Hurricanes hold off Tigers
Canes split home-andhome series
With a little bit of late goalswapping, the Lethbridge Hurricanes secured a homeand-home split with the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The Hurricanes edged the Tigers 5-4 in Western Hockey League action Friday night at the Enmax Centre.
Hurricanes forward Zane Franklin helped set up the game-tying goal and then struck for his 11th goal of the season with 7:11 left in the third for what stood up as the gamewinner as the Canes avenged a 4-2 loss to the Tigers Wednesday night in Medicine to improve to 16-17-2-0.
On a cold and snowy night outside, the offence started slow as the Hurricanes nursed a 1-0 lead after the first period before things heated up in the final 40 minutes as both teams started finding the back of the net.
Getting his second consecutive start with starting goaltender Stuart Skinner out sick, Reece Klassen made 37 saves for his third win of the season that improves him to 3-40-0.
The teams exchanged power plays in the first half of the first, but neither could cash in.
But the Hurricanes struck first even strength with 5:25 left in the first as Igor Merezhko’s shot from the top of the circle found its way through traffic and past Tigers goaltender Jordan Hollett, for a 1-0 lead, the Canes defenceman’s third of the season.
The Hurricanes kept up the pressure with a little over a minute to go in the first as the line of Egor Zudilov, Tanner Nagel and Jadon Joseph buzzed the Tigers crease, but were unable to put the hosts up 2-0.
The Canes added to their lead 1:21 into the second on the power play when Dylan Cozens connected on a one-timer from Jordy Bellerive.
The Tigers cut the lead in half 4:33 into the second as former Hurricane Jaeger White sent a close-in wrist shot past Klassen to make it 2-1, but the Hurricanes went back up by two minutes later.
Canes captain Giorgio Estephan was the recipient of a rebound to the left of the Tigers goal and fired home his 16th of the season from a sharp angle to make it 3-1 6:23 into the second.
The goal was briefly video reviewed to see if the net had come off, but was ruled a goal.
The goals kept coming and the Tigers pulled within one when David Quenneville sent a point shot past Klassen to make it 3-2 with 9:15 left in the second.
The Tigers went to the power play early in the third period and pulled even when Ryan Chyzowski hammered a one-time feed home to make it 3-3 at 4:56.
But a pair of goals midway through the third put the Hurricanes up for good.
Shortly after getting out of the penalty box, Bellerive buried his team-leading 19th goal of the season to put Lethbridge up 43 9:37 into the third.
Franklin made it 5-3 a little over three minutes later, but the Tigers made it interesting in the dying minutes when Mark Rassell netted his 29th of the season with 4:15 remaining to cut the Canes lead to one.
But with Hollett on the bench for the extra attacker, the Hurricanes were able to hold off the visitors and secure the split.
Bellerive added an assist for a two-point night, while defenceman Calen Addison had two assists.
Quenneville had two helpers for a three-point outing, Rassell had an assist for two points and James Hamblin had two helpers for Medicine Hat.
The Tigers outshot the Hurricanes 41-34. The Hurricanes power play was 1-for-2, while the Tigers were 1-for-4 with the man advantage.
The Hurricanes round out their 2017 calendar year tonight in Calgary against the Hitmen.
They’re back home in the New Year when they host the Kootenay Ice Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Enmax Centre.