Goaltender Reece Klassen stoped 39 shots and five players recorded multi-point games as the Lethbridge Hurricanes blew out the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers 8-3.
This win comes a night after the Canes blew 2-0 and 3-1 third period leads in the Friday nights 4-3OT loss. Ty Kolle’s one goal and two assists lead the way for the hometown team.
In typical Lethbridge versus Medicine Hat fashion, the game kicked off with some emotions, no doubt a carryover from the night before.
The result would be a couple early powerplays for the Tigers, but they were unable to take advantage of the slow start from the Hurricanes.
A key moment in the period came when Klassen went post-to-post on the penalty kill to keep the game scoreless. That save seemed to spark the boys in red as they took over the rest of the way.
Tigers goalie Jordan Hollett was sharp as he did his best to hold off the attack. It wasn’t til the 15:40 mark of the opening frame that the deadlock was broken. Ty Kolle’s one-timer found its way past Hollett, that would be Kolle’s third of the season assisted by Jadon Joesph and Jackson Shepard. Canes would double the lead three minutes later when rookie defencemen Nolan Jones scored his first on a blast from the point. Ty Kolle and Koltraine Wilson added assists. Shots after one still favoured the Tigers 14-10.
A much different game in the middle frame. It was all Medicine Hat and it started early. Just 54 seconds in Ryan Jevine on the odd-man break would rip it past Klassen to cut the Hurricanes lead to 2-1.
Four minutes later Elijiah Brown tied the game up, his shot went off a man in front to fool the ‘Canes netminder. James Hamblin and Henrik Rybinski were credited with the helpers.
The Tigers would take the lead late in the period as a Tyler Preziuso dump-in was redierceted in off Klassen’s stick, unlucky for the home side as they headed into the break down 3-2 after leading it 2-0. The one bright spot of the second was the play of the Hall brothers. Justin and Adam were playing on the line with Zach Cox and the trio had a number of good shifts which excited the crowd. Shots at the end of the second heavily one-sided at 30-20 for the visitors.
Then the fireworks began. Not wanting to repeat letting another game slip away, the Hurricanes came out flying and dominated the final 20 minutes scoring six goals and controlling the remainder of the play outside a very small number of chances for the Tigers. The scoring started just 1:01 in and would look like this :
1:01- Goal: Dylan Cozens (7), Assists: Nolan Jones
3:09- Goal: Zachary Cox (2), Assists: Adam Hall & Justin Hall GAME WINNING GOAL
5:20- PP Goal: Jadon Joesph (4), Assists: Igor Merezhko
6:27- Goal Logan Barlage (6), Assists: Ty Kolle & Justin Hall
9:36- Goal Jordy Bellerive (7), Assists: Dylan Cozens & Taylor Ross
