Game One...Round Two Tonight in Calgary

It was a happy and relaxing bus ride to Calgary yesterday.

The Hurricanes stayed overnight in Saskatoon after the game 7 win on Wednesday. Lethbridge just finished a gruelling, exciting series with the Saskatoon Blades, that saw the Canes take game the final game 4-3 on a game winning goal by Luca Sbisa on the power play.

The Hurricanes have earned their way to the second round and a date with the number one ranked Calgary Hitmen. This will also be the 3rd time in 4 years these two teams will meet in the post-season. Lethbridge swept the Hitmen in the Eastern Conference final last year, and let me tell you those players and coaches with this year’s Hitmen haven’t forgotten about that. Most people I would suggest would think the Hitmen are going to take this series, but I know for a fact Lethbridge will give Calgary all they can handle. This is the playoffs and anything can happen!

Calgary won the season series, winning all 6 games against the Hurricanes, but as good as the Hitmen are, they can expect a pretty confident Lethbridge team heading into round two.
There’s no doubt the Canes are going to be the underdogs in this series, but I think that’s just fine with them. This will be the ultimate test playing the number team in the WHL, but in order to be the best, you have to beat the best. Simple as that.

The Hurricanes beat Saskatoon by playing a team game and were led by their leaders. Zach Boychuk had 7 goals and 3 assists, Colton Sceviour 3 goals and one assist and then there’s the supporting cast of Dwight King, Ben Wright, Luca Sbisa, Juha Metsola, and the list goes on and on. These players will continue their strong play if the Hurricanes want to upset the Hitmen.

As for Calgary, well the Hitmen have a bit of everything and are coming off their best regulars season in franchise history. They have towers on defence, great goaltending, and dynamic forwards that have done some serious damage throughout this season. They have a fantastic team that pretty much rolled through the regular season with ease. The number one key I think in this series will be special teams by far. The Hurricanes must stay out of the penalty box at all costs. Calgary’s power play clicked at nearly 30 percent during the regular season. Discipline, discipline, and more discipline. If the Canes can managed that, they have a legitimate shot in this series. I won’t bet against the Hurricanes I can tell you that. If the top players continue to be the top players for Lethbridge, they will give the Hitmen all they can handle.

The Hurricanes have also played a lot of hockey the past week. By Saturday’s game two, Lethbridge will have played 5 games in 7 nights. The Hitmen have been off for over a week. Will any of that be a factor? I guess only time will tell!

Game one goes tonight 7pm at the Saddledome. The pre-game show with myself and Fred Jack at 6:30. Game two in Calgary Sunday afternoon at 2.

Good Ticket Deal for the Calgary Games:

Here's a pretty good ticket deal for Lethbridge fans coming up to Calgary for the first two games of this series. I received an email from the Hitmen earlier today so I thought I'd pass this along for anyone interested in coming to the Saddledome tonight and Sunday.

Friends of the Hitmen Special $10/ticket (Door Price is $20, that's up to a 50% savings). To order tickets you will need a password HIT96
Click Here to order tickets
Start the game right with dinner or brunch at the specially created Hitmen Playoff Buffet in the Avison Young Club featuring Slow Roasted Alberta Beef Carving station.
Adults - $17.50 plus GST Kids (12 and under) - $10.00 plus GST
Call 403-571-9733 for Reservation.

Talk to you tonight!
Pat