Tonight the Hurricanes will play their 4th game in 5 nights in Swift Current. The team was supposed to go straight from Prince Albert to Swift Current after last night's game, but horrible driving conditions and blizzard conditions south of PA, put us back in Saskatoon for the night. We'll head south later today and take our time driving to Swift Current.
Last night the Hurricanes lost 8-2 in Prince Albert. It seems pretty clear the short bench is starting to take a toll of this Canes' team. They're putting in the best effort they can, but there's no question a lot of hockey in a short period of time along with 7 players out of the line-up is becoming a factor. I guess I'm making an excuse for the Hurricanes, but like I said last night this would take it's toll on any hockey team in the same position. Fatigue has simply got to play in as a factor. After tonight's game in Swift Current, Lethbridge will get a much needed break until next Friday when they host Prince Albert at the Enmax Centre.
Young Brandon Anderson was put back in goal in relief of Michael Tadjdeh last night. The two Hurricanes goaltenders were pelted with a total of 42 shots. Lethbridge will try and put a stop to this slide which has reached 6 games. It'll be another challenge no doubt in Swift Current, but if the Canes' can put in a solid effort at the end of this road trip they will have a chance to win. Both teams are coming off losses as the Broncos dropped a 5-3 decision last night to Medicine Hat.
The WHL's trade deadline is one week away. A number people are wondering whether Lethbridge will be buyers or sellers come January 10th. I would hope the Canes' would be buyers. It is very difficult to judge the Hurricanes on their play in the past 5 or 6 games given the players not in the line-up. Whatever the Canes will do, I'm sure all GM's in the league including Roy Stasiuk will be busy chatting over the next few days. You never know what might happen. For fans, the week before trade deadline can be interesting. I'm sure this next week won't be any different.
Tonight's game from Swift Current is a 6:30 start. The pregame show on CJOC at 6.
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Saturday, 3 January 2009
Friday, 2 January 2009
Hurricanes Blanked in Saskatoon.....In PA Tonight
A couple of penalties in the third period proved to take the gas of the Lethbridge Hurricanes yesterday in Saskatoon. It was a close game for the most part with the Blades scoring in the first and holding onto that 1-0 lead all the way into the 3rd period. The Canes took 3 penalties in a row, putting Saskatoon on back-to-back to power plays which they scored on twice to go up 3-0 and that's the game in a nutshell. The Hurricanes battled but couldn't get the puck by Blades goalie Brayden Holtby who now has shutouts in his last two starts for Saskatoon. Lethbridge started 16 year old Brandon Anderson in net yesterday. He played very well. Two of the 3 goals he allowed were on rebounds which he had no chance on. He stopped 29 of 32 shots and made some decent saves. He's the Hurricanes goaltender of the future along with Michael Tadjdeh of course, who got the game off yesterday.
The Canes' have now lost 5 in a row and are likely feeling the likes of Prince Albert and Edmonton breathing down their necks. Both those teams are just 4 points back of Lethbridge for 8th spot in the Eastern Conference right now. Yesterday the Hurricanes played hard with what is still a shortened bench. The 14 skaters and 2 goalies will be heavily relied upon again tonight to get this team a win in PA.
Zach Boychuk continues to be assessed by the Team Canada medical staff. From what I understand he'll likely try skating today to see how his ankle feels. He suffered a sprained ankle in the Canadians win over the USA on Wednesday night in Ottawa. The rest of the injured Hurricanes are still day-to-day, some a bit longer.
We continue to receive numerous emails from fans who sign their email "Frustrated". I truly understand that from a fans perspective. The Canes' are going through a very tough stretch here. If the fans are frustrated with things not going as hoped, how about the players themselves, or the coaches, or the management? I'm sure they're feeling it too. The good thing is the Hurricanes aren't out of this yet. They have lost some ground on a few teams, but they're only 6 points back of 3rd and a couple of points behind teams like Kootenay and Regina. That said, the Hurricanes do need to get a few wins here to give this team a boost and get back into the race here in the Eastern Conference and tonight would be a good start.
This is the 2nd of 4 meetings between the Canes' and Raiders and the first of three games these teams will play in the next three weeks. PA will be in Lethbridge a week from tonight and the the Hurricanes will play again in Prince Albert the following Wednesday. The Raiders have really picked up their play lately, winning 5 of their last 10 games. The first meeting of the season a month ago in Lethbridge was won handily by the the Hurricanes.
Game time tonight is 6:30. The pre-game show on CJOC at 6.
The Canes' have now lost 5 in a row and are likely feeling the likes of Prince Albert and Edmonton breathing down their necks. Both those teams are just 4 points back of Lethbridge for 8th spot in the Eastern Conference right now. Yesterday the Hurricanes played hard with what is still a shortened bench. The 14 skaters and 2 goalies will be heavily relied upon again tonight to get this team a win in PA.
Zach Boychuk continues to be assessed by the Team Canada medical staff. From what I understand he'll likely try skating today to see how his ankle feels. He suffered a sprained ankle in the Canadians win over the USA on Wednesday night in Ottawa. The rest of the injured Hurricanes are still day-to-day, some a bit longer.
We continue to receive numerous emails from fans who sign their email "Frustrated". I truly understand that from a fans perspective. The Canes' are going through a very tough stretch here. If the fans are frustrated with things not going as hoped, how about the players themselves, or the coaches, or the management? I'm sure they're feeling it too. The good thing is the Hurricanes aren't out of this yet. They have lost some ground on a few teams, but they're only 6 points back of 3rd and a couple of points behind teams like Kootenay and Regina. That said, the Hurricanes do need to get a few wins here to give this team a boost and get back into the race here in the Eastern Conference and tonight would be a good start.
This is the 2nd of 4 meetings between the Canes' and Raiders and the first of three games these teams will play in the next three weeks. PA will be in Lethbridge a week from tonight and the the Hurricanes will play again in Prince Albert the following Wednesday. The Raiders have really picked up their play lately, winning 5 of their last 10 games. The first meeting of the season a month ago in Lethbridge was won handily by the the Hurricanes.
Game time tonight is 6:30. The pre-game show on CJOC at 6.
Thursday, 1 January 2009
Canes' at Saskatoon This Afternoon
Happy New Year from Saskatoon!
We arrived here last night around 6 o'clock last night after a roughly 7 hour bus ride from Lethbridge. After checking into the hotel, we all watched the final two periods of the Canada/USA World Junior game before heading out for a New year's Eve team meal. The team had a short video meeting after that and headed off to bed to get ready for today's mid-afternoon game against the Blades.
In yesterday's World Junior game, Hurricanes forward Zach Boychuk left after falling awkwardly into the boards. He was helped off the ice. He returned a short time later, but left the ice again. We hope to have a better idea regarding Boychuk's status and injury come game time so stay tuned to the broadcast today. I'm sure all Hurricanes fans watching that game and seeing Boychuk leave injured were likely thinking the same thing....."Oh no, not another one!" Lethbridge is already down 4 players with injury while 3 are away at either World Juniors or Under 17's. The Hurricanes really can't afford to add another member to the list of walking wounded. They only have 9 forwards and 5 defencemen right now as well as two young goalies. The 4 injured players did make the road trip with us, but if and when they'll play isn't known. Juha Metsola may return soon given the Finnish team has been relegated at the World Juniors. No question though the Canes' are going through another rough patch here, but the players that are here will simply have to pull up their socks and get the job done. Again, the Hurricanes have to see this challenge as an opportunity for some players to step up and lead the way in these situations and maybe steal a win or two on this road trip.
Lethbridge lost to Brandon this past Tuesday 5-4 with roughly the same line-up we'll see today. I thought it was the Canes' best effort in the 3 games they lost at home after the Christmas break despite having a short bench. There were a few mistakes with coverage in the zones and such, but overall they battled back to make the game interesting and gave a pretty decent effort for the home town fans. That being said, this team has lost 4 games in a row now and will look to stop some of the bleeding here today in Saskatoon.
The Blades won the only other meeting between these teams so far which was played back in October in Lethbridge. Game time today is 3pm. The pre-game show on CJOC at 2:30.
We arrived here last night around 6 o'clock last night after a roughly 7 hour bus ride from Lethbridge. After checking into the hotel, we all watched the final two periods of the Canada/USA World Junior game before heading out for a New year's Eve team meal. The team had a short video meeting after that and headed off to bed to get ready for today's mid-afternoon game against the Blades.
In yesterday's World Junior game, Hurricanes forward Zach Boychuk left after falling awkwardly into the boards. He was helped off the ice. He returned a short time later, but left the ice again. We hope to have a better idea regarding Boychuk's status and injury come game time so stay tuned to the broadcast today. I'm sure all Hurricanes fans watching that game and seeing Boychuk leave injured were likely thinking the same thing....."Oh no, not another one!" Lethbridge is already down 4 players with injury while 3 are away at either World Juniors or Under 17's. The Hurricanes really can't afford to add another member to the list of walking wounded. They only have 9 forwards and 5 defencemen right now as well as two young goalies. The 4 injured players did make the road trip with us, but if and when they'll play isn't known. Juha Metsola may return soon given the Finnish team has been relegated at the World Juniors. No question though the Canes' are going through another rough patch here, but the players that are here will simply have to pull up their socks and get the job done. Again, the Hurricanes have to see this challenge as an opportunity for some players to step up and lead the way in these situations and maybe steal a win or two on this road trip.
Lethbridge lost to Brandon this past Tuesday 5-4 with roughly the same line-up we'll see today. I thought it was the Canes' best effort in the 3 games they lost at home after the Christmas break despite having a short bench. There were a few mistakes with coverage in the zones and such, but overall they battled back to make the game interesting and gave a pretty decent effort for the home town fans. That being said, this team has lost 4 games in a row now and will look to stop some of the bleeding here today in Saskatoon.
The Blades won the only other meeting between these teams so far which was played back in October in Lethbridge. Game time today is 3pm. The pre-game show on CJOC at 2:30.
Tuesday, 30 December 2008
Last Game of '08...Canes Host Brandon Tonight
The Hurricanes will be looking to leave the 2008 portion of their schedule on a positive note tonight as they host the Brandon Wheat Kings at the Enmax Centre. The Canes' have dropped their past 3 games, including a 2-1 loss to Edmonton at home on Sunday. Lethbridge played better than Saturday, but had trouble beating Torrie Jung in the Edmonton goal. They'll be looking to get back on track this evening, a good test against a conference rival.
I thought the effort Sunday was much better than the previous night, a 6-1 loss to Kootenay. The team knew it had to come out with more fire given the performance the night before. You can't fault goalie Michael Tadjdeh on the two goals he let in Sunday. They were perfectly placed shots by the Edmonton players. The Canes' though lost two players to injury in that game. Garrett Taylor and Austin Fyten both left the ice and never returned. The two are not expected to play this evening and how long they'll be out isn't known. Lethbridge is already down 5 players for various reasons, so to lose two more would really put some added pressure on the rest of the team.
The Hurricanes are now 4 games above .500 with the Oil Kings just 4 points back trying to catch the Canes' for 8th spot. On the flip side, Lethbridge is only 6 points back of 3rd place Medicine Hat and one back of Brandon. These next few games are very important for Lethbridge. A chance to catch a few teams and stay ahead of Edmonton in the process. It looks like the battle for positioning will come down to last weekend of the season like this past year.
After tonight, the schedule doesn't get any easier for the Hurricanes. They're off to Saskatoon January 1st, PA on the 2nd, and Swift Current Saturday. Those are 3 of 15 games schedule for the month of January for Lethbridge........7 at home and 8 on the road. The Canes' won't have Zach Boychuk, Juha Metsola, and Alex Therieau back for another week or so and when it comes to the injured players it could be that long or longer before they return to the line-up. Yes, Lethbridge is short-handed right now, but they have to keep chugging along the best they can. This is not going to be an easy stretch for this team over the next two weeks. They will simply have to work to get a win here and there. Even Coach Michael Dyck said on our pre-game show the other night, nothing will come easy for this team. They'll have to work hard from start to finish and will need to see a lot from the likes of Sceviour, Ashton, and King.
Tonight's game is a 7 o'clock versus Brandon. The pre-game show on CJOC at 6:30.
I thought the effort Sunday was much better than the previous night, a 6-1 loss to Kootenay. The team knew it had to come out with more fire given the performance the night before. You can't fault goalie Michael Tadjdeh on the two goals he let in Sunday. They were perfectly placed shots by the Edmonton players. The Canes' though lost two players to injury in that game. Garrett Taylor and Austin Fyten both left the ice and never returned. The two are not expected to play this evening and how long they'll be out isn't known. Lethbridge is already down 5 players for various reasons, so to lose two more would really put some added pressure on the rest of the team.
The Hurricanes are now 4 games above .500 with the Oil Kings just 4 points back trying to catch the Canes' for 8th spot. On the flip side, Lethbridge is only 6 points back of 3rd place Medicine Hat and one back of Brandon. These next few games are very important for Lethbridge. A chance to catch a few teams and stay ahead of Edmonton in the process. It looks like the battle for positioning will come down to last weekend of the season like this past year.
After tonight, the schedule doesn't get any easier for the Hurricanes. They're off to Saskatoon January 1st, PA on the 2nd, and Swift Current Saturday. Those are 3 of 15 games schedule for the month of January for Lethbridge........7 at home and 8 on the road. The Canes' won't have Zach Boychuk, Juha Metsola, and Alex Therieau back for another week or so and when it comes to the injured players it could be that long or longer before they return to the line-up. Yes, Lethbridge is short-handed right now, but they have to keep chugging along the best they can. This is not going to be an easy stretch for this team over the next two weeks. They will simply have to work to get a win here and there. Even Coach Michael Dyck said on our pre-game show the other night, nothing will come easy for this team. They'll have to work hard from start to finish and will need to see a lot from the likes of Sceviour, Ashton, and King.
Tonight's game is a 7 o'clock versus Brandon. The pre-game show on CJOC at 6:30.
Sunday, 28 December 2008
Canes' Lose 6-1 to Kootenay....Edmonton Tonight
Not the way the Hurricanes were hoping to start the 2nd half of the season last night with a 6-1 loss to the Kootenay Ice at the Enmax Centre. The Canes' started off strong in the first couple minutes, but after that Kootenay took over and the Hurricanes had trouble from that point on. The Canes' struggled all evening and couldn't generate any offence. They were out shot 39-19. Lethbridge's only goal was scored short-handed by Drew Hoff late in the 1st period. Mitch Versteeg was ejected from the game and given a 5 minute major for boarding on a hit that sent Ice forward Dustin Sylvester off on a stretcher. We hope for him a speedy recovery. From our vantage point in the broadcast booth it looked like a clean hit and the replay showed Sylvester turning for the puck as Versteeg hit him. According to the number of callers and people emailing on our post game show, those fans that saw that hit seemed to think it was clean as well. I guess the officials disagreed. All in all it wasn't a good performance by the Canes' and they will look to come out with a better effort tonight against Edmonton.
Lethbridge was unable to get much going versus the Ice. The Hurricanes pulled starter Michael Tadjdeh in favour of Brandon Anderson who played the final 10 minutes or so. That was his first ever WHL action. With the loss, the Canes now fall one point back of Kootenay in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Hurricanes are playing without 5 regulars: Boychuk (World Juniors), Metsola (World Juniors), Therieau (Under 17's), Bancks & Ross (Injury). I know the Canes' won't use those players not being available as an excuse. There are other teams in the league right now in the same boat. Assistant Coach Matt Kabayama said on our post-game show last night that they have to play with the players they have here now.
Tonight is the 5th meeting of the year between the Hurricanes and Oil Kings. Lethbridge has won all 4 games so far. The Canes' have outscored Edmonton 16-10 in the season series thus far.
Brandon will be in Lethbridge Tuesday (6pm) and then it's off to Saskatchewan for 3 games to open the New Year.
Tonight's game is a 6pm start. The pre-game show on CJOC at 5:30.
Lethbridge was unable to get much going versus the Ice. The Hurricanes pulled starter Michael Tadjdeh in favour of Brandon Anderson who played the final 10 minutes or so. That was his first ever WHL action. With the loss, the Canes now fall one point back of Kootenay in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Hurricanes are playing without 5 regulars: Boychuk (World Juniors), Metsola (World Juniors), Therieau (Under 17's), Bancks & Ross (Injury). I know the Canes' won't use those players not being available as an excuse. There are other teams in the league right now in the same boat. Assistant Coach Matt Kabayama said on our post-game show last night that they have to play with the players they have here now.
Tonight is the 5th meeting of the year between the Hurricanes and Oil Kings. Lethbridge has won all 4 games so far. The Canes' have outscored Edmonton 16-10 in the season series thus far.
Brandon will be in Lethbridge Tuesday (6pm) and then it's off to Saskatchewan for 3 games to open the New Year.
Tonight's game is a 6pm start. The pre-game show on CJOC at 5:30.
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