Firing on all cylinders
The Swift Current K Motel Hurricanes have now won nine straight games in the South Saskatchewan Midget AA Hockey League.
Friday, the Hurricanes advanced to the second round of the provincial playoffs with a 52 win over the visiting Regina Wild. The two teams had tied game one 1-1 last week in Regina in the opener of the two-game, total goals series. Austin Larochelle, Dominic Vallee, Jordan Wittman, Connor Kennedy, and Colton Adam all scored, while Logan Tisdale earned the win in goal with 26 saves. Wittman and Larochelle both added two assists for three-point outings and Kain Stevenson also had two assists. Shayn Bissonnette and Parker Wall added single assists.
“Yeah, it felt real good. The boys played very well. The sec- ond game we opened it up in the third period and finished them off. We are just waiting to schedule the next round and we will see how that goes,” said head coach Greg Hurrell.
Saturday, the Hurricanes got back into league play with a 6-4 win over the visiting Regina Flames. Kennedy scored twice and Adam, Vallee, and Josh Dickie added singles. Blade Roh picked up the win in goal.
Sunday, the Hurricanes downed the visiting Prairie Storm 6-3 in their third game in as many nights. Tisdale picked up the win with 31 saves on 34 shots.
Wittman led the Hurricanes with two goals and an assist, while Tristen Carey and Adam both had a goal and an assist. Tanner Fritzke and Stevenson both had two assists in the win. Wade Auger and Braden Wittmier also scored and Dickie and Larochelle added assists.
“I thought we played good,” said Kennedy after Sunday’s win. “We played down to their level at times. But we got back at it, played good, and got the win, so that’s all that matters.”
The Hurricanes stretched their lead to 5-1 during the second period when the Storm took a fiveminute checking from behind major.
“Yeah, they took lots of penalties and we had lots of chances on the power play and we capitalized on a few chances,” said Kennedy.
“We came out pretty good, scored a couple of goals, and then we kind of laid back a little bit. The guys are a little bit tired after three games in three nights,” explained Hurrell. “They knew that the Prairie Storm are in the lower half of the division, so it was a battle just to get through. But we got through it and that makes nine or 10 in a row for us so I am pretty happy.”
A five-game winless streak in November is now a distant memory for the Hurricanes.
“That was in the early part of the season and we were still getting our lines set and stuff. But now the boys are buying into our systems and we are clicking on all eight cylinders. We are on a roll and hopefully we can keep it going,” said Hurrell.
“It is just hard work I guess. We have been battling hard, winning games, and just doing what it takes to win games,” added Kennedy. “We have depth, lots of depth. 1-11 forwards, everyone can play at this level. We have probably one of the deepest teams in this league and if we work hard we can beat any team on any given night,” said Kennedy.
The Hurricanes will now face the Notre Dame Hounds in the second round of the provincial playoffs after the Hounds upset the Moose Jaw Warriors. “Obviously the goal is to go as far as we can and play hard, just do what we can to win every game. We just want to go to Notre Dame and hopefully beat them,” said Kennedy.
The Hurricanes sat atop the league standings with a 19-5-3 record. They will be on the road this weekend against the Regina Capitals and the Regina Flames.