Dino Kambeitz played the hero with his second goal of the night in overtime to help lift the Lethbridge Hurricanes over the division rival Calgary Hitmen.
Kambeitz scored with two minutes remaining in the extra frame to cap a two-goal comeback for the hometown Hurricanes. Carl Tetachuk stopped 26-of-30 shots to record the win.
It was a quick start to this game for the Hurricanes just 3:47 in.
On the game’s first power play, Koletrane Wilson blasted his fourth goal of the season to take the early lead. D-Jay Jerome and Danila Palivko had assists on the play.
That lead, however, was short-lived. Just 44 seconds later, the Hitmen struck back.
James Malm was left all alone in front. He went forehand-backhand to put it behind a sprawling Tetachuk. The goal was Malm’s third of the season from Mark Kastelic and Riley Stotts.
Action slowed for much of the period until Dino Kambeitz got a glorious chance. He made no mistake. Kambeitz tucked it in for his 11th goal of the season and gave the home side a 2-1 lead. Helpers on the play went to Alex Thacker and Chase Wheatcroft.
The Hurricanes built onto that lead on another power play when Alex Cotton got in on the scoring, blasting home his 11th of the season. Cotton’s goal made it 3-1 and ended Jack McNaughton’s night in the Calgary net with Brayden Peters taking over.
That is how things ended after one period.
The tables flipped in the middle frame. The Hitmen found another gear and dominated at times.
Calgary added two goals in the period to tie the game at three.
First, it was local product Orca Wiesblatt who created a turnover and then tucked the puck past Tetachuk for his 11th goal of the season to make it 3-2.
Then, Jett Woo converted on the power play to tie the game heading into the third period. That goal was Woo’s fifth on the season.
A back-and-forth third period saw chances going both ways.
The teams traded goals. First, it was Calgary taking its first lead of the night. Riley Stotts snapped his 16th past the Lethbridge netminder. The play was reviewed for goalie interference but the call stood and the Hitmen had a 4-3 lead.
The Hurricanes, though, did not go away, and their persistence paid off.
Justin Hall took advantage of his power-play time, scoring his seventh of the season to tie the game at four. Thacker and Logan Barlage had the assists, and the game headed to overtime.
For the second time in the hockey game, a goal was reviewed, this time going the Hurricanes’ way. Kambeitz looked to have scored off the post in overtime, and that was confirmed by video replay. Kambeitz played the hero with his 12th of the season, giving the Hurricanes the 5-4 win.
Shooting the breeze: Despite his two goals, including the game-winner, Kambeitz was not named a star of the game. His overtime goal gave Lethbridge a 3-1-0-0 record since the big three left for the IIHF World Junior Championships. The big 3, of course, is Dylan Cozens, Calen Addison, and Oliver Okuliar.
The power play was a huge factor in this game. Both teams converted on the man advantage; the Hitmen were 1-for-4 while the Hurricanes went 3-for-6. Coach Brett Kisio was pleased with the special team’s effort. “They made a difference tonight.”
With the Hitmen needing to switch goalies, both netminders saw limited shots overall with the Hurricanes only getting 22 shots on the night. McNaughton stopped nine of the 12 he faced, while Peters made eight saves on the ten shots against him.
Next up for the Hurricanes is a date with the Swift Current Broncos who come to town after beating Medicine Hat 4-3. The Hitmen are off to play those same Tigers in the Gas City. Both games go Saturday night.
