Local Sports
Canes ready to go
By Trevor Kenney
Mar 28, 2008, 04:55

BRANDON, Man. — Learning to drive a car is one thing, getting the hang of parallel parking is a whole new level.
Lethbridge Hurricanes are trying to park the Brandon Wheat Kings but on their first attempt Wednesday night, they knocked over a pylon and will have to circle the block and try again.
Game 5 of their Eastern Conference quarter-final series Friday night here in Brandon is that second opportunity for the ’Canes as they look to add another first to their resume, the ability to close out a playoff series.
“I think maybe there was too much of an emphasis on closing them out as opposed to let's go play our game,” Hurricanes head coach Michael Dyck said Thursday morning, after the team's skate at Westman Place.
“In turn, rather than going in and playing expecting to win, we went in probably thinking of the final result.”
The final result in Wednesday's Game 4 was a 5-1 loss that narrowed the Hurricanes' lead to 3-1 in the series.
“Anytime you have a team pushed up against the ropes facing elimination, where their season is over, they're going to push back and they're going to come out swinging,” Hurricanes forward Mike Wuchterl said. “That's where we have to develop a killer instinct. It takes time, you have to learn how to develop something like that. Some guys maybe want to let up when the series is 3-0 but that's the time when you've got to push the hardest.”
While Lethbridge was rather thin on playoff experience in the first place, those on the roster who have actually won a playoff round are even harder to find. Just four players on the roster have ever won a round and only two have been deeper than round two. While Colton Sceviour (with Portland) and Mitch Fadden (with Seattle) have playoff wins to their credit, it was early in their careers. Jeff May went three rounds deep with Prince Albert in 2004-05 and Wuchterl leads the way, twice advancing to the league championship series (Everett in 2003-04 and last season with Vancouver).
“We have to learn from (Wednesday) night, I think we were a little too tentative out there,” May said. “We've got to get back to our game plan and if we stick to that we'll be fine.
“They're playing with a lot of emotion and we just have to funnel that and come back with our system.”
The ’Canes have preached about their process all season long and rather than focusing on results, have believed that properly executing their plan will take care of the results. It's that focus they are looking to achieve.
“It's all about the how-to, the final result will take care of itself,” Dyck said. “I think we probably got more wrapped up in the final result.”
The positive, of course, is that the Hurricanes worked themselves into a position where they had four shots at closing the deal. One has been spoiled and each opportunity that goes by the wayside only fuels Brandon's confidence.
“We want to keep the doubt in their minds, we don't want to give them anymore ignition to keep going,” May said.
Sceviour adds that as much as Brandon gained life from Game 4, it's important the 'Canes worry more about their game and what's at stake for them.
“They hadn't won a game yet and winning (Wednesday) is huge for them. At the same time we've got to look at that and we've got to snuff that out,” he said.
“They are desperate but at the same time we've got something to play for as well, you want to get on to that next round as soon as you can to get a little more rest for the guys who are beaten up, that's motivation right there.”
Right now, all the Hurricanes are focused on is getting a good start and working to score the first goal for the first time in the series.
“We're going to focus less on how they are preparing and what they're going to bring and focus more on what we're going to do,” Dyck concluded. “How the game is going to be played out tomorrow is going to be dictated on how we play.
“We'd like to get out to a quick start and that would be the initial focus right now, how we're going to prepare ourselves for the start of the game and the first period.”
ICE CHIPS — D Jeff May, a surprise starter Wednesday, played a full complement of shifts and skated in practice Thursday, as did the rest of the roster . . . Lethbridge closed practice with extensive work on the power play, now 5-for-24 (20.8 per cent) in the series . . . Hurricanes have not yet indicated who will get the start in net for Game 5.

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