Canes comeback falls short

By Woodard, Dale on March 9, 2020.

Lethbridge Herald

A last-period push fell just short as the Lethbridge Hurricanes went winless through B.C.

The Hurricanes lost 5-4 to the Kelowna Rockets in Western Hockey League play Saturday night in Kelowna to go 0-3 on their B.C. trip and fall to 37-19-2-5 on the season.

On Saturday, the Canes took a 5-1 deficit after the second period and promptly cut the difference to one on a trio of goals in the opening 11:01 of the third.

The rally fell short as the Rockets managed to hang on for the win and hand Lethbridge the goose egg through B.C. after losses in Prince George Wednesday and Kamloops Friday.

Ty Nash got the Canes on the board first with his sixth of the season 3:32 into the first, but the Rockets lifted off for five straight goals, two from Matthew Wedman, and singles from Trevor Wong, Pavel Novak and Kyle Topping and a 5-1 lead after 40 minutes.

Alex Cotton netted his 20th of the season for Lethbridge 8:38 into the third and Dylan Cozens scored two goals 1:16 apart to make it 5-4.

The goals were Cozens’ 37th and 38th of the season, while Cotton’s goal makes him the third defenceman in franchise history to reach the 20-goal mark in the regular season.

Hurricanes goaltender Carl Tetachuk got the start, stopping 13 of 18 shots in the first two periods before backup Bryan Thomson came on in the third, stopping all seven shots he faced.

Rockets goaltender Roman Basran made 35 saves in the win.

The losses drop the Hurricanes into third place in the Central Division as the 40-19-2-1 Medicine Hat Tigers move two points ahead and into second place.

With his 20th goal, Cotton joins Shane Peacock and Darcy Werenka as the only blue-liners to hit that mark.

The Hurricanes return home to the Enmax Centre Friday night when the Central Division-leading Edmonton Oil Kings pay a visit at 7 p.m.

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