Hurricanes End Losing Streak with Shutout Win Over Broncos
Lethbridge, AB – The Lethbridge Hurricanes ended a two-game homestand with a convincing 6-0 shutout victory over the Swift Current Broncos on Friday night at the VisitLethbridge.com Arena.
Lethbridge ended a two-game homestand as they entered on a six-game losing streak while Swift Current made their final visit to the VisitLethbridge.com Arena also on a six-game skid. The Hurricanes had a great start to the game as they jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Grady Pichette scored a beauty for his third goal of the season just 5:26 into the contest; Owen Berge and Will Scott picked up the assists on the goal which was Pichette’s second goal in the last five games. The ‘Canes doubled their lead just over four-minutes later when Kyle Heger wired home his ninth goal to make it 2-0 just 9:33 into the game; Hudson Kibblewhite and Lukas Lima earned the assists on the goal. Swift Current had a pair of power play opportunities in the first period but couldn’t solve Leif Oaten who turned aside all five Bronco shots in the opening frame; Lethbridge had nine shots on goal and led by two after twenty minutes of play.
Early in the second period, the Hurricanes added to their lead with a four-on-three power play goal at the 2:12 mark when Heger ripped a shot by a screened Aiden Eskit to give the ‘Canes a 3-0 lead; Kayden Longley was credited with the lone assist on the goal which was Heger’s first multi-goal game in the Western Hockey League. Swift Current was assessed a double-minor for high-sticking which put Lethbridge on a four-minute power play. On the man advantage, the Broncos had the best chances with a trio of odd-man breaks including a penalty shot by Trae Wilke and a glorious two-on-one save by Oaten on Trae Johnson to keep it a 2-0 Lethbridge lead. Lethbridge outshot Swift Current 11-9 in the middle period as they held a 3-0 advantage after two periods.
In the third period, the Hurricanes expanded their lead at the 7:16 mark when Owen Berge fired home a one-timer over the blocker of Eskit to make it 4-0; Pichette and Kade Duell picked up the assists on the play as Berge buried his team-leading 21st goal. The ‘Canes struck again just under three-minutes later when Kayden Longley stuffed home a wraparound for his 11th goal of the season intercepting a puck behind the Bronco net to make it 5-0. Lethbridge added a late goal on a beautiful three-way passing play off the rush before Kibblewhite snapped home his 14th goal with 5:36 remaining to make it a six-goal lead for the Hurricanes; Jake Evans and Will Scott were credited with the helpers on the goal. Lethbridge outshot Swift Current 8-7 in the final twenty minutes as they ended their six-game losing streak with a 6-0 victory.
The Hurricanes outshot the Broncos 28-21 in the contest. Lethbridge went 1/4 on the power play while Swift Current was 0/4 with the extra man.
Three stars of the game were:
1) ‘Canes – #11 Kyle Heger (2 goals)
2) ‘Canes – #31 Leif Oaten (21-save shutout)
3) ‘Canes – #5 Grady Pichette (1 goal, 1 assist)
The win for the Hurricanes ended a six-game losing streak as they ended a two-game homestand with a 1-1-0-0 record. Lethbridge’s home record improved to 4-3-0-0 in their last seven games while their home record lifted to 11-18-0-1 on the season. The ‘Canes overall record improved to 17-38-2-1 on the season while ending the season with a 2-2-0-0 record against Swift Current this year.
The Hurricanes will visit the Edmonton Oil Kings on Saturday at 7:00pm at Rogers Place in the first of a three-straight road games. Lethbridge will return to the VisitLethbridge.com Arena on Wednesday, March 11th when they welcome the Regina Pats at 7:00pm. Tickets for the game can be purchased by visiting the VisitLethbridge.com Arena Ticket Centre, by calling 403-329-SEAT (7328) or online at www.visitlethbridgearena.
