Hurricanes Defeat Tigers 7-3 in Pre-Season Opener
Lethbridge, AB – The Lethbridge Hurricanes opened the 2022 ENMAX Pre-Season on Friday with a 7-3 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers at the ENMAX Centre.
The Hurricanes dressed three of their four 2007-born players in the opener as Will Sharpe, Kash Andresen and Koen Cleaver all dressed in the contest. Lethbridge jumped out to an early lead just 6:31 into the game when Logan McCutcheon snapped home his first of the exhibition season to make it 1-0. The ‘Canes doubled their lead when Tristan Zandee redirected a Chase Pauls point shot to make it 2-0. However, just 45-second later, the Tigers answered back as overage forward Dallon Melin scored his first of two in the game to make it 2-1. Lethbridge outshot Medicine Hat 14-11 in the first period and led by one after twenty minutes.
Medicine Hat evened the game with a five-on-three power play goal just 2:01 into the middle frame as Oskari Kuntonen scored on a rebound after Cleaver made a tremendous stick save on Hayden Harsanyi. The Hurricanes pulled back ahead midway through the period when Sharpe pinched and finished on a centering pass by Zandee to make it 3-2 Lethbridge. After the Sharpe goal, Harrison Meneghin replaced Cleaver in net for the second-half of the game – Cleaver stopped 15 of 17 Medicine Hat shots he faced while Meneghin turned aside all by one of the 22 shots he saw in the game. Before the end of the second period, the ‘Canes restored their two-goal lead when Pauls buried a slapshot off of a faceoff win to make it 4-2 Hurricanes after two periods.
Early in the third period, the Tigers pulled back to within a goal when Melin slammed home his own rebound for his second of the pre-season to make it a 4-3 score just 4:53 into the period. But, once again, the ‘Canes pulled back ahead as Zandee snapped home his second of the game on a three-on-one at the 10:24 mark to make it 5-3. Before the game was out, Logan Wormald – who was stopped on an opening minutes breakaway at the start of the game – scored not once, but twice just 1:53 apart to help give the Hurricanes a 7-3 victory.
The Hurricanes were outshot 13-10 in the third period and 39-32 in the game. Lethbridge went 0/2 on the power play while Medicine Hat was 1/3 with the extra man.
Three stars of the game were:
1) ‘Canes – #24 Tristan Zandee (2 goals, 1 assist)
2) ‘Canes – #22 Hayden Smith (3 assists)
3) Tigers – #21 Dallon Melin (2 goals)
The victory for the Hurricanes improved their record to 1-0-0-0 to start the pre-season, as it was their ninth straight win (pre-season and regular season) against the Tigers. Lethbridge will visit the Medicine Hat tomorrow night at 7:00pm in the second of the back-to-back set against the Tigers.
The ‘Canes will return to the ENMAX Centre on Friday, September 16th when they host the Red Deer Rebels at 7:00pm. Tickets for the pre-season game can be purchased for $10.00 cash at the door or in advance at the Lethbridge Hurricanes Office, the Lethbridge Minor Hockey Office or any Gas King locations in Lethbridge. Parking will be free for the September 16th game.
