The Lethbridge Hurricanes had some success over the weekend with a win over the Prince Albert Raiders, after losing to them twice earlier in the season.
The Hurricanes scored three goals during the first period of Saturday night’s game, helping them beat the Raiders 4-1.
A goal early on in the game by rookie Sam Mckechnie got the Hurricanes off to a good start and Mckechnie followed it up with another goal three minutes after – his 11th goal of the season.
Later in the period Jamal Watson made a pass to Jay Merkley who hit the puck out of the air from his knees and into the net. Raiders’ goalie Cole Holowekno was pulled at this point, having let in three goals on eight shots.
Early in the second period, Hurricane Russ Maxwell scored the fourth goal of the game on a power play. At 16 minutes, Raider Anthony Bardado managed to get a goal past goalie Liam Liston, bringing the score to 4-1.
The third period ended scoreless and the Hurricanes finally broke their home-losing-streak, beating the Raiders 4-1, largely thanks to Liston’s goaltending, as he stopped 31 of 32 shots from the Raiders. The Hurricanes outshot the Raiders 41-32.
The Hurricanes also had a strong start during Friday night’s game against the Saskatoon Blades, but were inconsistent throughout the night, losing 6-3.
On a power play two minutes into the first period, Hurricanes captain Brody Sutter scored the first goal of the game, followed shortly after by a goal from Hurricane Tyler Kizuik. The Raiders soon got into the game with a goal of their own and the period ended 2-1 for the Hurricanes.
In the second period, the Blades tied the score with a goal from Jesse Paradis. Then on a power play, Saskatoon player Michael Burns took the Blades into the lead, making the score 3-2. With less than a second on the clock, the Blades ended the second period with a goal from Lukas Sutter.
Early in the third period, the Blades increased their lead with Matej Stransky’s 30th goal of the season. The Hurricanes fought back with a goal from Craig Leverton but couldn’t catch up to the Blades. Saskatoon added another goal and the game ended 6-3.
The next Hurricanes home game is tonight at 7 p.m. against the Brandon Wheat Kings.