Hurricanes @ Red Deer Rebels

I hope everyone had a good Christmas.

My family and I drove to Vancouver Island and back to spend time with the the in laws. Long trip in the winter with two young kids and some challenging weather at times too, but back in one piece and ready to get back to the rink. Kind of a whirlwind Christmas vacation for this guy, but nice to visit my old stompin grounds.

The Hurricanes I'm sure are hoping the one week break did them well. The team ended play before the break with a couple of lop-sided back-to-back losses to the Kootenay Ice. Undisciplined play on the part of the Hurricanes cost them in both of those games. Staying out of the penalty box here in the second half of the season has certainly got to be a focus for the coaching staff and the players.

Tonight the Hurricanes open the unofficial second half of the 09/10 WHL season against the Rebels in Red Deer. The Rebels won the two previous meetings between the two central division teams so far this year. The Canes' trail the Rebels by 14 points in the Eastern Conference standings heading into action tonight. Red Deer is currently holding down the 8th and final playoff spot, one point ahead of Moose Jaw. The Hurricanes are looking for wins. This team needs a few victories to get things back on track. The Canes' have just two wins in their past 10 games.

Right now, I don't think the Hurricanes should be too concerned about the standings. They need to concentrate on getting better each game and working on the little things. There's no question the first half of the season had it's ups and it's downs for Lethbridge. This is maybe a chance for this team to look at the first half, see where things didn't go their way and try to improve here in the second half of the season game by game and shift by shift.

The Hurricanes have games coming up against some very good teams in the next couple of weeks. They play the Calgary Hitmen 4 times in January as well as Brandon, Saskatoon, and a very good Prince Albert team in the early part of next month. They also head back on the road into B.C. in early February. It certainly doesn't get any easier for this team. Then there's the January 10th trade deadline, just a week or so away. Again, I would say many people are watching to see if Lethbridge continues to wheel and deal. We'll likely soon find out what Rich Preston, Brad Robson, and Richie Sutter have up their sleeves in the days to come.

Tonight's game from Red Deer is a 6:00 start (MT). The pre-game show on CJOC at 5:30.

Thanks,
Pat