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Hurricanes drop seventh straight in loss to Rockets

Nov 18, 2017 | 12:15 AM

KELOWNA – What’s turned into a nightmarish month of November for the Lethbridge Hurricanes was extended Friday night, Nov. 17, as they lost for a seventh straight time.

They fell 7-4 to the Kelowna Rockets, a team that entered the matchup having won three straight.

Through the first two periods the ‘Canes held their own, bouncing back from an ugly start that saw them trailing 2-0 just 2:08 into the contest.

With time winding down in the first, Jake Elmer got the Hurricanes on the board, and Giorgio Estephan actually put his club ahead 3-2 with two second period goals. It was short lived though, as the Rockets tied things up 44 seconds later, and regained the lead nearly five minutes after that.

Jordy Bellerive once again squared the game for Lethbridge four minutes into the third, but three more goals for Kelowna – including an empty netter – iced the win for the home team.

As if losing seven in a row isn’t bad enough, it has to be concerning for the club the extreme number of goals they’re giving up on a nightly basis. Since the skid started Oct. 29 against Seattle, only once have the Hurricanes surrender less than six goals in a game. Over those seven games they have been outscored 40-18.

The good news is that despite the ‘Canes struggles to collect points in the standings – they have seven out of a possible 20 points in their last 10 games – they still remain within striking distance of the Red Deer Rebels and Kootenay Ice. Those two teams haven’t exactly been lighting it up either, as they’re tied at 19 points apiece, just four ahead of Lethbridge in the Central Division standings.

Next up for the Hurricanes are the Kamloops Blazers, as they play game three of a six game road trip on Saturday, Nov. 18. Kamloops only has one more point in the WHL standings than Lethbridge, but they’ve certainly been hotter as of late, with six wins in their last 10.

The Hurricanes don’t return home until Nov. 28, when they welcome Portland.