Saturday 2 November 2013

Tri-City Defeats Struggling Hurricanes 8-1

LETHBRIDGE - A huge first period powered the visiting Tri-City Americans past the Lethbridge Hurricanes 8-1 Saturday night at the ENMAX Centre.

Not a good start for the Hurricanes in this game. Less than three minutes into the game, the Americans struck twice. Brian Williams made it 1-0 Americans with an early power play goal and then 22 seconds later, Marcus Messier made it 2-0 Tri-City. That was two goals on just 4 shots to open the game. The visitors kept it coming too. They made it 3-0 before the game was even 10 minutes old. Six minutes later the Americans would get another power play and they would make good on that. Parker Bowles beat Corbin Boes to give the Ams a big lead. That would be it for Boes who surrendered 3 goals on 8 shots. Chris Tai would come in to replace Boes for the rest of the game. It didn't take long for Tri-City to get to him. Shortly after the goalie change, Tri-City would go ahead 4-0 when Devon McAndrews found the back of the net. The Canes got into some more penalty trouble late in the period, when the Americans were given a lengthy 5-on-3 power play, but Lethbridge managed to kill that off. Tri-City took a sizable 4-0 lead into the dressing room after 40 minutes. The shots were 15-7 Americans.

In the second, an entirely different Lethbridge team. The Hurricanes came out with a revamped mindset down 4-0. They would start throwing pucks at the Tri-City goal and 6 minutes into the period, the Canes would get on the board when Kolten Olynek tipped home his first goal of the season to cut the Amercians lead to 4-1. Before the end of the period though, the Ams would restore their four goal advantage, when Jessey Astles scored making it 5-1 Tri-City after 40 minutes of play. The shots very close in this game, 24-23 Americans.

In the third, the Americans would increase their lead when Ty Comrie snapped a knuckleball shot by Chris Tai. That made it 6-1 for the visitors. Tri-City would add two more before this one would end. Jessey Astles would score his 2nd of the night on yet another power play to make it 7-1 and then before the final buzzer sounded, former Hurricanes Phil Tot scored to give Tri-City an 8-1 lead and that's the way this game would end. The Canes continue to struggle. They've now given up 85 goals this season, the most in the WHL. They've also scored the least at 41 goals for. The loss drops the Hurricanes record to 2-12-1-2 on the season in 17 games. Lethbridge went 0/6 on the power play and Tri-City 3/6. The Americans out shot the Canes 39-26.

Next Up

The Hurricanes will continue this 8 game homestand Sunday afternoon when they host the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings. The Wheaties have been on a road trip to the US the past week or so and are making their way back to Manitoba. Brandon is off a decent start this season, sitting around the .500 mark. This will mark the first game Hurricanes goalie Corbin Boes will play against his former team since he was dealt to Lethbridge at the Bantam draft for the 6th overall pick. The Canes and Wheat Kings will meet again next week, in yet another matinee game, this time is Brandon on Remembrance Day afternoon (Monday, Nov. 11). Sunday's game at the ENMAX Centre is a 2:00 pm MST time face-off. The pre-game show on CJOC at 1:30. It's the first time the Canes have a had an early afternoon start at home in several season.

Thanks,
Pat

12 comments:

  1. I feel so bad for the Hurricanes players that are trying so hard yet still getting these results over and over and over. When I watch the excellent effort of about 21 of 22 players every night, I refuse to believe that they are being coached to the potential of the group.

    I don't have a solution, but at what point do these ever so confident coaches take a look down at that hand to recognise that while they are pointing their finger to blame someone, there are three fingers pointing back at himself?

    Richie.

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  2. Gawd awful!
    At this rate thus team will be lucky to win ten games this season. Who are they going to beat? Like most fans U was excited about the changes, now doubts are beginning to surface. The Boes deal looks worse every game out and Bloomquist should be given a one way ticket home at Xmas.

    Sad, sad state of affairs!

    Dump'n Chase

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  3. Richie which players were you watching. Lethbridge did not have 21 or 22 players playing hard. Maybe 5 were out there working. Coach for god sake bench Bloomquist he is doing nothing. Boes will not stop a beach ball.

    An Observer

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    1. So, you thought that the Tri City players were trying harder? I thought TC was playing smarter, making better passes, and playing the body more consistently (and getting away with interference on almost EVERY Cane dump in).

      Their defensemen were physical and their goaltender stayed between the posts, but I didn't a notice a single Tri City player with any speed or skill advantage superior to our Duke, Ramsay, Sheen, Wong, Maxwell, or Estephan.

      Their leading point man, Williams, only had 2 points of the Americans 24, and both came early and on the PP. He didn't do much five on five.

      Even Blomqvist was skating hard and trying hard about half the time on the ice. He appears to be in terrible physical condition compared to most WHLers, and unlike most players of his imposing size, he is no physical threat whatsoever. Opposing players are only afraid of him until they see him attempt to throw a hit once. After that, they are (understandably) far more fearful of being chased down by Wong, Maxwell. or Olynek. Not every player in the NHL plays physically, but if they don't, they better be offering something else. He doesn't block shots, and he isn't passing effectively as he did last year. He is not strong on the puck, so I find it laughable that the Jets are paying him $90K+ a year and he continues to play this way. Maybe they are hoping for another Dustin Byfuglien, but I am frustrated that our coaches seem obligated to give him ice time he has not earned. Protein!

      I cannot believe that Reid Duke is one of the three Cane forwards who has played more than 10 games and is yet to score a goal yet this year (Amson, Meyer). Is he not working hard enough? He is certainly skilled enough.

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  4. This is going to be realistic not negative. Problem #1 BOD and shareholders with no clue about hockey or inside contacts. #2 GM and scouts over the last 5-8 years that made terrible trades and bantam draft picks ( no size and average skill ). #3 BOD that keeps hiring the wrong people although with the average skill on the team now it would not matter who the coach was. That was not a negative but real statement and nothing mean to the players it is a fact. #4 The team has less skill and size now then it did last year especially on "D" and in Goal. #5 I hope if this team losses enough money this year the BOD and shareholders have NO choice but to sell it. Hopefully there is a group such as Versteeg's that is still interested. Ok blast away at me for saying what I feel is real and then prove me wrong. KAOS

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    1. KAOS: You are simply stating what most of us already know (but some aren't willing to acknowledge). It's unfortunate MacNaughton can't get passed his ego to realize the mess this team is in.

      Empty Net

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  5. Hate to go anywhere near negative, but have to say that other coaches got fired in the leth for a lot less (rocky saganuik, miko makala) system is said to be in place with db but is it the right system????

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    1. They've obviously created an "us" (meaning coaches) and "them" (meaning players) mentality, which is very negative philosophy.

      Empty Net

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  6. After flopping around in the crease like a Manitoba Walleye last night, will Boes bounce back and play like a twenty year old WHL goalie worthy of our 6th overall Bantam pick (Kale Clague (D) is lighting it up in the U16 this weekend in Calgary), or will he continue to flounder and get lit up by his former club?

    Richie.

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    1. Asked and answered.... I hated this trade from the start, and tonight the folly of this move was accentuated. If nothing else is obvious with the 2013-14 Canes, one thing is that Robson needs to swallow his pride, admit that he screwed the pooch on this move, and minimize the damage of his error by finding a home for Boes before Christmas (preferably in the conference and in the division, if at all possible), otherwise no players may come back.

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    2. What makes the trade worse is that Brandon was going to release Boes 2 days after the Bantam Draft as they were committed to Papirney and Honey. That was being thrown around by several people around the league, so everyone was thrown off when Robson made the trade. It was a bad deal right from the start even if Boes played like Rimmer or Ketlo, which he isn't (not even close).

      Empty Net

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  7. Pat interviewed coach Craig (I'm 99% sure it was Craig) after the game last night. The following statement is not an actual quote of what he said, but pretty darn close to it.

    "The players need to figure this out and work through all this as we coaches have given them all the systems and structure they need to have."

    The "all the systems and structure" part is a quote and those phrases are starting to drive me crazy!

    canesrock

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