GAME DAY: Hurricanes Host Blades Looking For Win
Lethbridge, AB – The Lethbridge Hurricanes look to get back in the win column tonight as they welcome the Saskatoon Blades at the ENMAX Centre at 7:00pm.
The Hurricanes are coming off a 4-2 loss to the Prince George Cougars last night that saw the end of their seven game home winning streak. The ‘Canes had a plethora of scoring chances in the game but couldn’t solve Nick McBride in the Prince George net. Brett Davis scored his first WHL goal in the loss while Justin Gutierrez added the other.
The Blades are coming off a 6-1 loss last night in Red Deer to the Rebels. The Blades enter tonight’s game with a 5-5-0-0 record in their last ten games and currently hold down the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Hurricanes won all four games last year against the Blades sweeping the season series.
“Canes Crush Cancer” month continues with the team raising awareness about Skin Cancer. Special edition t-shirts are available on the concourse for $20.00 with the proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society.
2015-2016 REGULAR SEASON STATS LEADERS:
Goals (16) – Tyler Wong Assists (26) – Brayden Burke
Points (31) – Brayden Burke
PIMS (42) – Andrew Nielsen Plus/Minus (+7) – Andrew Nielsen & 2 others
Wins (7) – Jayden Sittler Shutouts (1) – Jayden Sittler
Save % (.921) – Jayden Sittler Goals Against Average (2.41) – Jayden Sittler
WHO’S HOT:
– Andrew Nielsen has points in 3 straight games (3a); 6 of 7 games (1g-6a); in 11 of 13 games (3g-11a)
– Kord Pankewicz has points in 3 straight games (3a)
– Arvin Atwal has points in 3 straight games (1g-2a)
– Justin Gutierrez has points in 2 straight games (1g-2a); 3 of 4 games (1g-3a)
– Egor Babenko has points in 3 of 4 games (3g-1a); 6 of 8 games (4g-4a)
– Cory Millette has points in 2 of 3 games (2g-1a); 7 of 9 games (7g-3a); in 8 of 11 games (8g-3a)
– Ryley Lindgren has points in 2 of 3 games (2a); 5 of 7 games (2g-4a); 9 of 12 games (6g-6a)
– Giorgio Estephan has points in 9 of 12 games (5g-6a); in 14 of 18 games (6g-15a)
LEAGUE LEADERS:
– Tyler Wong is tied for 3rd in WHL with 16 goals
– Tyler Wong tied for 3rd in WHL Power Play Goals with 5
– Brayden Burke is 2nd in WHL assists with 26 & WHL Power Play Assists with 13
– Brayden Burke is tied for 6th in WHL Scoring with 31 points
– Giorgio Estephan is tied for 7th in WHL assists with 17
– Giorgio Estephan is tied for 5th in WHL Power Play Assists with 8
– Ryley Lindgren is tied for 8th in WHL Goals with 11
– Ryley Lindgren is tied for 3rd in WHL Power Play Goals with 5
– Ryley Lindgren is 2nd in the WHL Game Winning Goals with 4
– Egor Babenko is tied for 8th in WHL Goals with 11 & is tied for 2nd in WHL Rookie Goals with 11
– Egor Babenko is 4th in WHL Rookie Scoring with 19 points
– Andrew Nielsen is 2nd in WHL Defenseman Scoring with 24 points
– Andrew Nielsen is tied for 3rd in WHL Defenseman Goals with 7
– Andrew Nielsen is tied for 4th in WHL Power Play Goals with 4
– Jayden Sittler is ranked 7th in WHL with a 2.41 goals against average
– Jayden Sittler is ranked 7th in WHL with .921 save percentage
MILESTONE WATCH:
– Tyler Wong is 2 games away from 200 career games
– Tyler Wong is 24 points away from 150 career points
– Ryley Lindgren is 6 games away from 150 career games
NEWS & NOTES:
Minor Trade: Following their game on Wednesday night, the Hurricanes swung a minor trade with the Moose Jaw Warriors. The Hurricanes acquired a 7th round draft pick in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft in exchange for 18-year-old defenseman Brandon Kennedy.
Home Ice Advantage: The Hurricanes are currently tied for second most home wins in the WHL entering play tonight with a record of 8-2-0-0. The ‘Canes have won seven of their last eight home games and have outscored the opposition 43-26 (4.30 to 2.60) at the ENMAX Centre.
PK Boiling: Over their last 14 games, the Hurricanes have been lights out on the penalty kill. The Hurricanes in their last 14 outings have allowed just six power play goals against killing off an impressive 45/51, a kill percentage of 88.2%. The ‘Canes have only allowed two power play goals against in their last seven games and have killed of 15 consecutive penalties taken heading into tonight.
Russian Delight: First year rookie import Egor Babenko is having a strong start to his WHL career. In his first 22 games, the product of Tyumen, Russia as scored 19 points (11g-8a) and is on pace to record 65 points (37g-28a) in a 72 game season. The last Hurricane import to 30+ goals was Tomas Kopecky in 2001-2002 when he racked up 76 points (34g-42a) in 60 games.
Offense from the Defense: Second year rearguard Andrew Nielsen is off to a torrent start. The third round pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in June has recorded 24 points (7g-17a) in his first 22 games. The Red Deer, AB product is on pace to score 79 points. Nielsen is only behind Victoria’s Joe Hicketts for tops in WHL scoring among defenseman
Brayden “Assist-Man” Burke: Second year forward Brayden Burke is off to a great start. The undrafted Edmonton product has racked up a team-high 31 points (5g-26a) in 21 games. He is first in the WHL in assists with 26 and first in power play assists with 14. He has also racked up 11 multi-point games this year.
Best Start in 19 Years: The Hurricanes started the season 10-2-0-0 through their first dozen games, which was the best start to a season after 12 games the Hurricanes have had since 1996-97. In that 12 game span, the Hurricanes also reeled together an eight game winning streak, their longest since November 2007.
Gold Medal Showing: Hurricanes first year forward Brett Davis was one of three ‘Canes to represent Canada at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, BC; Jordy Bellerive and Nick Watson were the others. Watson and Bellerive finished fourth on Canada Red while Davis took home Gold with Canada White.
