Canes edge the Rebels in OT

By Dale Woodard on March 14, 2021.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDsports@lethbridgeherald.com

The Hurricanes power play continued to click this weekend.

The Canes got past the Red Deer Rebels 4-3 in overtime in Western Hockey League play Saturday night at the Enmax Centre.

Veteran defenceman and alternate captain Alex Cotton scored 53 seconds into overtime on the man adavantage as the Hurricanes power play went 3-for-4 after going 3-for-6 Friday night in the weekend series opener in Red Deer.

And like Friday night in Red Deer, the Hurricanes had to erase a deficit, falling behind 3-1 to the Rebels early in the second before man advantage goals from Alex Thacker and Justin Hall eventually tied the game and forced overtime.

With the win the Canes improve to 2-2-0-0 on the season, while the Rebels are now 1-3-2-0. The teams wrap up the weekend series with Game 3 Sunday at 6 p.m. in Red Deer

Hall had a two-goal night and opened the scoring 4:03 into the game.

Like they did Friday night, the Rebels answered back quickly. Jace Isley knotted things up at 1-1 56 seconds after Hall scored despite the Hurricanes protesting the goal had been knocked off.

After a quick video review, it was ruled the goal stood and the Rebels took a 2-1 lead with 4:09 left in the first when former Hurricane Josh Tarzwell scored on the power play with Lethbridge’s Trevor Thurston off for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Red Deer’s power play put them up 3-1 6:17 into the second period when Ben King beat Hurricanes goaltender Carl Tetachuk on a breakaway.

Then the Hurricanes man advantage units got them back into the game and to extra time.

Thacker scored on the power play 30 seconds after King to cut the lead to 3-2.

With 4:55 left in the second, the power play clicked once more and Hall netted his second of the night to knot things up at 3-3 after 40 minutes.

The teams traded some chances in the third period, including an in-close chance from Hurricanes forward Zack Stringer that snaked past Rebels goaltender Ethan Anders and onto the goaline. It looked like the loose puck was there for Hall to slam home, but Anders was able to knock the loose puck away to keep the game tied.

In overtime and with the Canes enjoying ample ice with the four-on-three, Cotton — a prospect of the Detroit Red Wings — capped off a little puck cycling when he teed a feed from Dino Kambeitz past Anders to grab the extra point.

Cotton also had an assist for a two-point night, while Hall added one helper for a three-point outing.

Thacker added two assists for there points.

Rebels defenceman Kyle Masters had two assists for Red Deer as the Rebels power play went 2-for-5.

Tetachuk stopped 22 of 25 shots for his second win as as many nights and Anders turned aside 26 of 30 shots.

The Hurricanes outshot the Rebels 30-25.

Hall now has four goals and seven points in his first four games this season.

In East Division play Saturday in the bubble at the Brandt Centre in Regina the Saskatoon Blades beat the Swift Current Broncos 4-2, while the Brandon Wheat Kings scored three goals in the second period to get past the Prince Albert Raiders 3-2.

Lethbridge product and former Lethbridge midget AAA Hurrican Rylan Roersma made his WHL debut with the Wheat Kings. Going plus-1 in the win.

Roersma was selected in the first round and 16th overall by Brandon in the 2019 WHL Bantam Draft.

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