Doug Wyrostok

Four-goal third period leads Tigers over Hurricanes

For 40 minutes the Lethbridge Hurricanes played the perfect road game. For the final 20 minutes, not so much.

The Medicine Hat Tigers scored four times in the third period to defeat the Hurricanes 4-2 Wednesday night at the Canalta Centre, opening the post-Christmas portion of the season with
a win and stretching their Central Division lead over Lethbridge to eight points.

Lethbridge looked good for most of the game, stifling the Tigers’ chances and taking a 1-0 lead into the final frame, thanks to a power play marker by Jordy Bellerive 5:28 into the second
period. After Taylor Ross kept the play alive in the offensive zone, Bellerive took a feed from Calen Addison and beat netminder Jordan Hollett five hole for the marker.
Reece Klassen, filling in for an ill Stuart Skinner, was solid at the other end of the rink, making several key saves to keep the Hurricanes ahead on the scoreboard.

Penalties proved to be Lethbridge’s undoing in the third. Two power play goals by the Tigers shifted momentum and set them up for the win. The first came after Addison took a roughing penalty at 4:17, taking an unnecessary shot at a Tigers player after an innocent icing. It only took Medicine Hat 36 seconds to tie the game, with David Queeneville finishing off a neat tic-tac- toe passing play with Mark Rassell and Ryan Chyzowski.

Max Gerlach gave the Tigers their first lead of the game five minutes later, picking the top corner on Klassen. That lead would be short-lived as newly acquired Hurricane Lane Zablocki beat Hollett on a breakaway 22 seconds later to knot the game at two.

Jadon Joseph gave the Tigers another power play at 16:55, taking a silly elbowing penalty. The Tigers made no mistake with the man advantage, as James Hamblin took advantage of a
strange bounce into the slot for the game winning goal at 17:24. Lethbridge continued to press for the equalizer as time ran down, but were unable to bury one past Hollett. Queeneville iced the game for the home squad with a long distance empty net goal at 19:21.

Hollett stopped 27 of 29 shot for the win, while Klassen had the loss for Lethbridge, stopping 36 of 39 Tigers shots. Following the game, Hurricanes coach Brent Kisio was not pleased with his team’s third period, and the untimely penalties.

“I thought we played a solid game for 40 minutes,” said Kisio. “We looked good coming off the break, but we were very undisciplined in the third period. Our energy level was up to start, but
we didn’t play our game in that period.”

These same two teams will meet again Friday in the back half of a home and home series at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge.

Notes – Skinner didn’t dress for the game. Kisio said afterwards that he wasn’t feeling well.
The three stars – James Hamblin, David Queeneville and Reece Klassen.
Lethbridge forward Ryan Bowen has been suspended indefinitely by the team. Bowen had been traded to an unspecified team, but told that squad and the Hurricanes he would not report.