Game Day vs. Kelowna......Boychuk sings with Carolina

It's a few hours before game time as the Lethbridge Hurricanes try and re-group against the Kelowna Rockets at the Enmax Centre tonight. The Canes' have dropped their last 2 starts, the most recent a 4-2 loss in Calgary on Thursday. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Hurricanes will likely be looking for more from the veterans. The Rockets are coming off a 4-1 loss in Medicine Hat last night. The big news is actually off the ice. Another Hurricane has signed an entry level pro contact. First it was Luca Sbisa a few days ago with Philadelphia now it's Zach Boychuk (photo above). A news realse today from the Carolina hockey club states the following: Jim Rutherford, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League's Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the team has signed center Zach Boychuk to a three-year, entry-level contract. Beginning with his first full professional season, the contract will pay Boychuk $787,500 per season at the NHL level or $65,000 per season at the minor-league level. Boychuk receives a $262,500 signing bonus as a part of the contract. Zach is an important part of our team's future and we are very happy to get this deal done now. In 2006-07, Boychuk led Lethbridge with 91 points (31g, 60a) in 69 games as a 17-year-old.
It's another feather is the hat really for Lethbridge. It's another testament to what this organization has done over the past few years. This past June, Boychuk and Sbisa were the first two Lethbridge Hurricanes ever to get drafted in the first round of the same NHL draft and now in the same week, both players sign entry level pro-deals. No too Shabby! Great job to both players and can't wait to see them both back in Lethbridge soon, trying to help the Canes' win a Memorial Cup. When Boychuk and Sbisa will return isn't known, but I would bet they'll both be back at some point in the next few of weeks. Again, another year of junior in Lethbridge would only benefit their development as players, and that would be a good thing for all three organizations.
Tonight's game is a 7 o'clock start against...the pre-game show on CJOC at 6:30 with myself and Dick Gibson. We'll be taking your calls in our post game show as well (403-388-4646) or you can send us an e-mail at hurricanes@pttwireless.ca. Sunday evening the Canes' host Swift Current at 6pm.

Lethbridge vs. Kelowna Here's how the teams match-up:


Head to Head Record 2008-09 Regular Season
Lethbridge 0-0-0-0
Kelowna 0-0-0-0
Head to Head Record 2007-08 Regular Season
Lethbridge 2-0-0-0
Kelowna 0-1-0-1
Last 5 Years record between teams
Lethbridge 7-3-0-0
Kelowna 3-6-0-1
Lethbridge vs. Kelowna Last 5 Years record at Lethbridge
Lethbridge 4-0-0-0
Kelowna 0-3-0-1
Lethbridge vs. Kelowna Last 5 Years record at Kelowna
Lethbridge 3-3-0-0
Kelowna 3-3-0-0