(Photo: LNN)

By Christian Oldale

Hurricanes take down Broncos, Warriors over weekend

Jan 13, 2025 | 12:13 PM

The Lethbridge Hurricanes came out of their weekend Saskatchewan trip winning both games.

Friday, January 10 at Swift Current Broncos

On Friday, the team began their travels east to Swift Current for a matchup against the Broncos.

The game marked the first game as a Hurricane for defenceman Caden Price, who the team acquired from the Kelowna Rockets on January 7, 2025.

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In the first period, the two teams could not combine for a goal, despite both teams having a powerplay opportunity. The Broncos outshot the Hurricanes 13-9, but goaltender Jackson Unger came up big with some good saves.

In the second period, the Hurricanes struck first on the scoresheet. 9:21 into the frame, defenceman Vojtech Port fired the puck from the blue line, and it was re-directed off the glove of Brady Birnie before slipping past a re-positioning Reid Dyck to make it 1-0. Trae Johnson and Luke Cozens got the assists on Port’s second of the season, and second in as many games.

Throughout the period, the Hurricanes would put 14 more shots on Dyck, but he did not surrender another goal, while Unger stopped nine of his own.

In the third period, the Broncos tied the game up 11:22 in, with Parker Rondeau jamming in a puck past Unger during a scramble in front of the net. The remaining regulation time would solve nothing after that, so the game would go to overtime.

In the extra frame, the Hurricanes would get their game winner just under five minutes in. Kooper Gizowski entered the zone on a 2-on-2 rush, danced around the Broncos defender and wired a wrister past the glove of Dyck to end the game at 2-1. Tristen Doyle and Logan McCutcheon picked up the helpers on the winner.

In the three stars of the game, the two goaltenders took home top honours, as Unger was named first star for stopping 29 shots, while Dyck’s 33 saves got him second star honours. Gizowski’s OT heroics rounded out the three.

The win was the third in a row for Lethbridge.

Saturday, December 11 at Moose Jaw Warriors

The next day, the Hurricanes made the trip further east for a matchup against the Moose Jaw Warriors, who they had beaten in Lethbridge 6-2 on Tuesday, January 7.

The game was another debut, as forward Jordan Gustafson made his anticipated first appearance in a Hurricanes jersey after the team traded for him over the holidays. He had been sidelined for the season up until Saturday with an injury.

In the first period, the Hurricanes found themselves with a big powerplay opportunity after a double minor for high-sticking, but it was Moose Jaw who scored first, as Ethan Semeniuk capitalized on a breakaway, sneaking a backhand past Koen Cleaver to make it 1-0.

The Hurricanes would respond three and a half minutes later in the late stages of the first. Shane Smith jumped on a loose puck in front while Josh Banini was sprawled out, and Smith tucked it in to tie it at one. Leo Braillard and Gustafson added assists on the goal.

In the second, the Hurricanes killed off an early penalty, before taking the lead 14:34 in with another goal from Shane Smith, who grabbed an open puck during a net-front scramble and scored on a wraparound, assisted by Noah Chadwick and Braillard.

A little under under three minutes later, Logan Wormald gave the Hurricanes a little cushion on the scoresheet, burying a centering pass from Cameron Norrie in the slot for his 21st goal on the year, which leads Lethbridge. Brayden Edwards notched the secondary assist.

In the last minute of the period, the Warriors would make it a one-goal game with a goal from former Hurricane Aiden Ziprick, who wired a hard wrist shot from the slot past Cleaver.

The Hurricanes would finish the period outshooting Moose Jaw 22-7.

In the third, the scoring screeched to a halt, despite two powerplay chances for each team. The penalty kills made the two teams a combined 0-for-8 on the night.

In the final seconds and shorthanded after their second powerplay, the Hurricanes would ice the game when Gustafson intercepted a pass, and put the puck in the empty net to finish the game 4-2.

Banini was named first star for stopping 41 shots by the Hurricanes. Smith’s two goals and Braillard’s two assists netted them second and third star honours.

With the two victories, the Hurricanes moved into third place in the Central Division with 48 points on the season, aided by a 6-1 loss by the Edmonton Oil Kings at the hands of the Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday.

The Hurricanes will now hit the road again, as they play the first game of a three-game U.S. Division road trip on Wednesday, January 15 against the Tri-City Americans.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now.