BRANDON, MB - Three quick goals early in the first period was the difference as the Brandon Wheat Kings got by the Hurricanes 6-2 Friday night.
Not a very good start for the Hurricanes in this one. Brandon came out gunning, scoring 3 goals in less than 5 minutes to open what turned out to be rather wild opening periods of hockey. Daniel Asham tipped in the puck on the Wheaties first shot of the night making it 1-0 Brandon just a few minutes in. 90 seconds later Paul Ciarelli knocked a shot by Damien Ketlo to give the Wheaties a 2-0 lead. Less than a minute after that, Bruno Mraz found the back of the net and just like that, the Hurricanes were down 3-0. Brandon managed 3 goals on it's first 4 shots of the night. The Canes settled down after that. They began chipping their way back when Jaimen Yakubowski scored his 13th of the season after a scramble out front of the Wheat Kings goal. That cut the Brandon lead to 3-1. Before the end of the period, the Hurricanes would make it a one goal game. Macoy Erkamps jumped in from the point and fired a knuckle ball shot by Corbin Boes for his 3rd of the season, cutting the Wheaties lead to 3-2 after 20 minutes. Things didn't start out too well for the Hurricanes in this one, but they found a way to come back after being down a bunch early. The Canes out shot Brandon 12-8.
In the second, the Wheaties would get those two Lethbridge goals back, both with the man advantage. Brendan Walker took a pass at the side of the Canes goal and beat Ketlo to make it 4-2 Brandon. Two minutes later, the Wheat Kings would get another power play and they'd make good on that one too. Brodie Melnychuk hammered a slapper from the point to give the home team a 5-2 lead. The Hurricanes had a few good chances to score in the period, but unlike in the opening 20 minutes, they were unable to get one by Corbin Boes. The shots favoured Lethbridge 25-20.
In the third, the Wheat Kings would finish things off with another goal from Brendan Walker, his 2nd of the game to give Brandon a 6-2 lead and that's the way the game would end. Brandon had a strong 3rd period and would end up out shooting the Canes 38-36 when it was all said and done. The Wheaties went 2/5 on the power play and Lethbridge went 0/5. The loss drops the Hurricanes overall record to 26-38-0-1 in 65 games this season. The Canes have 7 games remaining before things wrap up on March 17th. Hurricanes Assistant Coach Chris Chisamore says he wasn't at all tonight on the CJOC post game show. "We had no jump and let them do what they wanted. I'm disappointed with the effort from some of our guys."
"IT'S YOUR TIME" BLOOD CAMPAIGN A SUCCESS
During the month of February, the Hurricanes partnered with Canadian Blood Services at six home games, looking for new donors. The campaign this year brought it 71 new blood donors and 179 regular donations. That equals 250 units of blood.
NEXT UP
The Hurricanes will close out this road swing Saturday (Mar. 3) when they play the Warriors in Moose Jaw. The Warriors have won both games these teams have played this season. Game time is 6:00 (MST). The pre-game show on CJOC at 5:30. The Hurricanes return home next Tuesday to host the Warriors for the final time this season. Lethbridge will welcome Calgary on Friday (Mar. 9) and Saturday (Mar. 10) they'll play their final home of the season against Medicine Hat. Prior to that game, the Hurricanes will give out their annual regular season player awards.
Thanks,
Pat
The views expressed on this blog are those of the moderator and contributors and are not endorsed by 94.1 CJOC or the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
I hope the Canes play Liston tonight, that they win it 4-3, and that CB14 gets all 3 for MJ.
ReplyDeleteSorry to clutter up your Cane blog (again) with this opinion Pat, but....
I haven't been a fan of the Leafs since the days of Mike Palmateer and Darryl Sittler, but EXCELLENT decision by the Leafs to get rid of Wilson-the-Arrogant-Self-Serving. Very close second to Tortorella for A-hole of the league!
I wouldn't want either of those guys anywhere near the Hurricane players even if they agreed to settle the current Hurricane debt and coach for free for the next five years.
I realize that Torts is American, so he was born with a certain amount of arrogance by birth, but Wilson was born in Canada then later became a Dual Citizen and THEN he even played on the US National team a few times. That makes him no longer Canadian, eh!? - Richie.
Sounds like the boys left their legs on the bus!! A real slow start. Better luck in MJ tonight!
ReplyDeleteDarren
Just listened to last week's "Hurricanes this Week" podcast. Some very interesting and promising comments from Canes' Assistant GM Brad Robson. He seems to have a pretty good idea on where all of the Canes' draft picks are in their development.
ReplyDeleteIn hearing Robson (and Assistant Coach Matt Kabayama) talking about Alvin Blomqvist, I really hope they allow him time to recover from his concussion. I really think he added a nice physical element to the Canes' defence when he was in the lineup.
One thing I found interesting and not sure I agree with is how Robson and the scouting staff assess prospective players. The one thing I like hearing is that Robson believes the scouting staff has "character people" on it. I went to the Canes' website and see that we have some former Canes on the scouting staff such as Jason Ruff and Darin Sceviour on the list (sorry if I don't recognize any other former Canes!). "Character people look to add character people and character hockey players to the organization". That's good to hear!
He stated that the scouts look for various traits in the players they're scouting, but mainly they're looking for players with: character, speed, heart, desire, emotion.
While I like hearing that because I'm a big believer that speed kills, having a player or two with some size AND speed is also a bonus. I realize those players are REALLY hard to come by. I mean, it's not every day a player like Eric Lindros or Chris Pronger come around.
But overall, I enjoyed hearing Robson's report (could this be a new segment....lol, like he needs more on his plate!) and think it bodes well for the future of the organization. He spoke with confidence and detail on all aspects of the Canes' prospects and current players.
Great show Pat! Darren
Is Richie undecided about Wilson? The reason he played for the US is he was not talented enough to make the Canadian U17 team when he was in the NHL.
ReplyDelete