Shorthanded goal sinks Canes

By Dale Woodard on December 4, 2021.

On a night when plenty of plush toys rained down, the night didn’t end on a warm and fuzzy note for the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

The Canes were edged 4-2 by the Brandon Wheat Kings in Western Hockey League action Friday night at the Enmax Centre.

On the same night when the Hurricanes held their 25th annual Teddy Bear Toss, Lethbridge surrendered their seventh shorthanded goal of the season as Nate Danielson scored a shortie for the Wheaties with 3:18 remaining to earn the win.

With the loss, the Canes fall to 8-11-1-0, while the Wheat Kings improve to 10-12-0-1.

With Friday’s announced crowd of 4,395 ready to throw their teddy bears, it was the Wheat Kings were struck first as Zakhar Polshakov scored his first of the season 5:10 into the game.

But the plush toys got airborne as Ty Nash scored on the power play 3:20 later to tie the game at 1-1.

“All of the boys thought they had it in them and I said I got it,” said Nash in a radio interview with Hurricanes play-by-play broadcaster Dustin Forbes of Rock 106.7 Lethbridge. “No one voted for me in the interviews. I was pretty upset about that, so I had to go out and prove it.”

Brandon got the lead back 2:44 into the second on a goal from Tyson Zimmer, but the Hurricanes pulled even once again 2:02 later when Logan Wormald netted his fifth of the season.

But with Landon Roberts cooling his heels for cross checking late in the third, Danielson broke free on a breakaway and beat Canes goaltender Bryan Thomson for the game-winner.

Nolan Ritchie added an empty netter for the Wheat Kings.

The Hurricanes outshot the Wheat Kings 36-24 and went 1-for-5 on the power play.

Wheaties goaltender Ethan Kruger stopped 34 of 36 shots to earn first star honours.

Thomson stopped 20-of-23 shots in the loss.

A total of 3,585 bears were collected Friday night.

The Hurricanes have a quick turnaround as they head to Calgary this afternoon to take on the Calgary Hitmen.

Game time is 2 p.m.

The Hurricanes are back home for three more starting Wednesday when the Hitmen pay a visit to the Enmax Centre at 7 p.m.

NOTES – Wheat Kings captain and Lethbridge product Ridly Greig didn’t dress for Friday’s game, serving two-game suspension. Fellow Lethbridge product and Rylen Roersma went pointless for Brandon, but was plus-one on the night.

Follow @@DWoodardHerald on Twitter

Comments are closed.