Canes Drop 13th Straight, Losing 6-3 in Medicine Hat

MEDICINE HAT - The Medicine Hat Tigers scored twice shorthanded and twice more on the power play as they beat the Lethbridge Hurricanes 6-3 Saturday night.

The Medicine Hat Tigers opened the scoring in what was a mean-nothing game for both teams in terms of the standings. Dylan Bredo's point shot was re-directed by Alex Mowbray to make it 1-0 Medicine Hat. No chance for Stuart Skinner on that play. Skinner made his second consecutive WHL start in this game. Late in the period Medicine Hat struck again, this time while the Canes were on a power play. Curtis Valk moved in shorthanded and snapped the puck home for his 45th goal of the year. The Hurricanes had a great chance to get back into the game late in the period with a lengthy 5-on-3 power play, but they couldn't beat Marek Langhamer in the Tigers net. Medicine Hat held on to that 2-0 lead through 20 minutes of play. The Canes were out shot 17-12.

In the second, the Tigers would score again while the Hurricanes were on a power play.  The Canes got caught in the Medicine Hat zone and the Tigers moved up 2-on-1 shorthanded and they made no mistake, scoring their second shorty of the night when Trevor Cox buried a shot by Skinner making it 3-0. Before the end of the period, the Tigers would get one more goal, this time a power play marker by Cole Sanford. That put the home town Tigers ahead 4-0 after 40 minutes of play. They held a sizable edge in shots on goal at 35-18.

In the third, the Tigers would keep to offence coming. Trevor Cox scored his second goal of the hockey game, when he beat Skinner. That made it 5-0 and then yet another power play goal by Medicine Hat, Curtis Valk getting his second of the evening and that put the home team ahead 6-0. The Hurricanes finally started to find some offence in the last 8 minutes of the game when they scored three times. Bryton Sayers scored his 4th of the season on a power play and that was followed up less than minute later off a great backhander from Reid Duke. That was his 15th of the season and cut the Tigers lead to 6-2. Before the final buzzer sounded, the Canes would get one more on the power play, this time from Tyler Bell who scored his 6th of the year. That cut the Tigers lead to 6-3 and that's the way this game would end. Medicine Hat out shot Lethbridge 41-35. The Canes went 2/8 on the power play and the Tigers 2/6. The Canes have now lost a season-high 13 games in a row and see their overall record fall to 12-54-2-3 in 71 games.

Next Up

The Hurricanes will wrap up this WHL season Sunday afternoon (Mar. 16) when they host the Tigers in the re-match. This game was supposed to have been played Friday but had to be re-scheduled because of a water emergency which has since ended.  Game time is 4:00 pm MDT. The pre-game show on CJOC at 3:30. That'll put an end to the Canes 72 game schedule for the 2013-2014 WHL campaign. 

Thanks,

Pat