Hurricanes vs. Hitmen Tonight

The Lethbridge Hurricanes will be put to the test this evening as they play host to one of the top teams in all of major junior hockey, the Calgary Hitmen.

The Hurricanes are coming off a 3-2 loss Wednesday night at home to Regina. The Canes' have dropped their past 2 games and are looking to get back on track against a team that has lost only 7 games in regulation this season, 10 in total. The Hitmen have 42 wins in 52 games played. That's second best in the Canadian Hockey League. Only the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL have less losses in regulation than Calgary.

This will no doubt be a challenge for Lethbridge, but one I'm sure the team welcomes. In fact, talking with Carter Bancks in the Greer Home Builders CJOC post game show Wednesday, he told me the team is excited to take on one of the best in the country. This is one of those game too to see how you measure up against the best. This is also one of those games that everyone... players, coaches, and fans get up for. Let's not forget, it's been nearly 2 months since these two teams have played. Since then, Calgary has continued to roll. The Hitmen have one of the best power plays and penalty kills in the WHL right now. The Canes' will have to be a disciplined team tonight, stay out of the box, and try and play physical. When the Hurricanes take the body, that's when it seems they excel.

Just like the Vancouver game a few weeks ago, the Canes' can use this game to jump start the offence again. Craig Orfino will be back after serving a 3 game suspension. The rest of the line-up should be similar to Wednesday.

This should be a good game to watch too. There's always an added excitement when one of the best teams pays a visit, not to mention one of your rivals! Calgary was supposed to be in a rebuilding year, well some rebuilding it's been. This Hitmen team is solid from top to bottom. The Canes' will have to play a simple game tonight, not do anything fancy, but at the same time capitalize on their chances. Like Vancouver, the Hitmen don't give their opponents much to work with.

Should be a fun one tonight! Game time from the Enmax Centre is 7pm. The pre-game show on CJOC at 6:30.