Dale Woodard
Lethbridge Herald
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Welcome back, (former) Captain Cam. Those attending tonight's Western Hockey League tilt when the Lethbridge Hurricanes host the Moose Jaw Warriors at 7 p.m. at the Enmax Centre will no doubt see a familiar face.
The thing is, he won't be in the usual jersey fans are used to seeing him in as former 'Canes captain Cam Braes makes his first trip to the Enmax Centre following his trade to the Warriors at the WHL trade deadline a month ago, following a five-year stint with the Hurricanes.
"I hope we have a good crowd," said Hurricanes head coach Rich Preston. "First and foremost, the fans should expect a good, hard-fought game. That's the way Cammy plays and that's the kind of game we expect. Hopefully we get a lot of people here because it should be a good game."
Since joining the Warriors at the trade deadline, Braes has six goals and 14 points in 11 games. His 30 goals and 59 points in 55 games is tops on the team.
When the puck drops tonight, Hurricanes netminder Damien Ketlo said the next 60 minutes will be all business, friendships and reunions taking a back seat until after the final buzzer.
"We're all good buddies with Braes and we're all close with him, but we get out there on the ice it's all business and we can see him after the game," said Ketlo, who is coming off a strong, 45-save performance in a 3-2 win over the his former team, the Regina Pats Saturday in Regina.
Having spent the prior four seasons in Regina, the netminder who turned 21 Jan. 26 knows a thing or two about facing Braes.
"He brings a lot of poise on the power play," said Ketlo. "He likes to shoot high, he's a shooter, for sure. I've also played against Braes-er before when I was in Regina. I'll know where he'll shoot a little more, hopefully. Hopefully he won't change it much."
Having played alongside Braes for the past two seasons, 'Canes defenceman Landon Oslanski said it's going to different to be facing the former captain.
"He was a great captain and leader and it'll be exciting to play against him, but it's definitely going to be a battle and you have to battle with whoever is on the ice, even if it was your former captain," said Oslanski, who leads Hurricanes defencemen in scoring with 25 points in 54 games.
Expect Braes' usual intensity and grit when the puck drops, said Oslanski.
"Especially in a place he's played for four years. He'll want to put on a show and definitely want to score a goal. We're going to try and not let him, but he'll definitely bring a lot of intensity to the game, absolutely."
Facing their former teammate aside, the Hurricanes bring a two-game winning clip into tonight's game following a 4-2 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings Friday and a 3-2 win over the Pats. In the win over Regina, Ketlo stymied his former team before the Pats broke through with two third-period goals, falling just short in their comeback attempt despite outshooting the Hurricanes 47-13.
"I think we learned we have to play a road style game coming into these home games," said Ketlo. "All of these points are vital and we can't take anything for granted."
The wins improve the Hurricanes to 21-33-0-1, 12 points back of the Wheat Kings, who hold the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference as of Tuesday.



"We just kept it simple and kept the shots from the outside (against) Damien," said Oslanski. "He saved us when we needed it, but he was strong all night. The pair of wins helps us a lot, we need to keep going, game-by-game. Those road wins help, (but) we need to be steady at home."
Ketlo was also in goal in Friday's win over Brandon, a game in which he stopped 41 of 43 shots.
"He played really sold in Brandon," said Preston. "The key was the first period in Regina (when the Pats outshot the Hurricanes 16-3). They came out in their own building and we weathers the storm. Damien made some big saves for us and the we outscored them. We scored a big power play by Brady (Ramsay) and the third goal by Nick (Buonassisi) was huge."
The 'Canes coach credited his team for hanging on for the win after in the face of a demanding travel schedule.
"It was a really gutsy effort by our team, our third (game) in four nights on the road, said Preston. "For three nights we were getting to bed at three in the morning. (After) the Swift Current game we got to bed at three in the morning and travelled to Regina and played Brandon on Friday and got back at three in the morning and had to play Regina the next day. That's a tough trip in that respect, but the guys toughed it out in Regina and it was a big win."
Tonight's game kicks off a five-game homestand for the Hurricanes. The team hosts the Saskatoon Blades and the Prince Albert Raiders Friday and Saturday, respectively, and wrap up the homestand Feb. 15 against Brandon and Feb. 17 against the Pats.