VICTORY SALUTE
Flodell earns shutout; Game 2 tonight at Enmax
The Lethbridge Hurricanes salute the cheering fans after a 6-0 win over the Red Deer Rebels in Game 1 of their bestof-seven Western Hockey League opening-round playoff series Friday night at the Enmax Centre. Game 2 is set for tonight at 7 p.m. at the Enmax.
Logan Flodell posted a couple of career firsts and the Lethbridge Hurricanes have a 1-0 series lead as a result. The Hurricanes downed the Red Deer Rebels 6-0 in Game 1 of the teams’ best-ofseven opening-round Western Hockey League playoff series Friday night at the Enmax Centre.
The Canes broke a scoreless tie after the first period with two goals in the second and added four in the third en route to the win that hands them an early series lead.
Meanwhile back in the Lethbridge crease, Flodell turned aside all 30 shots he faced for his first career playoff win and shutout to boot.
“I was nervous, of course, at the start,” said the 20-year-old goaltender. “But it’s just another game. You could play seven games, but it’s just one game, day-by-day. You have to get lots of rest tonight. But it was lots of fun out there. We got a good crowd and it made it fun to play in front of them.”
Rebels out shot the Hurricanes 10-5 in the first, but the hosts got rolling 3:01 into the second on the power play when Taylor Ross got his stick on a shot off the right wing for a 1-0 lead and carried a 2-0 lead into the second intermission when defenceman Tate Olson scored on a scramble in the crease a little over five minutes after Ross’ goal.
Brad Morrison, Jordy Bellerive, Logan Barlage and Jake Elmer put the game out of reach four third-period goals, Bellerive’s and Barlage’s coming on the power play
“We struggled a little bit to get going in the first, they kind of held the momentum,” said Elmer, who added two assists for a three-point night. “But at the end of the day we battled hard. We played a simple game. We got pucks in and it ended up taking a toll on them. It’s a hard series, it’s a long series and I think we set the tone really well, really early.”
After the slow start, Hurricanes head coach Brent Kisio noted his team settled in as the game progressed.
“I don’t think we had the start we wanted. Red Deer came at us hard and we knew they would. I think nerves kicked in and guys weren’t making plays they can make. I thought we got better and better as the game went along. We had a better second period and I thought we had a really strong third period.”
The Canes were 3-for-3 on the power play while the Rebels were 0-for-7.
“It was pretty evident, special teams, our penalty killing wasn’t very good and our power play wasn’t very good,” said Rebels head coach Brent Sutter. “I thought we had a really good first period, but I thought they got good momentum off that first goal on the power play. It’s not a great goal on our goalie and that’s it in a nutshell. It kind of snowballed after that.”
The Rebels had some chances to cut into the Canes lead.
Kristian Reichel fired high on a chance off a rebound on the power play in the second period and in the third, Flodell turned away leading scorer Mason McCarty on a breakaway.
“Logan was dynamite,” said Elmer. “He was a brick wall for us. He was ready to go before the game. He told us he was going to be ready. We trusted him and he pulled through for us.”
With Game 2 tonight at 7 p.m. at the Enmax Centre, Sutter said it’s simply a case of bearing down on those chances.
“At this time of year close doesn’t cut it. When you get open nets you have to score on them. You’re not going to win series if you don’t score goals and you won’t get better opportunities than having open nets and breakaways to capitalize on those opportunities. It’s your best players that were getting them and they didn’t capitalize on them. It’s not a 6-0 hockey game, but it is what it is. Whether you lose by one or lose by six, you lose a game and you’re down a game in a series. You get to regroup and get right back at it.”
Kisio is aware a win in Game 2 tonight won’t come easy.
“We know it’s going to be harder tomorrow,” he said. “Red Deer is going to come out and play hard. They played hard tonight, but they’ll be a bit extra in gear tomorrow and we have to have extra, too.”
Canes forward Jadon Joseph had three assists Friday, while Barlage, Morrison, Bellerive, Ross and Olson added one assist each for two points.
Announced attendance for Friday’s game was 3,204.
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