CANES open season
Joseph scores twice to lead the Hurricanes
Hurricanes hosted the Medicine Hat Tigers in their seasonopener last night at the Enmax Centre —
Round one of the annual seasonopening Highway 3 home-and-home series has gone to the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
The Canes downed the Medicine Hat Tigers 5-2 in Western Hockey League action Friday at the Enmax Centre.
Canes’ second-year forward Jadon Joseph scored twice and missed on a penalty shot in the third period, Giorgio Estephan scored the Canes first goal of the season shortly after being named the 25th captain in the team’s history and the Hurricanes got two late power-play goals in the second for their first lead of the game they didn’t relinquish en route to the win.
The rematch goes tonight in Medicine Hat.
Joseph struck for what stood up as the game-winner with four seconds left in the second and the Canes on the man advantage.
He was denied by Tigers goaltender Michael Bullion on a penalty shot late in the third, but drained his second of the night into an empty net with 2:32 to go to salt the homeopening win in front of an announced crowd of 5,244.
“It was exciting just to be on the power play,” said Joseph, who added an assist.
“When we all got on we don’t have much time so we just said to each other ‘Get to the puck and get it to the points, get it to your spot, get it to the net and just bang it in.’”
The Tigers were first on the board when Mark Rassell scored on a wraparound, but Lethbridge tied it up at 1-1 with 2:55 left in the first as Estephan netted his first goal as captain.
Medicine Hat went up 2-1 early in the second on a goal from Gary Haden, but two power plays put the Hurricanes ahead for good.
Dylan Cozens netted the first power-play goal that tied it at 2-2 with 5:12 left in the second before Joseph went to the net and roofed a rebound off a point shot over Bullion for a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes.
“It was big,” said Joseph. “It really boosted our team. We were down, we were tied and then we got the lead, so it kind of boosted our team, especially with three seconds left (in the second).
“That got the guys going and we took it into the third period.”
Zane Frankin added an insurance goal for the Hurricanes with 6:48 to go before Joseph added his empty-netter.
“I think there were some really positive signs,” said Tigers head coach Shaun Clouston. “We had zero out of our top-six forwards and one defenceman from last season and a couple who had played, (but) were in-and-out guys.
“There were some good signs and good play by some of our new players. Both teams have some guys coming back and we need our guys, for sure.”
Clouston noted some scrambly play leading up to the Hurricanes late power-play goals in the second.
“We got hemmed in a little bit, we extended some shifts that got a little sloppy and it led to a power play against. We were playing a pretty solid, tight and smart game and we got a little bit away from it for a stretch. Lethbridge is a good hockey team.”
The Canes went 2-for-5 on the man advantage and killed all three penalties they were assessed, while the shot clock favoured Lethbridge 42-39.
Fresh off his stint at the Edmonton Oilers main camp, Hurricanes goaltender Stuart Skinner earned the win.
“I thought we had a slow start,” said Hurricanes head coach Brent Kisio.
“I don’t know if we were a little bit nervous, but it was a slow start and I thought we got better as the game went (on). With our power play, we’re still figuring some things out and struggling a little bit. But we got some big goals and it got us going. After that I thought looked we good.
“I thought a lot of our young guys were skating well. I thought Cozens skated well and I was really happy to see Joseph get rewarded with a couple of goals and the penalty shot. It was really nice to see some of those younger guys come in and do a great job for us.”
Hurricanes assistant captain Ryan Vandervlis — who will don the assistant’s A this year with Jordy Bellerive and Tanner Nagel — was injured in the first and didn’t return.
He was being assessed by a doctor following the game.