Saturday 20 October 2012

Hurricanes Beat Moose Jaw 4-3 in Overtime

LETHBRIDGE - Jaimen Yakubowski scored the winner late in overtime as the Lethbridge Hurricanes came back to beat Moose Jaw 4-3 at the ENMAX Centre

The Moose Jaw Warrirors would draw first blood in this game when Tanner Eberle tipped in a point shot, beating a screened Ty Rimmer to make it 1-0 Warriors.  The Hurricanes had a number of good chances as well, two great scoring opportunities by Craig Leverton, but Moose Jaw goaltender Justin Paulic stopped both of them to keep Lethbridge off the score sheet. The Warriors took that 1-0 lead into the dressing room after one period.  They out shot the Canes 17-10. Moose Jaw came close several times to jumping ahead by a pair, but Ty Rimmer, making his 12th consecutive start in goal managed to hold the visitors to only one goal.

In the second, the Huuricanes would tie the game at 1-1 when Sam McKechnie fired home his 6th of the season to get the Canes back to even terms. The Warriors would regain their one goal lead with a power play goal. Sam Fioretti, while laying on the ice, reached out and batted a bouncing puck by Rimmer to give Moose Jaw a 2-1 lead. Before the end of the period though, Lethbridge found the equalizer when Spencer Galbraith moved in late on a Hurricanes power play and scored his first goal of the season to tie the game at 2-2 after 40 minutes.  Moose Jaw held the edge in shots 30-20.

In the third, the Warriors would take the lead on another power play goal.  Shortly after a 5-on-3 advantage had expired, Juston Kirsch hammered a bullet one-timer by Rimmer to make it 3-2 Moose Jaw, but for the third time in this game the Hurricanes would respond with the tying goal.  Jamal Watson took a great feed from Jay Merkley, burst down the right wing and put a soft backhander past Paulic to even the score at 3-3.  That set up overtime for the 2nd night in a row.  With just over a minute to go in the extra period, Jamien Yakubowski snapped home his 5th goal of  the season to seal the deal as the Hurricanes would skate away with a 4-3 victory. The win improves the Hurricanes record to 5-6-1 on the season.  The Canes went 1/4 on the power play, while Moose Jaw finished the night 2/8.  The Warriors out shot the Canes 45-39.

It turned out to be a very productive week for the Hurricanes.  They managed 5 out of a possible 6 points and scored 14 goals over 3 games.  Contrast that with 18 goals in the first 9 game of the season for the Canes.  Ty Rimmer was the game's first star with another outstanding effort between the pipes.  Travis Brown of Moose Jaw, with 3 points was the second star and with one goal Sam McKechnie was the game's 3rd star in this game. 

HURRICANES THIS WEEK

Our next program aires Monday night, October 22nd at 7:00 pm on CJOC.  Joining Fred Jack and myself on the show will be rookie forward Reid Duke, Hurricanes Business Manager Terry Huisman, and the Canes Strength and Conditioning coach Steve Szilagyi.  If you miss a program LIVE, you can download it the following day at www.cjocfm.com and listen at your own pace. 

NEXT UP

The Hurricanes will hit the road for a pair of games in Swift Current Tuesday and Moose Jaw Wednesday before returning home to start another 6 game home stand as they play host to Regina Friday and Swift Current Saturday.  All games are 7:00 pm (MDT) starts here on CJOC. 

Thanks,
Pat

25 comments:

  1. It was another exciting night at the Enmax. Those Hurricanes sure know how to get the blood pumping through this old heart. Carry your winning ways from last night with you on the road next week!

    -cc

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  2. Good job Boys. Watson finally scores on a break-away. It is now time to give Rimmer a rest and play Tai in at least 1 of the next 4 my guess is in Regina but time will tell. We need to find a way to get off to better starts more offen. Maybe a few days together as a team will help with that. Once again good hustle and puck pressure. Great Job. AJ

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  3. Great win for sure. Very exciting...barn burner right to the end. The Enmax center was electric. You can sense the kind of hockey town Lethbridge can be and if they can continue this 1 game winning streak to 4 or 5 the Enmax will be standing room only.

    Couple of points however.
    Our PP is 19th of 22 teams in the WHL and we continue to play the same 6 guys over and over...Maxwell, Axyl,Hood,Ramsey,Mccechanie,and Yakabowski.

    Our pk is 21st or 22 teams in the WHL and we continue to play the same 4 guys. Maxwell, Mccechnie, Yakabowski and Ramsey.

    The definition of insanity...repeat the same thing over and over and expect a different result.

    The only reason we went into OT was Merkley to Watson for the tying goal and they played zero OT and furthermore zero pp. Give the kids a chance. Despite somewhat limited ice they continue to produce and often look like the most dangerous players on the ice.

    There does not seem to be a plan to develop the young talent on this team and that is a big concern going forward.

    In any case great win Canes. I hope we can build off this great weekend.

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  4. 5 of 6 points and a move up in the standings! Great win...but hard on the old ticker! Canes overcame a slow start and brutal calls especially when the Canes came back in the 3rd. Rimmer gets the win and should be rewarded with time off! Yak Attack proves again what a steal he was in the draft.
    Certainly the new PA screamer adds to the atmosphere but who told him to explain what happens after regulation! This is Canada! We know hockey! This is not the USA! We know this game!

    Jules

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  5. Great game last night. Once team went back to line up from Kamloops game and got Galbraith off forward the team picked it up. Looks like there are too many D men who can play on the team now with Pilon back.
    All aspects of the game were good. I disagree about the previous comment on PP and PK. Both have been much better in the last three games 1 -4 on PP last night and a lot of presuure and good chances. PK 2-8 last night and a 5 on 3. Young guys are getting a lot of ice especially the 16 year olds there should be no complaints. Great to see the crowd so into the games this week. Lets get over 4,000 next game! Scott

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  6. A game that was a lot of fun to watch. Great fan energy. Great result!

    Rimmer does it again! The team play is getting better, but they are still giving up a ton of shots and really good scoring chances. Without Rimmer, I wonder if this team would even have ONE win this season; I think he has been that good.

    I agree that Preston is not using the players that I think would give us the best chance on the PP. Merkley, Duke, & Wong, these guys have all scored a ton on their former teams; it sure would be nice to see them get some chances. - Richie.

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  7. Really Scott. The 16 year olds did not play a single shift in the 3rd period. Duke was the 5 pick overall in last years draft. Brayden Point is 16 years old and 14th overall. He played 1st line and every pp. How can you say our pp is good. On Galbraiths goal it was an individual effort and with seconds left in that pp he scored. They did not set up once prior to that on that pp and no shots on goal. Give your head a shake. 19th out of 22 teams and 21st out of 22 are the numbers. Same guys, same resutlts. The only reason we won is because we have the best goalie in the league. Yakabowsk, Mckechnie Axyl and Hood are not highly skilled players and would not be on any other pp in the league! Ramsey and Maxwell both have great hands and deserve to be there. Hood plays 1st or 2nd line and every pp and does not have a goal this season. Great win and I hope it continues but these are the facts. Rimmer is here for 1 year only and will probably end up in Saskatoon for the Mem cup before the years out. Then what. We need to start giving these younger guys more opportunity. This year we may bubble into the playoffs if we can keep Rimmer but the goal should be to be the best team in the WHL and go to the Mem Cup. We have 4 kids in the last 3 years that have been drafted in the top 5 for the WHL bantam draft. Merkley 3rd in 2010, Pilon 3rd and Duke 5th in 2011 and Estaphan 4 in 2012. All of them are skilled players that need to play in order to get to their potential. If they are not good enouph then someone should be held accountable and that ultimately be Preston. Not one of our top 6 forward right now will be a star in this league. End of story.

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  8. @ Anon 12:33

    What is your definition of a "star in this league"?

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  9. Three things anonymous re Duke. First comparing him against Pointe. Pointe has 14 games under his belt from last years playoffs playing with the likes of Howden and Braes. Second you answered your own question by saying there isnt great skill up front. Pointe is playing with Fioretti there is no Fioretti equivalent on the Canes finally its only game 11!! He will be geting a lot of ice in the games ahead and PP time. Pilon played a ton last game including OT because he has guys like Johnston and Blomquist to play with. You can see Johnston on the ice helping Hackman, Pilon etc there is no such player up front. Duke will be a star and get tons of ice but how do you criticize the coaching staff when you pick up 5 out of 6 points in the last three games? Give your head a shake! Scott

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  10. @ Anon 12:33....While our young players may be highly skilled, they're still inexperienced and in some cases (Wong) badly undersized. You don't throw a 16 year old on the ice against the other team's best line. That's not how that works. I was at the game on Friday night and the young guys got good ice time. As the game wears on, you can see who has been creating the best opportunities and playing the hardest because they will be continue to get more ice time in the 3rd period. (ie. I noticed Watson's ice was limited in the 3rd on Friday night because he just didn't seem to have as much jump or as many opportunities as other nights).

    As Scott says, it's fine to play a 16 year old on a top line as long as they have some experienced players to play with. I noticed Kamloops started Cole Ully (17 year old in his second year) on the top line with Ranford and Kozon on Friday night. But his ice time was cut back in the 3rd period when things got rough and the Blazers were on their heels.

    Darren

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  11. Scott the Canes have the best goalie in the league!!!!!! for 1 year. He is stopping over 40 shots every game. As I said the stats are the stat. It is fantastic that they have 5 of 6 points on the weekend and even more importantly we have a seen a glimps of the fan support this team will receive if they can get a competative team...these are all good. However the future needs to be addressed and its in the 16 and 17 year old. They NEED to more ice. They were drafted to be top 6 forward and especially the 17 year old that were here last year need to get the experience in critical times. I reiterate Hood has 0 points playing top 6 minutes and all pp. Also our pp is abysmal as is our pk. You cannot dispute this. TRY SOMETHING ELSE and LOOK TO THE FUTURE! Rimmer will not be here forever. Thats all Im saying.

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  12. I caught the game at the Enmax. My first of the season. I'm not from Lethbridge and usually rely on Pat's play by play. Thanks for it by the way. What I noticed raised a question. How does Maxwell manage to win so many faceoffs? Amazing. Intensity pays off I guess.

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  13. Anonymous..PP and PK could be better for sure but the last 3 games PP was 4/12 or 33.3%. Edmonton leads PP in the league at 33.9% and our PK was 5/19 or 26.3% which would be around 14th. 3 of the 5 PP goals against were against Edmonton the best PP in the league. I know why the coaches didnt change the PP during the last three games beacause it was working! Having said that Duke, Wong and Merkley will be getting their PP time. But you dont change what is working. Scott

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  14. This is for Scott and Darren. Since you seem to feel we need older forwards to teach the young guys, who should do that. We have 3 forwards that are 19 - 20 year olds and only 1 of them scored any goals. These kids are going to learn by playing against the top lines so let them play. Why in the hell are Hood and Axel getting time on the pp. Sorry Axel but you are to slow with yoir hands. You have a puck drop in front of you and before you react it is gone. Hood should lose the "C" and then be released or traded. There are kids on this team that still hope to get drafted and play in the nhl and if you 2 get your way we will sit them there whole 16 -17 year old season and then expect them to play well enough as an 18 to get drafted. Maybe you should give your head a shake. AJ

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  15. So according to this logic, Canes will be better in the long run putting all the young guys together on a line against the opposing top lines and hope they learn to score? That's insane. How about trading for veteran scorer who can show these younger guys how to spark offense.

    It seems that fans are torn between the present and the future. People claiming the only reason the Canes win is because of Rimmer...so should we trade him, win no games and hope the young guys "develop" by losing?

    This team needs a season with better results...plain and simple. Whoever is playing best should play regardless of age in my opinion (and that doesn't mean Hood on the PP for the record).

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  16. Wow!! A lot of Hood haters on this forum!! In my opinion, while he certainly is no offensive wunderkind, he has shown some real maturity this year by drastically reducing the stupid penalties he has been prone to taking. He also seems to be doing some "coaching" on the ice talking to the young guys. Don't for a minute tell me that he is not an effective "hitter", and if you have noticed the past few games, he has been plating himself in front of the net on the PP, and is almost impossible to move. It takes a defenseman completely out of it by having to battle with him. I think he is doing everything the coaches have asked, and has been a good captain, leading by example. Should we count on him to score?.....Perhaps.

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  17. No, they "kids" are not going to learn by playing against the opposition's tops lines. They're going to GET HURT!! That's a recipe for disaster!! Stop trying to promote the young players into situations they won't be able to handle. The Raider's and Oil King's defence would turn our young forwards into flies pasted on a window!

    Wong has already been out with an "upper body" injury. Doesn't matter what the injury is. The fact that he got hurt with limited ice time tells me he's not physically ready for more ice time.

    The kids are doing just fine with the ice time they're getting. Duke hasn't earned more ice time. He's only 16 and needs time to learn the pace of the game. If he was dominating the shifts he's been getting, then I'd say "sure" give him more. But he's not. In fact, he's almost invisible with the ice time he's getting. He'll be a better player in the future if he is groomed slowly. He doesn't need more ice time at this point in time.

    @Anon 9:58am.....You're right, Maxy plays with a lot of heart and intensity (like the rest of his family). He, Yaks (Yakubowski) and Johnson are the heart and soul of this team.

    Darren

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  18. Hate to rain on the parade. Yak and Mackechnie are 3rd line player. Maxwell 2nd line at best. They all have 1st line minutes and every pp and pk. In league scoring Maxwell is 30th and does not have half the points of Lipton the top scorer. Yak is 89th in scoring and Mackechnie is 128th. Our pp is 19 of 22 teams and our pk is 21 of 22. And this is what you are so excited about. You need to at least get the 17 year old 2nd year player some quality ice time. They were drafted as skilled top 6 forwards and need to learn to compete. Mix them in with these so called stars to develop them. The Canes will never get to the next level if they don't. Merkley has the ability to be one of the best players in the league but we will never know playing him until hes 18 on the 3rd line with no pp or pk. If he is not able to play there this year then Preston and Robson should be fired because they picked him 3rd overall. You cant win with 3rd line player playing on your top line. Rimmer is the reason for our success and is here for at the most 1 year. The 17 year olds are not rookies...see what they have.

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  19. Anon 7:11 am

    How many players in this league of 22 teams and hundreds of players have more goals than Maxwell? 8. He's playing at a very high level on a rather weak team. But recognizing that doesn't fit your thesis that players should be given minutes based on their position in the draft. So it's all settled when they were 14 years old eh? So kick Maxwell to the curb because he was drafted in the 6th round?

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  20. Maxwell is one of the best players on the team. Fact is he is not a first line center in this league at 5foot 7 150 pounds. You can't compare his numbers to all the players in the league just the ones that play 1st or 2nd line and 1st pp. When you do this you will see he is the Canes best but no where close to the top players in the game. He is a 2nd or 3rd line center. He has never played on the 4th line unlike our recent high draft picks. Why was that??? He played 2nd line with his brother as a 16 year old and started last year at 2nd line but after 30 or so games a minus 30 forced him to the 3rd line. He then bounced around but never 4th line. Does the Maxwell name have anything to do with this? He seems to play more than everyone else no matter what. First round draft picks should not play any time on the fourth line. If they are not ready to play then they should not be here until they are ready-for at least a regular shift. They are drafted for the skill they have and for what they did prior to getting here. They are so excited when they arrive but seem so depleated shortly after. The excitement of being one of the worst teams the last few years is that you get high draft picks. Players that have skill and will eventually make the Canes a winner. Not just a .500 hockey team but one that might win the Mem cup. I'm glad to see the team is doing well but Rimmer is here for one year...Did I say one year. Wait a minute....ONE YEAR!! Get ready for the future. Mix these young players in now. Play Watson Merkley Duke Leverton Laurencelle, Wong on the pp and pk once in a while. We have had many nights when the pp and pk are not working. Try something else!! Get them ready. The 17 year olds already have spent a year watching. Maxwell Axyl Hood ,Ramsey Yak, Mackechnie are not taking us to the Mem Cup. Mix in these young guys with the older ones and start to develop them . If I was a first round draft pick the last place to play would be here. I'm a Canes fan! I think our future can be bright. We have drafted high the last few years and assuming the people we trust have done their job our future is bright. Go Canes Go!

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  21. Whether players were drafted in round 1 ,or not at all is not the point. The point is they are good enough to be on the team. I hope this team makes the playoffs this year but is the next 2 when we should be good as long as we have a good goalie. I can not believe some of you still feel the 16 - 17 learn from sitting on the bench. Another 16 -17 is just as likely to take a run at a guy as on older player. What about on the road when the other team has last change, then I guess we play 2 lines because oh my god one of the young guys might get hurt. I have seen 20 year olds get run over just as much as 16's. But some of us will always differ in opinion so with that lets put together some lines. 4 as equal lines as possible and some of them can be together for 2 or 3 more years. Yak, Max, Duke. Laur, McK, Blom. Hood, Ram, Wong. Lever, Merk, Wats. This leaves Sof, and Harp as the 2 out. Any other ideas. AJ

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  22. Anon 12:01 asks:
    "Does the Maxwell name have anything to do with this? He seems to play more than everyone else no matter what".

    The Maxwell name seems to mean something to you. I can tell that. A little jealous are we?

    I watched Russ win 5 faceoffs in a row during the 5 on 3 PK the other night. Maybe that has something to do with why Preston likes to play him. Skill, intensity, production and work ethic should count for something. It's called earning your spot. But some may agree with you that ice time should be determined instead by player size and draft position.

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  23. I can see you love Maxwell. I agree with most of what you say. He is smart competitive and feisty. Probably the best faceoff player on the team. Facts are facts size matters and so does opportunity. Maxwell has had opportunity in spades from day one. Others are not getting that and in order to win we better start bringing some of these other kids along. The way we are right now we may bubble in the playoffs this year...then next year lose Rimmer and if the kids are not ready we will be right back where we were. Maxwell will be a part whatever happens but by himself he is not enough. I'm assuming our high draft picks are good or they will be...maybe not? If thats the case we are screwed and someone needs to be held accountable. Done!

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  24. Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Hurricanes Beat Moose Jaw 4-3 in Overtime":

    Part 1 0f 2 as it is too long for this board to accept as one post.
    The short and sweet version of my post is what a fun and enjoyable game this was to watch, except for the reffing and the coaching decisions RP makes. The long version follows in two posts as it has too many characters in the HTML mode:
    I am going to steal some of the previous posters statements and comment on them, as many of them expressed my feelings pretty accurately, and saved me some typing time….hehe.
    ANON @ 10:27AM on OCT 21 stated.
    “”“”Great win for sure. Very exciting .barn burner right to the end. The Enmax center was electric. You can sense the kind of hockey town Lethbridge can be and if they can continue this 1 game winning streak to 4 or 5 the Enmax will be standing room only.”””” ……. While I Pretty much agree with this but not quite as excited as he/she seems to be.

    “”“”Couple of points however.Our PP is 19th of 22 teams in the WHL and we continue to play the same 6 guys over and over...Maxwell, Axyl,Hood,Ramsey,Mccechanie,and Yakabowski. Our pk is 21st or 22 teams in the WHL and we continue to play the same 4 guys. Maxwell, Mccechnie, Yakabowski and Ramsey The definition of insanity...repeat the same thing over and over and over and expect a different result.“””” … This is what pi$$ed me off to no end. Axyl and Hood in their 22 games combined between the 2 two of them HAVE ZERO GOALS this year!!! What in the world are they doing on every friggin PP shift?? Also it was nice to see Pilon back on the ice but he was given too much PP time late in the 3rd and then in the O.T. Yes we need to develop the kids but in his 1st game back maybe you need to manage his ice time. Injuries usually happen when a player is too tired. Why risk a further injury to Pilon when Erkamps and Galbraith are sitting on the bench for most of our last few PP’s. Galbraith’s PP goal earlier in the game was an absolute beauty, but then he gets very little PP time towards the end of the game. This and so many other things just make no sense what so ever to anyone but Preston I guess. As Anon at 10:27 AM said about the definition of insanity…..on the one last PP’s they kept trying the Pilon over to Johnson for a one timer at least 5 times in like 45 seconds, and of course the Warriors D-man knew this play so they blocked every one of Johnson’s shots easily. What a friggin joke. The players have absolutely no confidence in themselves on the PP. There is no smooth movement of the puck or inventive plays being made. Don’t get me wrong. This is not the players fault

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  25. part 2 from canesrock.

    “”””The only reason we went into OT was Merkley to Watson for the tying goal and they played zero OT and furthermore zero pp..”””” ….. I agree 101%. Merkley makes a beautiful backhand pass to Watson who finally scores a goal on one of his many breakaways. So are they rewarded for their effort and the result, Of course not. Just the opposite occurred actually. Merkley and Watson got virtually no ice time after that beauty of a game tying goal. They combined to score that goal with just over 7 minutes to go in the game. OK so Merkley has been heating up with 3 goals in his previous 3 games plus that wicked good assist on Watson’s goal and then in those remaining 7 minutes, if I am correct, despite almost 4 minutes of PP time and a 2 minute PP in OT, Jay gets only 1, maybe 2 more shifts for the rest of the entire game. With the two back to back PPs in regulation time which totalled 3:30, and a 2:00 min PP in the OT, Merkley never touched the ice. How would you feel if at 17 years old you finally started to score regularly and were arguably playing some of your best hockey ever with the Canes, and then you get stapled to the bench while a very young 16 year old D-man (Pilon) gets overdoses of PP time because “we need to develop out younger players.” OMG that makes no sense to me.
    One last thing. I have stated more than once that the trade for Rimmer was the best deal Preston has ever made. Rimmer proved that again in the Warriors game. If not for him, we have no chance to win that game. He is a very sound goaltender and his positioning and control of rebounds is PRO LEVEL stuff.
    Having just bitched to my hearts content, I will say the Hurricanes have a ridiculous amount of talent and once we get a new coach, watch out!!! This team is primed to win the Memorial Cup in 2016. Anything whatsoever short of winning the MC in 2 or 3 years will have to be called a disappointment.
    p.s. The reffing display put on by Colin Stefanyk was nothing short of brutal!!

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