Canes' Lose 3-2 in Shootout at P.A.

Two goals by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 3rd period broke open a scoreless tie as the Raiders held on to beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes 3-2 last night in a shootout.

Not much offence in the first period of last night's game. In fact, the Canes' and Raiders played to a scoreless tie. Lethbridge had the best chances I thought in the opening 20 minutes. Prince Albert's goaltender Garrett Zemlak came up with a couple of good stops to prevent the Canes' from taking the lead. Lethbridge out shot the Raiders 13-8 in that opening frame. The Hurricanes had 3 power plays in the first period too, but again they were unable to score.

In the second, the Raiders came back gunning, but still unable to break the scoreless tie. Prince Albert out shot the Canes' 18-9 in the period, but this time it was Linden Rowat who stole show between the pipes to keep the Hurricanes in it. He had to make a number of big saves to help preserve the scoreless tie. Up to this point it was a pretty entertaining, wide open game that had very few stoppages in play. Lots of end to end hockey.

In the third, the Raiders finally broke the scoreless tie near the midway point of the period and it was the first of 4 goals between the two teams before the end of regulation. Shortly after Prince Albert scored on the power play to take 2-0 lead, but que the Lethbridge comeback in this one. Down a pair of goals with less than 10 minutes to go, Graham Hood scored a nice goal batting the puck behind Zemlak to give the Hurricanes their first on the night. Late in the period with the Raiders pressing, the Canes' got control of the puck, pulled the goalie and with 29 seconds to go, Hood scored his second of the night to even the score at 2 and send the game into overtime.

Extra time would settle nothing in this one. In the shootout, the Raiders would score the lone goal and take the game 3-2 ending what was a 5 game losing streak for P.A. Certainly a tough loss for Lethbridge, but a good comeback nevertheless. As I said earlier, this was a wide open game and the shots indicated that. The Raiders out shot the Hurricanes 41-34. Both goaltenders, Rowat and Zemlak played well and received game stars for the efforts. Graham Hood was the 3rd star. The loss drops the Hurricanes record to 13-23-3-1 in 42 games this season.

Trade Deadline on Sunday

Will the Hurricanes trade or keep Luca Sbisa? Well that's the question a lot of fans and media types around the WHL are wondering. Check this out from Gregg Drinnan's blog. "There is one veteran defenceman who no doubt is available. But will anyone pay a price?
D Luca Sbisa of the Lethbridge Hurricanes almost definitely will be on the move. Or, at least, the WHL playing rights to Sbisa likely will be on the move.
Sbisa, 19, played for Switzerland in the early portion of the World Junior Championship, during which he also was named to that country’s Olympic team. But early in the WJC he suffered an abdominal injury of some sort. He reportedly flew back to Switzerland over the weekend where he was to be examined by Olympic team doctors.
I spoke with two WHL general managers and asked both of them the same question: If you are the GM of a contending team, would you trade for Sbisa even though you don’t know the extent of the injury and even if you might only get him for the last two weeks of the regular season and the playoffs?
Both gentlemen replied unequivocally: “YES!”
There was no hesitation from either GM.
One of them went so far as to say that if he felt Sbisa would put his team over the top, he would give up a first-round bantam draft pick.
When Sunday evening arrives, however, there may well be only one winner."

If you want to read more trade stuff from Gregg, visit his blog on the right!


Injury Update

The Hurricanes got a bit of good news on the injury front before last night's game. Forward Austin Fyten was cleared to play after missing a couple of games with a hip problem. Head Coach/GM Rich Preston had planned to call up prospect Taylor Balog if Fyten was unable to play. As for the others, Mike Reddington is still day-to-day with a groin. He may get the call in Saskatoon this evening. That might be a game time decision. Derek Ryckman is done for the season with a shoulder injury that he suffered in a fight in Kootenay before the Christmas break. Max Ross is done for the year with a broken leg. Neither Ross nor Ryckman made the trip.

Next Up

The Hurricanes next game is tonight in Saskatoon. It'll be the last on this road trip and the first for the Blades since the World Juniors ended in Saskatoon a few days ago. They've been on the road the past couple of weeks. Game tonight from the Credit Union Centre is 6pm (MT). The pre-game show on CJOC at 5:30.

Thanks,
Pat

Hurricanes @ Prince Albert

The Lethbridge Hurricanes will try and rebound against the Raiders in Prince Albert tonight.

The Canes' lost 6-1 in Brandon on Wednesday. The Raiders have had a rough go as of late, losing 5 straight going into action tonight. P.A. has fallen into 9th place in the Eastern Conference, but have had the Hurricanes number so far this season. The Hurricanes have lost both previous meetings before the Christmas break and it wasn't a pretty result for the visitors the last time Lethbridge paid a visit to Prince Albert in late November.

Newly acquired defenceman Drew McDermott will be in the line-up for the Canes' tonight as he drove in from Yorkton last night to meet the team in Saskatoon. Mike Reddington likely won't play again as he's still nursing a groin injury that has forced him to miss the Hurricanes last few games. Head Coach/GM Rich Preston told me yesterday that he plans on calling up prospect Taylor Balog for this game tonight if Austin Fyten is unable to play. Fyten has been out the past couple of games as well with a hip injury and Preston feels if he can't play tonight, it might be a good opportunity to bring up Balog. The Hurricanes picked himup as part of the Regina deal that sent Ashton and Orfino to the Pats in mid-December.

Tonight's game is a 6pm start (MT) from Prince Albert. The pre-game show on CJOC at 5:30.

Thanks,
Pat

Canes' Acquire D-man From Everett

ON THE ROAD BETWEEN REGINA & SASKATOON - Lethbridge Hurricanes GM/Head Coach swung a trade this afternoon with the Everett Silvertips picking up 18-year old defenceman Drew McDermott in exchange for a 7th round bantam pick in 2011.

McDermott played in 53 games with the Tips last year, but was moved out earlier this season after Everett brought in a top Euro player and a 16 year old number one pick. McDermott only played 11 games with the Silvertips this season and had 3 assists. He's be playing with the Yorkton Terriers of the SJHL as of late. He's recorded 2 assists in 11 games with Yorkton.

McDermott hails from Saskatoon and is expected to be in the line-up tomorrow when the Hurricanes play the Raiders in Prince Albert. Rich Preston says this will help fill some of the void on the blue line with injuries to Reddington, Sbisa, and Ryckman.

Thanks,

Pat

Canes' Lose 6-1 in Brandon

Three quick goals in the second period helped the Brandon Wheat Kings to a 6-1 route of the Hurricanes last night in the Wheat City.

A heck of a good start for the Hurricanes last night at the Keystone Centre. Lethbridge managed to hold off the high powered offence of the Wheat Kings in the opening 20 minutes and actually went into the dressing room with a 1-0 lead. The Canes' scored a late power play goal with just 42 seconds left when Reid Jackson took a feed from Brody Sutter and put the puck passed a screened Andrew Hayes in the Brandon goal. That was Jackson's first ever WHL goal and big one for the Hurricanes, who again played with a very young defensive corps. The Hurricanes iced the same defence as they had in Calgary this past Sunday. The shots were 9-9 after one. Check out the Brandon fans behind the Canes' bench! These guys were cheering loud, blowing their horns, and banging their drums all night. Security wasn't too far away either!

In the second the Wheaties found their offence and they found it fast. Brandon quickly erased that 1-0 deficit with 3 goals in a span of just 4 minutes. The Wheat Kings got goals from Calvert, Fehr, and Raedeke to blow things open. With less than 3 minutes to go in the second, Walker made it 4-1 Brandon and the Wheat Kings headed off after 40 minutes with a comfortable 3 goal lead. Linden Rowat was a busy guy between the pipes in the second as Brandon out shot the Canes' 14-5.

In the 3rd, the Wheat Kings kept it coming. They scored twice more in the first 3 minutes of the period to take a commanding 6-1 lead and that's the way this game would end. Things got a little rough in the 3rd period with three fights in a short span. First Dustin Donaghy dropped the gloves with Jordan Hale. Not too long after that Michael Ferland went with Reid Jackson, and then it was Cason Machacek and Paul Van de Velde. In the end it took Brandon about half the game to get it's offence going, but it turned out to be too much for Lethbridge to handle on this night. The final shots were 35-19 Wheat Kings. The Canes' are now 4 and 6 in their last 10 games. This win for Brandon is the team's 9 consecutive victory on home ice.

The Hurricanes will travel today to Saskatoon where the team has a practice scheduled for later this afternoon. The Canes' play in Prince Albert against the Raiders tomorrow (6pm MT) and then in Saskatoon on Saturday (6pm MT). Lethbridge is 0-2 versus both P.A and the Blades so far this season.

Trade Talk

Don't be surprised to see Rich Preston add a defenceman or two before the trade deadline this Sunday. I put the trade question to the Canes' GM/Head Coach again before last night's game and he said with Derek Ryckman out for the season and Mike Reddington as well as Luca Sbisa both being injured, that leaves the Hurricanes very short-handed on the blue line. He says, "it's pretty obvious we need a defenceman or two". He didn't say anything about trading any current roster players away before the Sunday deadline. At this time, it appears Preston is more intent on adding than deleting. If he does plan on trading someone, he sure is holding his cards close to his chest.

Hurricanes To Wear Pink for Breast Cancer

The Lethbridge Hurricanes invite the public to participate in a unique event designed to raise money for a charity that is dedicated to finding the cure for a disease that has touched all of our lives. The Hurricanes 1st annual "Pink the Rink" event will serve as an opportunity to raise awareness about breast cancer as well as funds for the Canadian Cancer Society with the help of community-minded businesses as well as the fans, players and staff of the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the next two Hurricanes home games on January 15th versus Spokane and January 16th against Calgary. The Hurricanes themselves will be wearing special pink jerseys for both games They will then be auctioned off after the Calgary game in a silent auction. Proceeds from the jersey auction will go to the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

2010 Olympic Torch Highlights Upcoming Canes' Game

The Vancouver 2010 Torch Relay will make it's way through Lethbridge next weekend, but the flame will make an early stop in the city on Friday night January 15th at the opening of the Hurricanes and Chiefs game. The torch will be part of the opening face-off that night which should make for a fun evening!

A full day of festivities is planned in Lethbridge on Sunday, January 17th when the torch relay makes it way from Taber into Lethbridge. The route will actually take the torch across the High Level Bridge, down Scenic Drive, up to Mayor Magrath Drive, and then to Henderson Lake where the Lethbridge flame will be lit. The torch is expected to arrive in Lethbridge next Sunday around 4pm and make it's way along that route to Henderson Park for the lighting ceremony around 6pm. For more information on the torch route visit the news section at http://www.cjocfm.com/.

Thanks,

Pat

Hurricanes & Wheaties

BRANDON - The Lethbridge Hurricanes get another real good test tonight when the play the Wheat Kings in Brandon.

It was a long all-day bus ride from Lethbridge to Brandon yesterday in some not too nice winter weather, but the team made it safe and sound and after a good night sleep everyone is ready to go. This will be the 3rd meeting of the season between the Canes' and Wheaties. Lethbridge has fared well so far against this highly offensive team with a win and an overtime loss. The Hurricanes first visit to Brandon resulted in a 2-1 victory for the Canes' back in mid-October. Linden Rowat stole the show in that one as he backstopped the visitors to a win. Rowat is coming off a stellar performance in Calgary this past Sunday and will more than likely get the start in this one too.

The Hurricanes are still nursing injuries. Mike Reddington is still day-to-day with a groin problem and Austin Fyten remains day-to-day with a hip injury. It isn't clear if one or both might be ready to go for tonight's game at the Keystone Centre. That'll likely be determined as we get closer to game time. The Canes' did bring along a few affiliate players to help fill the void if needed. Rich Preston has also called up Michael Sofillas for this game. The Hurricanes prospect is tearing up the Manitoba Midget AAA League right now. He leads that league with 37 points in 19 games.

As for Brandon, they are rolling along just nicely, challenging for first place in the Eastern Conference. The Wheat Kings have 27 wins in 42 games and have been stocking up for the playoff run and of course the upcoming Memorial Cup which they host in May. The Wheaties are 8 and 2 in their past 10 games and after kind of a slow start to the season, have been one of the hottest teams in the WHL since late October and early November. This Wheat Kings team I think may very well have to most dynamic and talented group of forwards in the league. This is a high powered offence with the likes of Schenn, Glennie, Calvert, Lewadniuk, Fehr, and now Raedeke who they recently picked up from Edmonton. Needless to say, the Hurricanes defence will have to be top notch in this one as well as another lights out performance in goal.

As many fans and media types around the league will be waiting to see if Rich Preston and the Hurricanes make any big trades or acquisitions before Sunday's deadline the same can be said for the Wheat Kings. GM/Head Coach Kelly McCrimmon has a huge opportunity this year, hosting the big tournament and all in a few months. This is the time when a team like Brandon puts all it's eggs into one basket and goes for it. You don't want to mortgage the future, but teams certainly can't pass up what is going to be the chance of a lifetime for many playing Brandon this year. You know the Wheaties will play in the Memorial Cup regardless. No question Kelly wants his team to go in the front door and earn their way there through the playoffs. Nothing is worse than for the team that hosts the national championship to lose out early in the playoffs and sit and wait 6 weeks to play again. I think Kelly really has put together a pretty potent team and it'll be very interesting to see if he adds more before the deadline.

Tonight's game is a 6pm start (MT) from the Wheat City. The pre-game show on CJOC at 5:30. Any comments or questions during the broadcast can be sent to hurricanes@pttwireless.com.

Thanks,
Pat

Canes' Upset Hitmen 4-2 In Calgary

Linden Rowat was sensational in his return to the Hurricanes crease as Lethbridge beat the Hitmen 4-2 at the Saddledome last night.

A heck of a good start to this game for the Hurricanes. Despite having 5 regulars out with injury, the Canes' opened up a 2-0 first period lead. Lethbridge got goals from Cam Braes and Graham Hood 27 seconds apart to shock the Hitmen after 20 minutes. It was a well played period for the Hurricanes against a very good Calgary team. The Canes' started the game with two 16 year olds, two 18 year olds, a 15 year old, and a 17 year old on defence as the team is reeling with some key injuries at the moment on the blue line. The Hitmen out shot Lethbridge 7-6 in opening period.

In the second, the Calgary Hitmen came out gunning big time. They scored twice to even the score at two. The Canes' had serious issues generating offence in that period. In fact, Lethbridge was able to register just one shot and it came with 30 seconds to go in the second. Linden Rowat was bombarded with shots and despite the two goals he allowed, he looked excellent in his first game back from injury. Calgary out shot Lethbridge in that second period 18-1 and overall the shots were 25-7 after two in favour of the Hitmen. The Canes' best chance of the period though came on a power play when Carter Bancks put one off the goal post, unable to to be Hitmen goalie Michael Snider.

The Hurricanes scored what turned out to be the eventual game winner on the power play early in the 3rd when Brennan Yadlowski put the puck over the glove of Calgary's Michael Snider to give the Canes' a 3-2 lead early in the final frame. The Hitmen though would continue to press and press hard too, but Linden Rowat was able to shut the door and hold down the fort for the Hurricanes. Graham Hood sealed it up with an empty netter for his second goal of the game to give the Canes'a 4-2 win. The Canes' were out shot 37-13, but I suppose it was quality over quantity in that department for Lethbridge on this night. Rowat was named the game's first star and really looked like he didn't miss a beat out of the line-up for two months with a foot injury.

Injury Bug

The Hurricanes played yesterday's game with a number of players out because of injury. Derek Ryckman (shoulder), Luca Sbisa (abdominal), Max Ross (broken leg), Austin Fyten (hip), and Mike Reddington (groin). This was the second game in a row missed by Reddington. Head Coach/GM Rich Preston said Fyten is day-to-day. A bright spot on the injury front Sunday was the return of Linden Rowat in goal. It was his first game since October 30th when he was injured against Seattle. The Canes' also had three affiliate players in the line-up yesterday: Brandyn Huilt, Adam Henry, and Jodan Baillie.

On The Road Again

Things certainly don't get any easier for the Hurricanes. They play the Wheat Kings in Brandon Wednesday. After that it's off to Prince Albert Friday and Saskatoon Saturday. Game time Wednesday is 6pm (MT). The pre-game show on CJOC at 5:30.

A Note for Hurricanes Shareholders

The Hurricanes Board of Directors are holding their annual shareholders meeting Wednesday, January 6th at 7pm in the Scenic Room at the Ramada Hotel.

Hurricanes This Week

Our weekly Hurricanes radio talk show is back on the air tonight on CJOC at 6pm. The first show 2010 will see Canes' forward Dustin Donaghy join us. Hurricanes Assistant Coach Chris Chisamore will stop in to chat about the goalies, and then we'll head to Swift Current and speak with Jon Keen, the radio voice of the Broncos. At email questions or comments can be sent to hurricanes@pttwireless.ca.

Thanks,
Pat

Pats End Losing Streak Against Canes'

Former Hurricane Carter Ashton scored twice as the Regina Pats ended a long 9 game losing streak at the Enmax Centre Saturday. Penalties proved very costly for the Hurricanes last night.

A wild and wide open first period between the Hurricanes and Pats. The Canes' jumped out to a 2-0 lead less than 13 minutes in on goals by Marc Reners and Brent Henke. The Canes' seemed to have control of the game and held the Pats to just 2 shots up to that point. Lethbridge though would get into some penalty trouble and paid the price. The Pats took that opportunity and ran with it from that point on. They scored to make it 2-1 Canes' and then just as Regina's 3rd power play would come to an end late in the first, Carter Ashton evened the score for Regina with barely no time left on the clock. The goal would go to video review, but it confirmed the puck did go in before time expired. The Pats rattled off 10 straight shots in the last 7 minutes or so to out shoot the Hurricanes 12-6 after one.

In the second, the Pats would take the lead for the first time on yet another power play goal. The Hurricanes got caught napping on a line change and Garrett Mitchell scored to give the Pats a 3-2 lead. Regina managed to rattle off 3 straight goals after being down 2-0 in the first. The shots after two were 26-16 Pats. The Canes' had a few good chances, but unable to get the puck passed Pats goalie Brett Martyniuk. Austin Fyten left the ice about mid-way through the second and did not return for Lethbridge. It appears he suffered a hip injury.

In the third the Pats would seal the comeback with another power play goal, the second goal of the game for Carter Ashton. Regina would go on to out shoot the Canes' 38-29 overall. Regina's power play was lethal in this one going 3 for 8. The Hurricanes went 0 for 4. Penalties seriously hurt the Hurricanes. Give Regina credit though. They didn't look good at all in the first 13 minutes or so and managed to dig deep, pour it on, take control and eventually win the game.

Sbisa Injury Update

I asked Head Coach/GM Rich Preston about Luca Sbisa's abdominal injury he suffered recently playing with the Swiss team at the World Juniors. He told me the injury is more of a hip problem and taht Luca went back to Switzerland to see a specialist there. Preston says Sbisa doesn't seem to think the injury is as bad as first thought. It's been reported that will sideline Sbisa roughly 4 weeks. Preston said this is a week to week thing and until Sbisa sees a doctor, he really doesn't know much more than that.

The Hurricanes next action is tonight when they play for the first time at the Saddledome in Calgary. It'll be Rich Preston's first visit back to that rink since he was an assistant coach with the Flames. The Canes' stunned the Hitmen, beating Calgary in the first meeting of the season between the two Central Division opponents back in Lethbridge a few months ago. It was the first time the Canes' beat Calgary in since the Eastern Conference final in 07/08. These two clubs will get to know each well in January as they play 4 times between now and the end of the month. Preston said last night that Linden Rowat would get the start in goal against the Hitmen. He was a back-up last night to Brandon Anderson who's carried the load since Rowat went down with a foot injury in a game against Seattle two months ago. This is Rowat's first game action since then. He's been practicing for the past week. Goalie Ville Kolppanen will be a healthy scratch for the Hurricanes for the second game in a row.

Tonight's game from Calgary is a 5pm start (MT). The pre-game show on CJOC at 4:30.

Thanks,
Pat