8 Game Home Stand Starts Tonight

The Lethbridge Hurricanes begin an 8 game home stand tonight.

With this team being out of the Enmax centre for the better part of the season so far, Lethbridge can finally settle down and play some home games. There has been a lot of travel for the Hurricanes so far..... from Vancouver to Prince George and over to Brandon and back. The Canes' have put on some serious mileage the past 4 weeks and now it's time to stick around southern Alberta for a while. The only game the Hurricanes play on the road over the next 10 games will be in Medicine Hat November 14th.

Tonight the Canes' play host the Portland Winter Hawks. This team has gone from rags to riches so to speak over the last couple of seasons. They were a struggling club at the bottom of the league standings last season and the season before, but now the Hawks are making some serious noise in the West. Radim Valchar, who was traded from Portland to Lethbridge earlier this season will play against his former club for the first time. Valchar missed the Hurricanes last two games in Regina and Moose Jaw because of illness. This game will also mark the return of hometown boy Brad Ross, selected by the Hawks 5th overall in the first round of the 2007 WHL Bantam Draft.

Portland is also the first American-based team the Canes' will face on the season. Next Friday, Seattle will be in town, then in November Everett and Tri-City will make a visit and then Spokane will stop by when the calendar flips to January. The U.S. teams always seem to be a good draw in Lethbridge. Hopefully that'll be the case this season too.

I said on our Hurricanes Talk Show the other night that I feel this 8 game home stand will go a long way to determining whether this Canes' club can stay with the rest of the pack in the Eastern Conference. I put that same question to Richie Sutter, the Assistant to the GM and Hockey Operations when he was on the show the other night. Sutter agreed and said the biggest thing is for the players to keep their focus and have some fun, but at the same time understand the importance of each and every game. Sutter preparation will be key.


Season Ticket Exchange Night

Tonight is the second of 8 Wednesday season ticket exchange nights at the Enmax Centre this season. Hurricanes Season Ticket Holders have the option of trading in any unused season ticket for a ticket to tonight's game.

Game time is 7 o'clock. The pre-game show on CJOC at 6:30.

Thanks,
Pat