Canes welcome back gold medallists with overtime win
The Lethbridge Hurricanes welcomed back World Junior Hockey Champion gold medallists Dylan Cozens and Calen Addison Friday night at the Enmax Centre.
The Canes then went and played a game that was about as adrenalineinducing as Team Canada’s goldmedal win over Russia earlier this month via a 4-3 overtime win over the Red Deer Rebels in Western Hockey League play.
In a game that probably had some of the 4,916 wondering if it was midApril instead of mid-January due to the intense Game 7-style playoff atmosphere, Hurricanes defenceman Alex Cotton scored 1:52 into the overtime session as the hosts pilfered the second point from a fiesty Rebels team.
The win moves the Hurricanes to 26-10-2-5 and one point past the Medicine Hat Tigers (28-12-2-2) for second place in the Central Division.
Those two teams will clash in Medicine Hat tonight.
Cameron Hausinger gave the Rebels a 1-0 lead 12:22 into the first, but former Rebel Brett Davis pulled Lethbridge even with 3:17 left in the period.
Jayden Grubbe scored on the power play to put Red Deer back up 2-1 6:44 into the second, but unanswered goals from Addison and newly-crowned co-captain Ty Prefontaine handed Lethbridge a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes.
While still cold outside the mercury rose inside Enmax Centre as Canes Noah Boyko and Rebels’ Chris Douglas squared off late in the first period, followed by second period scraps between Joe Arntsen and Dallon Melin and Trevor Thurston and Hausinger.
The gloves stayed on in the third, but former Hurricanes Josh Tarzwell tied it up 6:23 into the third on his 20th of the season.
The Hurricanes had to kill a late penalty when Cozens was called for a checking from behind on Hausinger as the teams headed to the three-on-three extra sessions.
After Rebels goaltender and Claresholm product Byron Fancy turned aside Cozens and Logan Barlage on glorious OT chances and Canes goalie Bryan Thomson turned aside Arshdeep Bains at the other end, Cotton skated in off the left wing and buried his 13th of the season for the game-winner.
Cozens, Danila Palivko and Oliver Okuliar each had two assists and Davis added one helper for a two-point night.
Hausinger had one goal and two assists to lead to the Rebels.
The Rebels power play was 1for-3, while the Hurricanes were