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Written by editor
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Saturday, October 31 2009, 11:39 PM |
First there was a frightening scenario, then a brave rally only to end with screams of horror.
Halloween slasher flick?
Nope, the Lethbridge Hurricanes 5-4 loss to the Brandon Wheat Kings during WHL play Saturday night at the Enmax Centre.
While the ’Canes were able to erase a 4-3 Wheat Kings lead with 32 seconds remaining before Brandon swung the axe with the game winner with 13 seconds to go, it was another stumbling, lurching start that had Hurricanes head coach Rich Preston wishing his team had chosen a different Halloween costume.
“It’s Halloween and we’ve been Jeckyl and Hyde in our first period,” said Preston, whose team fell behind 2-0 after 20 minutes, getting outshot 16-3 along the way. “Our first periods have been really good at home except the last two.”
The Wheat Kings were quick to hit the score sheet when Alexander Urbom scored on the power play 2:32 into the first period.
Brandon went up 2-0 a little under seven minutes later when Brayden Schenn drained his eighth of the year for a two-goal cushion heading into the first intermission.
“We seem to push back when we fall behind,“ said Hurricanes forward Mitch Maxwell, who did a little Halloween cutting of his own with a hat trick. “That’s our problem right now, coming out a little soft in the first period in our home barn. That team has played seven games in 11 nights, we should be been a bit tougher on them in the first period.”
Maxwell got Lethbridge on the board 49 seconds into the second, but Brandon grabbed the two-goal lead back when Aaron Lewadniuk scored with four second left in a Hurricanes double-minor.
But the Hurricanes pulled to within one late in the second with a man advantage goal of their own when Maxwell deflected a point shot from ’Canes defenceman Mike Reddington with 38 seconds left in the period.
Maxwell completed his hat trick bid 6:01 into the third, tapping home a fine feed from linemate Carter Ashton to tie things up at 3-3.
“I’ve just been going to the net. I’m not sure if that first one went in, it was trickling on the line for quick a while and Ash, banged it home,” said Maxwell. “On that third one we’ve been practising all week (with) the three-man drive and Ash just threw it to the net and I went to the net, got a good bounce off my stick and it went in.”
The Wheat Kings went up 4-3 with 5:30 left in regulation when Hurricanes net minder Brandon Anderson struggled to control a rebound off a Jordan Hale shot, allowing Paul Van De Velde to snap home the loose puck.
But with time winding down and Anderson on the bench in favour of the extra attacker, Cam Braes stuffed home the equalizer to force the possibility of overtime.
It took the Wheaties all of 19 seconds to kill that possibility as Urbom scored his second of the game for the game-winner.
Anderson faced 39 shots in his first start since taking over for injured starter Linden Rowat, who injured his right leg in Friday’s loss to the Seattle Thunderbirds.
The Hurricanes are back at the Enmax Centre Wednesday night when the Everett Silvertips pay a visit.
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