Midget Hurricanes douse the Flames

FRASER SCORES LATE GAME-WINNER TO EARN 1-1 HOME WEEKEND

Two games into the season, Griffin Fraser has earned his ice time.

On Sunday afternoon, the forward for the Lethbridge midget AAA Hurricanes made the most of it, helping the Canes to their first win of the Albera Midget Hockey League season with a 4-2 decision over the Calgary Flames at Nicholas Sheran Arena.

With the score knotted at 22 late in the third period after the Flames tied it up, Fraser charged to the net and made no mistake slamming a rebound home with 1:42 remaining to give the Hurricanes a 1-1 seasonopening weekend after a 2-1 loss to the Calgary Royals Saturday night.

“Our D-man Blake Kondor, kicked the puck down and (Zack) Stringer picked it up and got a good shot off,” said Fraser of his winner. “The rebound popped out and I just drove the net and put it in the back.”

Cole Larocque added an empty-netter for the Hurricanes with 18 seconds to go, while Tayler Miller scored in the first and Cale Lyons gave Lethbridge a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes with his goal in the second.

Fraser added an assist for a two-point outing, while Brayden Peters made 29 saves. Stringer added two assists. “Griffin has been really good since the start of tryouts,” said Hurricanes head coach Doug Paisley. “He’s been in the top grouping of forwards for us and really doesn’t take any shifts off. He works hard in practice and it shows. He’s playing on our first unit power play and the top line.”

Nursing a 2-1 lead into the final 10 minutes of the third, the Flames pulled even with 8:14 to go.

The Canes had a few closein chances that Flames goaltender Jared Whale turned aside before Fraser buried the winner.

“We were getting a little bit distracted,” said Paisley. “We were getting concerned about the uncontrollables and worrying about what the officials were doing. We just got back to focusing on what we needed to do. But I thought we out-chanced them today probably two-toone. Our shots were 52-28, so we definitely had our chances. We just left some pucks laying around and didn’t get into those hard areas and let the goalie see a lot of stuff. But in the third period late, the guys just found a way to get it done.”

Off their AMHL championship team last season the Hurricanes bring back three defencmen of the of the potential five that could return, said Paisley.

Up front they have Western Hockey League Lethbridge Hurricanes prospects Mike Horon and Zack Stringer as well as Dylan Nevil.

“So that experience in depth is so nice,” said Paisley. “It really sets the tone for the culture and the expectations with how

far they went and how well the group did last year. These guys know what it takes to win. You don't have to plant a bunch of seeds, They’re pretty on cue.”

The Canes are back at Nicholas Sheran Arena Saturday when they host the St. Albert Nektar Data Systems Raiders at 3 p.m.

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