nivek_wahs
02-15-2007, 05:26 AM
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/sports/story.html?id=832897d7-7470-4f4b-a4d8-47a03ef4c814
Hurricanes silence Swedish sensations
Lethbridge inches closer to Hitmen
John Down, Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, February 15, 2007
This could have been Swedish hockey.
End to end action. Blistering pace. Quick puck movement.
But, wait, there was a great deal of hitting. And a fight.
Okay, so Wednesday's joust at the Pengrowth Saddledome was Western Hockey League playoff-type hockey.
A couple of Swedes could have decided this one all by themselves, too, but their buzz was worse than their sting and the desperate Lethbridge Hurricanes escaped with a rousing 2-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen.
Zach Boychuk and former Hitman Lukas Vantuch scored less than five minutes apart during the third period to move to within eight points of the third-place Hitmen in the Central Division.
The result also squared the eight-game season series between the southern Alberta rivals at 4-4, although one of those Lethbridge losses was in a shootout.
The Calgary No. 2 trio of Ian Duval and Swedish wingers Freddie Pettersson and Robin Figren was a buzz-saw all night but only hit the scoreboard early in the third period when Pettersson cashed his 13th goal of the season on a perfect feed from Duval.
It was just one of numerous chances they had in a highly entertaining affair cheered on by a crowd of 8,779.
Justin Leclerc was the busiest of the two goaltenders, facing 26 shots in the Lethbridge nets, while Daniel Spence faced 20 shots and was horribly unlucky on what proved to the winning goal.
Hurricane defenceman Ryan Kerr took a screened shot from just inside the blueline at 12:20 and saw the puck go up and in off Vantuch, who had been pushed into Spence. The puck barely trickled over the goal-line.
Calgary finishes off this abbreviated homestand Sunday afternoon against the B.C. Division pennant-challenging Kamloops Blazers.
The Hitmen dictated much of the play during the first 10 minutes, out-shooting the Hurricanes 4-1, but once the visitors found their legs, it was high tempo action at its finest.
And to spice it up, both teams threw in some heavy hitting throughout the second period.
Calgary probably had the bulk of the best scoring chances through the first 40 minutes but either couldn't solve Leclerc or failed to get a stick on a tight setup. The Duval trio, alone, could have had two or three goals.
Figren hit a goalpost in the first period and then was stopped point blank on a quick one-timer in the second period right after Pettersson had failed to get his stick on a crisp cross-crease pass from Figren with nothing but open net staring at him.
Neither power-play was effective, largely because of solid efforts by defencemen on both sides blocking a large number of shots. Calgary's first two chances in the first period, however, was disorganized as the players failed to set up anything and failed to get a shot on goal.
Lethbridge, on the other hand, fired like a gattling-gun during a two-man advantage for 88 seconds in the second period but only got one shot through to Spence.
THIS AND THAT: Riley Merkley returned after missing five games with a concussion, stepping in for rookie Brendan Rowinski to centre Devon Kalinski and Carson McMillan on the fourth line. He wound up displacing Keegan Dansereau on the No. 1 line during the third period . . . Besides Rowinski, the Hitmen also scratched D Alex Plante (elbow), F Ryan Letts (knee) and D Brett Plouffe . . . Boychuk leads all WHL 17-year-olds with 67 points . . . The Lethbridge penalty kill is ranked No. 21 at 75.3 per cent . . . Derek LeBlanc squared off with Lethbridge D Ryan Kerr for a first period knuckle-buster. Give a split decision to LeBlanc for landing two big right hooks . . . The Hurricanes didn't get their first shot on goal until 8:40 of the first period . . . Calgary was skunked on five power plays, Lethbridge on four.
jdown@theherald.canwest.com
© The Calgary Herald 2007
Hurricanes silence Swedish sensations
Lethbridge inches closer to Hitmen
John Down, Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, February 15, 2007
This could have been Swedish hockey.
End to end action. Blistering pace. Quick puck movement.
But, wait, there was a great deal of hitting. And a fight.
Okay, so Wednesday's joust at the Pengrowth Saddledome was Western Hockey League playoff-type hockey.
A couple of Swedes could have decided this one all by themselves, too, but their buzz was worse than their sting and the desperate Lethbridge Hurricanes escaped with a rousing 2-1 victory over the Calgary Hitmen.
Zach Boychuk and former Hitman Lukas Vantuch scored less than five minutes apart during the third period to move to within eight points of the third-place Hitmen in the Central Division.
The result also squared the eight-game season series between the southern Alberta rivals at 4-4, although one of those Lethbridge losses was in a shootout.
The Calgary No. 2 trio of Ian Duval and Swedish wingers Freddie Pettersson and Robin Figren was a buzz-saw all night but only hit the scoreboard early in the third period when Pettersson cashed his 13th goal of the season on a perfect feed from Duval.
It was just one of numerous chances they had in a highly entertaining affair cheered on by a crowd of 8,779.
Justin Leclerc was the busiest of the two goaltenders, facing 26 shots in the Lethbridge nets, while Daniel Spence faced 20 shots and was horribly unlucky on what proved to the winning goal.
Hurricane defenceman Ryan Kerr took a screened shot from just inside the blueline at 12:20 and saw the puck go up and in off Vantuch, who had been pushed into Spence. The puck barely trickled over the goal-line.
Calgary finishes off this abbreviated homestand Sunday afternoon against the B.C. Division pennant-challenging Kamloops Blazers.
The Hitmen dictated much of the play during the first 10 minutes, out-shooting the Hurricanes 4-1, but once the visitors found their legs, it was high tempo action at its finest.
And to spice it up, both teams threw in some heavy hitting throughout the second period.
Calgary probably had the bulk of the best scoring chances through the first 40 minutes but either couldn't solve Leclerc or failed to get a stick on a tight setup. The Duval trio, alone, could have had two or three goals.
Figren hit a goalpost in the first period and then was stopped point blank on a quick one-timer in the second period right after Pettersson had failed to get his stick on a crisp cross-crease pass from Figren with nothing but open net staring at him.
Neither power-play was effective, largely because of solid efforts by defencemen on both sides blocking a large number of shots. Calgary's first two chances in the first period, however, was disorganized as the players failed to set up anything and failed to get a shot on goal.
Lethbridge, on the other hand, fired like a gattling-gun during a two-man advantage for 88 seconds in the second period but only got one shot through to Spence.
THIS AND THAT: Riley Merkley returned after missing five games with a concussion, stepping in for rookie Brendan Rowinski to centre Devon Kalinski and Carson McMillan on the fourth line. He wound up displacing Keegan Dansereau on the No. 1 line during the third period . . . Besides Rowinski, the Hitmen also scratched D Alex Plante (elbow), F Ryan Letts (knee) and D Brett Plouffe . . . Boychuk leads all WHL 17-year-olds with 67 points . . . The Lethbridge penalty kill is ranked No. 21 at 75.3 per cent . . . Derek LeBlanc squared off with Lethbridge D Ryan Kerr for a first period knuckle-buster. Give a split decision to LeBlanc for landing two big right hooks . . . The Hurricanes didn't get their first shot on goal until 8:40 of the first period . . . Calgary was skunked on five power plays, Lethbridge on four.
jdown@theherald.canwest.com
© The Calgary Herald 2007