Arntsen’s dying seconds goal lifts Hurricanes past the Pats

By Dale Woodard on February 5, 2022.

This time, the buzzer beater favoured the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

The Canes scored a dying seconds 5-4 win over the Regina Pats in Western Hockey League play Friday night at the Enmax Centre.

With phenom Connor Bedard in the box for hooking, Hurricanes defenceman Joe Arntsen scored on the power play with two seconds left in regulation for the game winner.

It was a welcome change from the last time the Pats were in Lethbridge Nov. 24 when Bedard scored with one second left in overtime for a 3-2 win.

Arntsen’s goal not only improved the Hurricanes to 17-18-2-1, it also lands them two more crucial points and gives them sole possession of eighth place in the Eastern Conference, moving them up two points on the 15-23-4-1 Swift Current Broncos.

The Broncos lost 3-1 to the Moose Jaw Warriors Friday night in Swift Current.

The Pats, meanwhile, fall to 16-21-0-1 and are now in 10th place in the East, two back of the Broncos and four behind the Hurricanes.

On Friday night at the Enmax Centre, three unanswered goals in exactly five minutes erased a 2-0 second period deficit and handed Lethbridge a 3-2 lead, the second one coming from affiliated player Noah Chadwick’s first career WHL goal.

The Pats held a 1-0 lead after the first period on a goal from Ryker Evans.

Then the goals came fast and furious to start the second period.

Regina started the second period on the power play and pulled the trigger as Cole Dubinsky scored 29 seconds in for a 2-0 lead.

But three unanswered goals in exactly five minutes handed the Hurricanes the lead.

Alex Thacker got it started with a shorthanded marker that just made it over the goal line 1:04 after Dubinsky’s goal to make it 2-1.

Chadwick then netted his first WHL marker with a seeing eye shot that snaked through traffic and past Pats goaltender Matthew Kieper to knot it at 2-2.

Yegor Klavdiev completed the second period comeback with a toe drag off the left circle before snapping home his ninth of the season 6:33 into the second for a 3-2 lead.

The Pats power play clicked for the second time in the game and Evans scored his second as well at the 10:18 mark to tie it at 3-3 after 40 minutes.

After a three-point night Wednesday, Canes leading scorer Justin Hall struck midway through the third with his 22nd of the season, taking a two-on-one feed from Ty Nash and converting for a 4-3 lead.

It didn’t take the Pats long to respond and tie it back up on a goal from Stanislav Svozil two minutes after Hall’s goal to make it 4-4 at the 11:53 mark of the third.

Klavdiev nearly broke the deadlock on the power play with a little over six minutes to go, but his shot hit the iron behind Kieper and stayed out, keeping it tied.

Klavdiev hit the post for a second time in the third on the late man advantage before Arntsen’s fourth of the season found the back of the net with two seconds to go.

Hall added two assists and now has six points in his last two games.

Thacker also had two assists for a three-point night.

Dubinsky had two assists and three points for the Pats.

Bedard had two assists.

Lethbridge product Zack Stringer wasn’t in the Pats lineup and hasn’t played since Jan. 18.

Hurricanes goaltender Jared Picklyk stopped 23 of 27 shots, while Kieper made 32 saves.

The Hurricanes were 1-for-4 on the power play. The Pats clicked at 2-for-6.

Friday’s announced attendance was 2,542.

The Hurricanes start a four-game road trip tonight in Swift Current.

They are in Moose Jaw Wednesday and head to Saskatoon Friday and Prince Albert Feb. 12.

Lethbridge returns to the Enmax Centre Feb. 15 when the Warriors come to town.

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