Canes Lose 3-2 in Shoot Out in Saskatoon

Our View from the Saskatoon broadcast booth

A real tough loss for the Hurricanes Friday night in Saskatoon, dropping a 3-2 shootout decision to the Blades.

The Hurricanes didn't show much rust after a 9 day layoff. The Canes' came out with a very strong first period and scored the only goal of the opening 20 minutes. Carter Ashton notched his 13th goal of the year on a 5-3 power play. Lethbridge out shot Saskatoon in the first 10-8. That period also featured a couple of scraps. First off Travis Toomey and Derek Ryckman dropped the gloves about 5 minutes in and then more of a heavy weight bout later on as Dustin Donaghy and Randy McNaught went toe to toe. These two guys threw some serious punches, but I would given the decision to Donaghy in that one. No question, those fights kind of set the pace and tempo for the rest of the game.

In second, the Canes' penalty killers managed to get a short-handed goal early as Craig Orfino gave the visitors a 2-0 lead. On that same power play though, the Blades would score their first of the night to make it a 2-1 lead for Lethbridge after 40 minutes. Brandon Anderson was very good again goal for the Hurricanes, keeping the Canes' in it during the second. He made some great stops in the final few minutes of the second to keep the game close.

In the third, the Blades found themselves on a two-man advantage less than 2 minutes in, but the Hurricanes penalty killers managed to get through that. Not too long after though, Saskatoon would get another power play and tied the game at two, sending things to overtime. No goals in the extra frame, so the game would have to be decided in a shootout. After 5 rounds, the Blades prevailed and earned the extra point.

Despite the loss for Lethbridge, I thought it was an exciting game to watch and at times you wouldn't know which team was at the top and which team was second last in the league. Perhaps the Canes' deserved a better fate, but give credit to the Blades. They fought back from a 2-0 deficit to win and are a damn good hockey team. The Hurricanes have now lost 5 in a row. Lethbridge needs to stay out of the penalty box. This has been killing the Canes' this season and some inopportune penalties have cost this team a few points along the way this season.

If there was an unsung hero from last night's game I'd have to give it to Saskatoon's Charles Inglis. He took two huge hits from Luca Sbisa. The first hit was in the second. That sent Inglis off to get stitches and he later returned in the 3rd period with a face shield. He took another crushing hit from Sbisa in overtime and bounced back from that, only to score a big goal in the shootout that kept the Blades alive. Sbisa was throwing the body and twice Inglis was on the receiving end.

Preston on Goalies & The Next Three Weeks

It appears goaltender Linden Rowat's injury is a lot worse than first thought. He likely won't play again until after the Christmas break. I asked Coach/GM Rich Preston about it on the pre-game show last night. He said Rowat had an MRI done and has had a little bit of a setback. Preston said he was coming along nicely after the injury against Seattle 3 weeks ago, but the test showed Rowat has some ligament damage in his ankle and that will keep him sidelined for at least another 3 weeks. Look for Kolppanen and Anderson to get a lot more playing time too. As for the run up to the Christmas break, Preston says this time is critical for the Hurricanes. He says the standings right now in the Eastern Conference are still pretty tight, but notes Lethbridge can't lose any more ground if it wants a shot at a playoff spot. Preston says the Canes' need to be more consistent and can't continue to win 3 and lose 4. He notes the Hurricanes have some big divisional games coming up in the next few weeks and it's important they win the majority of those.

Next up for the Hurricanes are the Raiders tonight in P.A. The Hurricanes last played that club a week and a half ago in Lethbridge, a game which the Canes' lost 3-0. Tonight's game from Prince Albert is 6pm (MT). The pre-game show on CJOC at 5:30. The Raiders beat the Calgary Hitmen 3-2 in O.T. last night and have one of the best home records in the WHL so far this season. The Hurricanes won't play again after tomorrow until Tuesday next week when they travel down highway 3 to take on the rival Tigers in Medicine Hat.

Thanks,

Pat