Canes win division showdown
HURRICANES UPEND ICE, HOST TRI-CITY TONIGHT
Afour-goal third period helped the Lethbridge Hurricanes solidify their hold on second place in the Western Hockey League’s Central Division.
In a battle with the team right behind them in the Central, the Hurricanes downed the Kootenay Ice 5-2 Monday afternoon in Cranbrook.
With the Ice leading 2-1 early in the third period, the Canes rattled off four unanswered goals on their way to the win following an 0-2 Saskatchewan trip and improves Lethbridge to 26-23-6-0.
It also moves the Hurricanes seven points up on the 24-30-3-0 Ice and five points behind the Central Division-leading Medicine Hat Tigers (28-23-7-0).
After a scoreless first half of the game, the Hurricanes broke the goose egg late in the second when defenceman Koletrane Wilson scored his third of the season with 3:41 left in the period.
The Ice tied it up before the second period was over when former Hurricane Alec Baer scored on the power play and took a 2-1 lead 1:27 into the third on another power-play goal, this one from Colton Veloso,
But, it was all Lethbridge the rest of the way as the Canes struck for four goals in the final 12:28.
Brad Morrison got it started with his 19th and 20th goals of the season for a 3-2 lead.
Jake Elmer added an insurance goal with 4:19 to go and captain Jordy Bellerive scored his 38th of the season — into an empty net — to round out the third-period outburst.
Bellerive added two assists for a threepoint afternoon and Morrison chipped in with one helper for three points.
Calen Addison and Jadon Joseph each had two assists in Monday’s win.
Logan Flodell stopped 26 of 28 shots to post the win and improve his record to 8-41 since arriving in Lethbridge at the trade deadline last month.
The Hurricanes are back home tonight when they host the 27-19-7-1 Tri-City Americans at 7 p.m. at the Enmax Centre.
The Americans are tied with the Seattle Thunderbirds for the first wild card in the Western Conference and are on a fourgame winless skid.