Wednesday 4 December 2013

Broncos Defeat Lethbridge Hurricanes 4-1

SWIFT CURRENT, SK - The Swift Current Broncos earned their league-best 12th win on home ice as they beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes 4-1 Wednesday night.

 It didn't take long for the home team to get going in this game. 1:53 into the first period, Colby Cave put home a rebound off a two-on-one rush to give Swift Current a 1-0 lead. Just past the midway point, the Broncos would get another one. A point shot from Brett Lernout went off a Lethbridge player in front and deflected by Corbin Boes to give the Broncos a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes of play. Swift Current held a slight 11-8 edge in shots on goal.

In the second, the Hurricanes would settle down nicely and come at the Broncos looking to get back in the game. The best chance of the period for Lethbridge came when Riley Sheen was left alone in front of the Swift Current goal, but fired it over an open goal with Eetu Laurikainen down and out in the crease. It looked as if that's the was the period was going to end, but in the final minute, for Hurricane Jay Merkley would scored his second goal of the season against his former club (the first coming in Lethbridge at the end of October) and that put the Broncos ahead 3-0 after 40 minutes of play. The shots favoured Swift Current 28-21.

In the third, the Hurricanes would try to get back in the game. With about 8:00 to go, Carter Folk sent the puck on goal and it got by an out of position Eetu Laurikainen to cut the Swift Current lead to 3-1. That was Folk's first-ever WHL goal. Lethbridge pulled the goaltender with just under two minutes remaining the Canes pulled the goaltender, but Graham Black would ice the game with an empty net goal and the Broncos would skate away with a 4-1 win. That victory gives Swift Current 12 wins at home this season, the first team in the WHL to hit that mark to this date. The Hurricanes continue to struggle, trying to find some wins. They have just one victory in their last 18 games after this loss in Swift Current. It drops their overall record to 3-23-2-2 on the season. Swift Current went 0/2 on the power play and Lethbridge 0/5. The Canes gave up 40+ shots again. The Broncos out shot the Canes 43-26 on the night.

Returning From Injury

The Hurricanes got some good news on the injury front Wednesday. Forwards Taylor Cooper and Russ Maxwelll returned from injury against the Broncos. Cooper had missed the last two weeks after being tripped up against Everett. He was taken off the ice in that game on a stretcher after hitting hard into the boards. Amazingly he wasn't hurt worse after watching what happened. A quick recovery for him. Maxwell missed the past two games with a lower body injury.

Next Up

The Hurricanes next action is Friday (Dec. 6) when they play host to Prince Albert. This will be the second meeting of the season between these teams with PA winning the first game 8-2 in Prince Albert a few weeks ago. Game time is 7:00 pm MST. The pregame show on CJOC 6:30. It's also the Hurricanes annual Teddy Bear Toss game.  On Saturday (Dec. 7) the Canes hea

Thanks,
Pat 

25 comments:

  1. Don't no what to say anymore, Very long season

    Iceman

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  2. It is hard to find words Iceman. They continue to blame the players who "suffered" (ridiculous choice of words previously used in the comment section here) under Preston when in fact most of those players are no longer here. The coach says the same thing in his interviews over and over again, "the players need to follow the systems". Hell I hate that word now. They are doing nothing to change things. Keep doing what you've always done and you'll keep getting what you've always gotten. I feel terrible for Ramsay who spent his WHL career bleeding Hurricane red and has to watch it finish like this. Maxwell, Erkamps and the rest of this team also deserve our pity. The whole situation is absolutely shameful.

    -cc

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  3. Quite simply......not good!
    Ramsay's situation and game in game out effort reminds me a lot of Carter Bancks.

    Dump'n Chase

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  4. It is going to be a long season. Ramsay, Wong Maxwell and others keep working hard game in and game out. I would like to see some success for their psyche as they deserve it!
    Maybe a change for next game throw Sascher in the net and see what happens. It most certainly can't hurt.

    A View from Above

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  5. The people responsible for this whole mess are the BOD and then BR. They are the reason every person and player is here. This is nothing bad against the players but the simple fact is we do not have any stars. They play hard but none will move on to a pro career. BR was head scout when tbey were drafted and now as GM is responsible for trades etc. The bad part is there is no end in sight. Good luck boys and keep working hard so at the end of the day you csn hold your head high and say you did your best and left it all on the ice. KAOS

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    1. Sorry, this is a development league that is supposed to develop and teach their players to get better with a few being able to continue on to a pro career. This team has a few very skilled and committed players that are crying for a coach that can teach and help them to get better and that is the promise of the WHL! Elementary "chip and chase" come on, every other team in the league uses that play when they need a line change. The PP would have a hard time scoring with just their goalie to beat? If there is a system within this team, could someone please explain what it is and how it works?

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    2. Excellent points. I agree. The players seem to be working their asses off and from what I can tell ARE following the "systems" put in place by the coaching staff. However, those "systems" seem to have very little to do with gaining the blueline on the rush and more to do with "chip and chase" (as you mentioned). That's Timbits Hockey not Junior A. No, no end in sight. BOD and GM backed the coach, so the poor people who shelled out their hard-earned money for season's tickets are going to have to watch the same story repeat itself over and over for the rest of the year.

      I have to say though, that I expect the walk-up sales to drop off the face of the earth in the coming weeks and months to the point where the BOD may not be able to continue to ignore it. It's not an attractive product nor is it entertaining to watch these young players bust their butt without any direction from the coach.

      I could go on, but what's the point.......

      Darren

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    3. It is very possible that if the Hurricanes earn the 1st pick in the upcoming Bantam Draft, they parents may step in and force Robson's hand to pick a different player other than the #1 ranked player in Western Canada.

      Empty Net

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  6. At this point in the season it is hard to fathom how DB can continue to keep the head coaching position! These players give everything they have night in and night out! The harsh reality is that there is "NO" system for them to follow! They are not being taught any type of system at all, let alone one that can even begin to allow them to compete in the WHL, these players deserve to at least be given the tools to be able to compete in this league and to develop, it then becomes no wonder that they demand trades and lately, simply just walk away. It is time that people quit believing the garbage this coach speaks about these players are just not buying into the system he is teaching when the sober reality is that there is no system! Most bantam teams have more structure than this guy offers, make no mistake about that! How the management of this team can quietly sit back and allow this stupidity to continue is now beyond comprehension at pretty much every level! Expect the exodus to continue as there is really not much point sticking around…very sad situation for the players and the Lethbridge Hurricanes faithful, and thats an understatement! Sad, Sad, Sad….

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    1. If I could find a "Like" button I would be clicking it on all these comments.

      -cc

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  7. Since 2009 the Canes have only put 4 players into pro hockey:
    Carter Bancks - AHL
    Brody Sutter - AHL
    Austin Fyten - ECHL
    Daniel Johnston - ECHL
    Landon Oslanski - ECHL

    any young draft pick with pro potential who gets drafted under the current Board and Ownership structure should run for the hills of Junior A and the NCAA route as there is no worse team in the league in getting players to the pros. The WHL is a PRO development league! That is how a WHL team should be measured and by every measure this Board and management has failed miserably! Unfortunately there is zero accountability in the organization. SCS
    PS Congrats to those boys who are playing pro because the odds where certainly against them.....



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    1. What about Brandon Anderson in Reading (ECHL) Capitals Farm Team and Ty Rimmer Quad Cities (CHL) Oilers Farm Team. Just two that come to mind quickly.

      A View From Above

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    2. Actually Rimmer just got called up to OKC Barons, but that's really the only bright spot and Ty certainly didn't need the Hurricane coaching as he's from a hockey family with strong ties to the NHL.

      Empty Net

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    3. Exactly, Ty developed in Tri City and Lethbridge just tried to break him with a record number of shots.
      RK

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  8. There are some very skilled players on this team that would develop very nicely within a decently coached WHL program! Hard to believe that the league continues to support this team that appears to be unable to compete with any other team in the entire CHL by a widening margin, must be absolutely crushing for any players on this team that may have had a chance….

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  9. Interesting comments by SCS...I think Ty Rimmer may be in the CHL but point is well taken. The record of developing pro players is brutal in Lethbridge. Its tough to get noticed when scouts don't want to come to your games and your team is the laughing stock of the league year after year. Interesting to see Axel Bloomquist now being a point a game and plus player in Victoria while he was a healthy scratch here and Adam Henry putting up 13 points in 21 games on defence in Seattle. Our castaways are doing well. LJ

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    1. Ya, imagine that, must be something terribly wrong with the systems that both Seattle and Victoria run, hard to believe that they can have success there and not within DB's superior system that none of them could figure out or buy into? Lets just hope they can score a single goal on Friday night so some kids can have a Christmas present this year...

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    2. Talked to a Scout from the NJ Devils he likes watching teams that are struggling as he gets a feel of the players dtermination He also said that regardless if a team is struggling or not scouts still come to the games to evaluate players.

      As a matter of interest I checked some stats on the Web and found the following:
      -approximately 10% of the major junior players get a cup of coffee in the NHL. Major junior players out number college players in the NHL by 4 to 1. There are approximately 10 times the number of College players as major Junior players. Found this out on Yahoo Answers.

      Either way it is better of a kid to play major junior get the scholarship from the CHL and go to university and continue to play hockey at university in Canada for another 5 years of eligibility.

      A View from Above

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    3. Rimmer was recently called up to the AHL by the Oklahoma City Barons.

      canesrock

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    4. LJ you forgot to mention Yak who since going to Seattle has played 15 games scored 3 times with no assists for 3 points. McK has played 14 games scored twice with one assist for 3 points. Sheen since arriving in Lethbridge has two goals and 6 assists for 8 points in 10 games. Folk in 15 games has 1 goal and 2 assists for 3 points. He most certainly has become a fan favourite with his physical play. Griffin Foulk has played 23 games and has 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points. Not bad for a stay at home defence man.

      As for Bloomquist DB said on Pats show that he was inconsistent since returning from the Jets with a contract. I believe that the Jets giving him the contract did hurt him. It took away his drive a bit. This is seen in a lot of players returning from pro camps with a contract. Unfortunate but true.

      The Stats Guy

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  10. Chris Tai tossed aside by the Brandon Wheatkings, to bad for Chris, hope someone gives him a decent chance….

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  11. At the end of the day, this is a development league, so if the development is strong, the teams will have success! NO development = NO success and that is really the bottom line! If the players are not learning anything and are not having fun, they then feel like they are wasting time and they really only have a very limited amount of time, cannot fault them for asking to be traded or simply moving on to the next phase of their lives I guess? The Hurricanes are going to get out only what they put in! Players not understanding this system…thats a load of BS and sad excuse!!!

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  12. Who are these highly skilled players I keep hearing about? Duke shows signs and could possible be better on a team with more skill. Yak and. McK quit in this team and stats are worse niw then when they were here. Adam has more points now but is -8 Seattle team worst. All of them thought they were superstars and are learning different. Axel had 13 points in 19 games here and time will tell if he keeps improving. Still can not see him playing pro hockey though. Watch the passes etc. from our boys then watch other teams. My point is these boys are average hockey players. No coach in the world could make them SUPERSTARS. Yes this is a developmental league but only a very few develop into stars. The Cream always comes to the top and I have not seen any Cream yet. There are alot of kids that love hockey but are simply not good enough to move to the next level. Talk to some of the scouts at these games and they will all say the same thing BR did a terrible job scouting and drafting and now this is what we have. SYSTEMS ONLY WORK TO THE SKILL LEVEL OF THE TEAM. KAOS

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  13. The Houston Texans fired their coach this year ....here is a quote the Canes Board can cut and paste for their press release they should be making but won't because the Canes Board is accountable to no one.

    This has been a very disappointing year," McNair said. "We started with such high hopes. To have this string of losses is unacceptable.

    "We normally would wait until end of year to evaluate our staff, under these extreme circumstances thought best to start process now."
    TD

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  14. Pat wearing the Santa tie. Let's hope Santa comes early and gives the Canes a win.

    A View from Above

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