|
Untitled Document
|
 |
|
Last Updated: May 8th, 2008 - 20:33:00
|
BRANDON, Man. — Lethbridge’s missed opportunity turned into Brandon’s rallying point, meaning Game 5 will be necessary to decide the Eastern Conference quarter-final playoff series between the Hurricanes and Wheat Kings.
Riding the momentum of a huge penalty kill and the ejection of their leading scorer, the Brandon Wheat Kings torched the Lethbridge Hurricanes for four third-period goals en route to a 5-1 victory at Westman Place. The win gives Brandon life, trailing 3-1 in the series, and enacts the 2-3-2 format, meaning the clubs will meet again Friday night here in Brandon.
“It just wasn’t our best night, we didn’t bring our best and it showed,” Hurricanes centre Carter Bancks said after the club’s first loss of the playoffs. “They took advantage of their opportunities and we’ve got to be better on Friday.”
Trailing 1-0 into the third period, the ‘Canes gave up a power-play goal to Brandon’s Jay Fehr (his second of the night) just 1:44 in and the rout was on as the Wheaties rolled with the momentum, scoring twice more in the next four minutes, including a pair of goals just 25 seconds apart to make it 4-0.
“We got a little more offence from different guys tonight and it was just a solid game for us,” Wheat Kings’ Fehr said.
The game was lost much earlier for Lethbridge, however. Brandon’s Brayden Schenn was sent packing on a controversial interference major at the 18:39 mark of the opening period and, rather than jump on the opportunity, the ’Canes let it pass. Furthermore, the ejection galvanized the previously listless Brandon crowd and, after the Wheat Kings killed off the major, yielding just one shot and aided by a Lethbridge penalty midway through, it gave the home side the boost they needed.
“It was an important stretch of the game and I give our guys a lot of credit for keeping their composure in a difficult situation,” Wheat Kings head coach and general manager Kelly McCrimmon said. “It was one of the things we talked about prior to the game as something that could happen so I give our guys a lot of credit for that.”
Brandon scored the game’s first goal for the fourth consecutive time when Fehr finished off a nice three-on-two break, taking a Matt Calvert drop pass and ripping it by Hurricanes goalie Juha Metsola at the 13:08 mark of the second period.
Even then, with Lethbridge having played very little of their game, the outcome was up for grabs into the third when Brandon simply took over.
“I just think that we didn’t come ready to play with the fire we needed to play with,” Hurricanes head coach Michael Dyck said. “You reap what you sow and you’ll get rewarded if you put that work in and we didn’t.”
Brandon lamented its lack of ability to make plays through the first three games, but they found it again Wednesday, particularly in tight on Metsola. After Fehr made it 2-0, Daniel Bartek fought off a Ben Wright check to chip the puck over Metsola for the 3-0 goal. Then, 25 seconds later, Calvert was in on a breakaway that he finished for a 4-0 lead.
While Lethbridge would counter with Zach Boychuk’s fourth of the series at the 12:05 mark, the comeback bid would be stunted by Matt Lowry’s power-play goal at 14:45.
“I think we needed that loss to really wake us up,” Boychuk said, admitting his club was just not very good all night long. “I think the first three games were definitely a battle and could have gone either way and now that one went their way we really have to come back hard and show them that we’re the better team.”
The problem is now, Brandon has life.
“I don’t want it to end any time soon,” Wheat Kings’ Daryl Boyle, a 20-year-old facing the prospect of playing his final junior game, said. “Any time you can play more hockey that’s great and that’s what I want.”
ICE CHIPS — Both teams went with the same lineups after Hurricane D Jeff May deemed he was ready to go in warm up . . . Hurricanes D Luca Sbisa hit the outside of the post on a second period power play while Brandon F Tyler Dittmer hit a crossbar when it was 1-0 Brandon late in the second . . . Lethbridge was outshot 30-23 and has been outshot in every game in the series . . . Frustration manifested in Lethbridge C Mitch Fadden taking a 10-minute misconduct in the third period as he protested a glove-pass call . . . Hurricane list defencemen Cam Stephens and Brock Sutherland have been skating with the club in practice.
© Copyright by Lethbridge Herald.com
Top of Page
|
| This website powered by: Tricubemedia |
Copyright© May 15, 2008 All material,programming and design contained herein
is copyrighted by The Lethbridge Herald, an Alberta Newspaper Group inc. All Rights
Reserved.
|
|
|
|
|
