GAME DAY: Hurricanes Host Blazers at 7pm
Lethbridge, AB – The Lethbridge Hurricanes kick off a five game home stand tonight at the ENMAX Centre as they welcome the Kamloops Blazers on “Ugly Blazer Night”.
The Hurricanes are coming off a 5-2 victory on Wednesday night in Swift Current over the Broncos. It was the 22nd time this season that the Hurricanes had scored five or more goals in a game as five different goal scorers lit the lamp.
The Hurricanes enter play tonight on a five game winning streak and sit first place in the Western Hockey League with a 31-12-0-0 record. The ‘Canes have the best home ice record in the league with a 17-3-0-0 record at the ENMAX Centre.
The Blazers are on a nice run as of late. Despite coming off a 6-5 shootout loss in Medicine Hat to the Tigers on Wednesday, Kamloops has not lost a game in regulation in their last seven games. In that span, the Blazers have posted a record of 4-0-1-2.
Tonight will be the only visit of the season that Kamloops will make in Lethbridge. The Blazers and ‘Canes have met once this season, that was a 7-3 win for the Blazers in Kamloops on October 30th – that snapped the Hurricanes season-long eight game winning streak.
Tickets are still available by calling (403) 329-SEAT.
2015-2016 REGULAR SEASON STATS LEADERS:
Goals (26) – Tyler Wong Assists (50) – Brayden Burke
Points (64) – Brayden Burke
PIMS (74) – Andrew Nielsen Plus/Minus (+29) – Brayden Burke
Wins (16) – Stuart Skinner Shutouts (1) – Jayden Sittler & Stuart Skinner
Save % (.916) – Stuart Skinner Goals Against Average (2.73) – Jayden Sittler
WHO’S HOT:
– Giorgio Estephan has points in 9 straight games (10g-6a); 13 of 14 games (14g-9a)
– Brayden Burke has points 8 straight games (5g-9a); 13 of 15 games (8g-17a); 16 of 20 games (9g-24a)
– Justin Gutierrez has points 6 straight games (4g-3a); 14 of 15 games (10g-13a); 21 of 23 games (18g-17a)
– Tyler Wong has points in 5 straight games (2g-6a); 10 of 13 games (6g-12a); 13 of 19 games (10g-14a)
– Arvin Atwal has points in 5 straight games (1g-7a); 6 of 7 games (2g-7a); 10 of 12 games (2g-11a)
– Egor Babenko has points 3 straight games (3g-1a); 7 of 9 games (4g-4a); 17 of 21 games (11g-21a)
– Andrew Nielsen has points in 2 straight games (1g-2a); 10 of 11 games (3g-13a); 13 of 15 games (3g-17a)
– Cory Millette has points in 2 straight games (1g-2a)
– Jordy Bellerive has points in 6 of 9 games (2g-7a)
LEAGUE LEADERS:
– Tyler Wong is tied 2nd in WHL Goals with 26 & is tied for 10th in WHL scoring with 51 points
– Tyler Wong tied for 4th in WHL Power Play Goals with 8 & 2nd in First Goals with 5
– Brayden Burke is 1st in WHL assists with 50 & is 1st in WHL Power Play Assists with 22
– Brayden Burke is 3rd in WHL Scoring with 64 points
– Giorgio Estephan is tied for 5th in WHL Power Play Assists with 14 & tied for 10th in WHL Assists with 30
– Giorgio Estephan is tied for 5th in WHL Goals with 23 & tied for 9th in WHL Scoring with 53 points
– Ryley Lindgren is 1st in WHL Game Winning Goals with 7 & tied for 3rd in WHL Power Play Goals with 9
– Ryley Lindgren is tied for 9th in WHL Goals with 19
– Justin Gutierrez is tied for 6th in WHL Goals with 22 & is tied for 13th in WHL Scoring with 49 points
– Egor Babenko is tied for 6th in WHL Goals with 22 & is tied for 11th in WHL assist with 29
– Egor Babenko is tied for 1st in WHL Rookie Goals with 22 & is 1st in WHL Rookie Points with 51
– Egor Babenko is tied for 6th in WHL Power Play Goals with 6 & tied for 3rd in WHL First Goals with 4
– Egor Babenko is tied for 10th in WHL scoring with 51 points
– Andrew Nielsen is tied for 4th in WHL Assists with 37 & is 1st in WHL Defenseman Scoring with 47 points
– Jayden Sittler is ranked 6th in WHL with a 2.73 GAA & 12th in WHL with a .909 SV%
– Stuart Skinner is ranked 12th in WHL with a 2.91 GAA & 6th in WHL with a .916 SV%
MILESTONE WATCH:
– Brayden Burke is 2 points from 100 career points – Kord Pankewicz is 10 games from 200 career game
– Arvin Atwal is 3 games from 200 career games – Colton Kroeker is 9 games from 100 career games
NEWS & NOTES:
Top 10, Again: The Hurricanes again have cracked the CHL’s BMO Top 10 rankings for the fifth straight week as they were listed at #7 for Week 16. The ‘Canes were also listed in Weeks 8, 12, 13, 14, and 15 and were named an Honourable Mention in the Week 6 edition of the Top 10.
Deadline Deals: Much like the entire WHL, the Hurricanes were relatively quiet during the 2016 WHL Trade Deadline. The ‘Canes made two minor trades sending defenseman Scott Allan to Calgary for a seventh round pick in 2017. The bigger of the two trades was the acquisition of 1997-born forward Colton Kroeker from the Regina Pats in exchange for a third round selection in 2016.
30 Mark: For the first time since 2008-2009, the Hurricanes have cracked the 30 win plateau after earning their 30th victory on last Saturday against the Kootenay Ice. The Hurricanes are on pace for 52 victories this season; only once have they cracked 50 that was in 1989-1990 when they won 51.
2015 Success: In 73 games during the calendar year of 2015, the Hurricanes have posted an overall record of 37-33-2-1 accumulating a total of 77 points. The ‘Canes were 20-14-1-1 on home ice and 15-19-1-0 away from home during 2015. The Hurricanes are 30-12-0-0 in the 2015-2016 season.
Home Cookin’: The Hurricanes kick off a five game home stand tonight against the Blazers. The ‘Canes are in a span of 8 of 10 on home ice. The Hurricanes are 17-3-0-0 on home ice this season, the most home ice victories in the entire WHL.
BBG Line: The trio of Brayden Burke, Justin Gutierrez and Egor Babenko were place on a line together on November 26th. Since then, the three have combined 93 points (36g-57a) in that span helping the ‘Canes to a 17-3-0-0 record. Gutierrez has (17g-14a), Babenko (10g-19a) and Burke (9g-24a) since.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Andrew Nielsen, who was drafted in the third round (65th overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs, signed his first NHL contract in November inking an entry-level deal with Toronto. In 43 games this year, the Red Deer product has collected 47 points (10g-37a). He is first in WHL scoring by a d-man.
Impactful Import: Selected fifth overall in the 2015 CHL Import Draft, Egor Babenko has scored 51 points (22g-29a) in 43 games. He was ranked as a ‘C’ skater in the ‘Player to Watch List’ for the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by NHL Central Scouting. Babenko is on pace to score 37 goals and 85 points. The last ‘Cane import to score 30+ goals was Tomas Kopecky who had (34g-42a) in 2001-2002.
Special Power Play: The Hurricanes power play has been on fire in their last 24 games. The ‘Canes PP is 30/88 in that span, a conversion rate of 34.1%. The ‘Canes PP is ranked first in the WHL with an overall.
