Numbers o’plenty in Hurricanes win over the Blades

It was a stats night for the hosts and visitors alike as the Lethbridge Hurricanes clashed with the Saskatoon Blades Saturday night.

The Hurricanes took it to overtime before they edged Blades 5-4 during Western Hockey League action in Saskatoon.

The win caps off a perfect 5-0 road swing for the Hurricanes, who improve to 42-17-4-3 on the season.

The night also featured a three-assist performance from Hurricanes captain Tyler Wong, who hit the 100-point mark for the first time in his career, while Blades left winger Braylon Shmyr scored the first three Blades goals to up his total to 32 this season.

The win also puts the Canes within two points of the Medicine Hat Tigers — who lost 5-3 to the Moose Jaw Warriors Saturday night in Moose Jaw — for first place in the Central Division.

Shmyr struck for his first of three to open the scoring, but the Hurricanes took a quick 2-1 lead as Egor Babenko scored his second goal in as many nights and his 22nd of the season to tie it at 1-1.

it was 2-1 Lethbridge 1:20 later when Giorgio Estephan scored his 29th of the season and Wong drew an assist to give him 98 points on the year.

But Shmyr put the hosts back in front and completed his hat trick bid with his 31 and 32nd goals of the season for a 3-2 lead late in the middle stanza.

The Blades doubled their lead with 27 seconds left in the second on a goal from Kirby Dach for a 4-2 lead after two periods.

Lethbridge started their comeback in the third period with a pair of goals in the third and Wong — who now has 48 goals and 52 assists — drew helpers on both.

Zak Zborosky netted his 41st of the season and pulled the Hurricanes within one 1:47 into the third and Estephan hit the 30-goal mark with his second of the game midway throug the third to send it overtime.

It took the Canes 54 seconds to pot the winner as defenceman Brennan Menell scored his 12th of the season for the game-winner and Estephan drew the assist for a four-point night.

Hurricanes goaltender Stuart Skinner stopped 34 shots to record the win.

Lethbridge is back home Wednesday night when they host the Edmonton Oil Kings at 7 p.m. at the Enmax Centre.