Regina Pats Beat Hurricanes 5-2 at ENMAX Centre

LETHBRIDGE - The Regina Pats handed the Lethbridge Hurricanes their 10th straight loss as they beat the Canes 5-2 Friday night at the ENMAX Cente.

Not a good start for the home team in this game. Just 4:00 into the first period, Dyson Steveson, who's had the Hurricanes number all season long cashed in a rebound by Teagan Sacher to give the Pats a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later the Hurricanes got back to even terms. Josh Derko, who missed 27 games with a knee injury scored his 10th goal of the year to tie the game at 1-1. The Pats, though continued to roll throughout the period, pounding pucks at the Lethbridge goal, but Sacher kept his team in it. Regina heavily out shot the Hurricanes 18-3.

In the second, the Pats opened things up with three goals in a span of 2:17. While the Hurricanes were on the power play, Regina scored it's 15th shorthanded goal of the season when Braden Christoffer slid a backhander behind Sacher to make it 2-1 Pats. 60 second later Regina's Logan McVeigh scored to make it 3-1 and then a few minutes later on a power play, Boston Leier got a nice bounce and fired the puck in the back of the net and just like that, the Regina Pats grabbed a 4-1 lead. Regina added one more with just 6 seconds left in the period, when Colby Williams floated a shot by Sacher to make it 5-1 Pats after 40 minutes of play. The Hurricanes closed the gap in shots on goal. The Pats held a 31-22 edge.

In the third, the Canes would score the only goal on a power play, when Josh Derko notched his second of the night and 11th of the season to cut the Pats lead to 5-2 and that's the way this one would end. Regina out shot the Hurricanes 44-32. Lethbridge went 1/6 on the power play and the Pats 1/3. The Hurricanes have now lost 10 games in a row. They see their record fall to 12-51-2-3 in 68 games this season.

Canes Call Up Prospect (G) Skinner

The Hurricanes goalie of the future is now with the hockey club for the rest of this WHL season. Stuart Skinner, who the Canes selected 17th overall in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft backed up Teagan Sacher during Friday's game against Regina. Assistant Coach Mike Craig says he expects Skinner will get a start or two in these final few games of the season.

Derko Returns For Final Week

Overage forward Josh Derko made his return to the Hurricanes line-up after missing nearly 30 games with a knee injury. The Canes Captain will suit up for the team's final few games and his final games in the WHL. Derko told me before the game Friday he's excited to be back and feels better now than before the injury.

Next Up

And then there were four! The Canes have two home games and two road game remaining as this current WHL season quickly winds down. The Hurricanes will be looking to avenge a 7-4 loss in Swift Current last week when they host the Broncos Saturday night (Mar. 8). Game time is 7:00 pm MST. The pre-game show on CJOC at 6:30. During the final week of the season next week, the Hurricanes will play in Calgary Tuesday (Mar. 11) and then finish things up with back-to-back games against Medicine Hat Friday and Saturday (Mar. 14 in Lethbridge and Mar. 15 in the Hat).

Thanks,
Pat