Hurricanes hold off Blades

Fans showing up late to the Lethbridge Hurricanes games against the Saskatoon Blades Friday night at the Enmax Centre may have thought something was wrong with the scoreboard at the Enmax Centre.

As it turned out, the clock was functioning fine, it was just the scorekeepers that were getting a workout as the Canes shot the lights out early before edging the Blades 5-4 during Western Hockey League action.

Hurricanes defenceman Matthew Stanley scored his first two WHL career goals as Lethbridge raced to a 4-0 lead in the opening 5:02 of the game that ended Blades goaltender Tyler Brown’s night early on their way to the win that improves them to 2724-6-0.

The Blades cut the Hurricanes lead to 4-2 after the first and added another early in the third to make it 4-3, but Stanley’s second of the game 5:37 into the third period stood up as the winner.

Canes captain Jordy Bellerive got the quick start going with his 39th of the season 18 seconds in. It was 2-0 1:01 later as Dylan Cozens netted his 17th.

The hosts kept coming and Stanley buried his first career goal for a 3-0 lead and Calen Addison made it 4-0 15 seconds later.

The Blades pushed back in the latter stages of the first and cut the lead in half as Logan Christensen scored at 11:19 and Evan Fiala made it 4-2 heading into the first intermission.

After a scoreless second period, Saskatoon made it a one-goal game on a goal from Eric Florchuk before Stanley potted the game-winner a little under four minutes later.

The Blades added one more with six seconds left on a goal from Braylon Schmyr.

Stanley added an assist for a threepoint night and Bellerive and Cozens each had an assist for two points.

Taylor Ross chipped in with two assists.

Hurricanes goaltender Logan Flodell made 35 saves in the win.

Lethbridge is back at the Enmax Centre tonight at 7 as the Kootenay Ice come to town.

The Hurricanes head to Cranbrook Sunday for a rematch with the Ice.