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Hurricanes score comeback win over Warriors |
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Written by Dale Woodard
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Monday, October 26 2009, 12:05 AM |
Those are some points in the Bancks.
And if the Lethbridge Hurricanes have their way, those points will start earning some serious interest as captain Carter Bancks put up four points and the ’Canes pulled off a 5-4 come-from- behind win over the Moose Jaw Warriors during Western Hockey League action Sunday night at the Enmax Centre.
With the win the Hurricanes improve to 5-9-2-0 and move out of the Central Division cellar and past the Kootenay Ice.
“We had a tough start,” said Bancks, who put up three assists and bagged the game-winner with 7:30 left in regulation time. “I don’t think we started very well. We were getting out-worked and out-battled.Between the first and the second (period) we made a committment to each other that we weren’t going to get outworked again for the rest of the game. We were really hard on loose pucks and we threw a lot on the net and we executed well. We were able to have some nice goals scored, but it was all about the little things, getting pucks deep and pucks (on) the net and outworking them.”
But there were some bullets to be dodged before the Hurricanes pulled off this heist.
And half the shots they surrendered came in the first period as the Warriors pelted the hosts with 16 shots in the opening 20 minutes.
Despite getting doubled on the shot clock, the damage was minimal as the Hurricanes trailed 1-0 after Warrior Antonin Honejsek scored his first of the season 12:21 into the opening frame.
“I think when you have three days off and they played last night, they’re game ready,” said Hurricanes general manager and coach Rich Preston. “It took us a little while. So we have to be prepared.”
The Hurricanes pulled even a little over three minutes into the second period on the power play when Bancks carried the puck to the front of the Warriors net before dishing off to linemate Carter Ashton, who lifted a shot over sprawling Warriors netminder Brandon Glover from the right of goal.
It only took the Warriors a little over two minutes to regain the lead and they did so on a man advantage goal of their own as Dylan Hood buried his sixth of the year for a 2-1 lead 5:29 into the second.
The ’Canes replied just as promptly as Mitch Maxwell tied the affair at 2-2 1:29 after Hood’s goal.
Shortly afterwards Hurricanes forward Cam Braes drew a penalty, winning a race to loose puck and drawing a holding penalty to Moose Jaw’s Brendan Rowinski.
But it was the Warriors that took the lead once again when Spencer Edwards took advantage of a giveaway and send a shot past ‘Canes netminder Linden Rowat for a 3-2 lead.
Rowinski added one more goal with 1:39 left in the second for a 4-2 lead after 40 minutes.
“You look at the goals we gave up, our players didn’t realize we gave them three gift-wrapped goals,” said Preston. “So we were a little sloppy, especially in the second period. But we responded in the third.”
Ashton keyed the comeback with his second man advantage goal of the night 3:27 into the third to pull the Hurricanes within one.
The ’Canes evened the score when forward Austin Fyten did his best bull-in-a-china-shop impression, barging past a Warriors defenceman and knifing a rebound off a Cam Braes shot past Glover to tie the score at 4-4 midway through the third.
“It was a huge, timely goal and you can’t say enough about those,” said Preston of Fyten’s goal.
“When they scored in the first it was big goal for them and it took the wind out of our sails. But our big players stepped up, Ashton, Bancks, Fyten. They stepped up big time.”
Then with time winding down, Bancks picked the right spot at the right time and backhanded home the winner and his fourth point of the night with 7:30 remaining.
“Yadlowski made a great rush,” said Bancks of the game-winner. “He outwaited that d-man and I was coming in high slot and just praying that puck was going to kick out and it did. It kicked right onto my stick and I was able to go forehand and backhand with it and put it (top) shelf. It was a huge relief, I’ve kind of got the monkey off my back.”
With Glover on the bench in favour of the extra attacker, the Warriors were unable to score the equalizer.
“It was huge,” said Ashton, who also drew an assist on Banck`s game-winner. “The main thing was we stayed positive. We knew in the last game when we played Moose Jaw we didn’t play the full 60 and that’s what we had to do tonight.”
Ashton also noted the play of his linemate and captain.
“He played phenomenal. It’s definitely good when a player steps up like that and he had two huge goals and a couple off assists. It’s definitely great to play on a line with him. We’re working good in practice and we’re looking to keep that going.”
The Hurricanes return to the Enmax Centre Friday night when the Seattle Thunderbirds come calling.
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