By Dori Modney (@Dori_Modney on Twitter)

Hurricanes tie best-of-7 with Rebels in a 5-2 game

Mar 26, 2017 | 9:53 PM

LETHBRIDGE –  On Sunday night, Red Deer Rebels Associate Coach Jeff Truitt expected the Hurricanes to push back in game two of their best of seven after the Canes dropped the first game 4-2 the night before.  Push back is what the Rebels got. 

Head Coach Brent Kisio started the game with the comment that his team had a good first period on Saturday night but needed to get more pucks around the net.  The team came through.

Jordie Bellerive tried in the first three minutes to make a rush for the net, followed by five Rebels, as his teammates made a change. He couldn’t make contact but it was a great effort and things got better from there.

The Canes outshot the Rebels 9-4 in the first period and were first on the scoreboard.  

Ryan Bowen nailed the first goal, which also turned out to be his first playoff goal and gave the Canes a 1-0 lead at the 6:56 mark.

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The Hurricanes owned the next period.   Just minutes into the second, Egor Babenko had his first goal of the playoffs assisted by Giorgio Estephan and Alec Baer. Then, Tanner Nagel made a short-handed, game winning goal at the 12-minute mark.

The scoring didn’t end there. At the 17-minute mark, Egor Babenko notched his second goal, assisted by Alec Baer and Ryan Vanderlis, putting the Canes ahead 4-0.

There was a scary moment.  Just two minutes before the end of the period, Giorgio Estephan took a stick to the face and went down on the ice. He was walked off and didn’t return to the game as a precaution. The Rebel’s best player, Michael Spacek, was out on a double minor for the high sticking.

As the second period ended, the Hurricanes led shots-on-goal 23-13.

The Canes started the third frame on a power-play and just over two minutes in, Egor Babenko tossed goal number three for a hat-trick, taking the score to 5-0.  Babenko’s hat-trick was the first for the Hurricanes since 2009, when Zack Boychuck charted the last one.

At this point, the Rebels pulled Riley Lamb out of goal and handed duties to Lasse Petersen.

A power-play goal for Michael Spacek put his team on the board at the six minute mark, taking the score to 5- 1. Then at the 12 minute mark, Evan Polei took advantage of another power-play to put the puck in the net again for the Rebels, taking the score to 5-2.

With 30-seconds to go, there was a scuffle at center ice as the Canes’ Zane Franklin and Rebels’ Matthew Campese get the fists out.  The pair were each assessed five minute majors for fighting.

Stuart Skinner made 24 saves as the Canes out-shot the Rebels 29-26. However, the Canes were 0/6 on the power-play and are now 0/12 in the series.

All three game stars go the Hurricanes – Egor Babenko, Jordy Bellerive and Alec Baer.

The series now moves to Red Deer for games on Wednesday and Thursday.