is obviously a little quick for me. That’s something I’m going to have to work on and become a better skater and just make stronger plays and be hard on the puck,” said Hanowski.

Scoring on his debut was a big bonus for the Minnesota native. “[It was] a proud moment for me. A play I’ll always remember obviously as your first NHL goal,” said Hanowski. Sven Baertschi gave the young flames hope as he cut the deficit to a single goal at 19.20 of the third. Time ran out for the Flames and the Wild held on to take the points.

The result matters far less to the Flames, who are 28th in the NHL, than the performance. Monday’s display gave cause for hope in the young players coming through. With a lottery pick on the way along with an extra first round pick, part of the trade package that sent Jarome Iginla to Pittsburgh and Hanowski to Calgary, the Flames may yet have the genesis of a solid rebuilding program.