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The Lethbridge Hurricanes lost 3-2 against the Edmonton Oil Kings at the ENMAX Centre on Saturday, January 7, 2023. (File photo: LNN)

Hurricanes lose 3-2 in shoot-out against Oil Kings Saturday night

Jan 9, 2023 | 8:04 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Lethbridge Hurricanes were looking for a repeat of their 4-2 victory against Edmonton on New Year’s Day when the Oil Kings made a stop in Lethbridge Saturday night.

On Saturday, January 7, 2023, over 3,700 fans were in the stands at the ENMAX Centre for an action-packed meeting between the two Western Hockey League (WHL) teams.

FIRST PERIOD

The first penalty of the game came just under eight minutes into the opening period, when Edmonton’s Nathan Pilling was issued a minor penalty for boarding.

Lethbridge was unable to score on the power play. The Oil Kings were the first to get points on the board. Gavin Hodnett scored his seventh goal of the season at the 10:56 mark.

His teammate Mason Finley was then issued a penalty for interference at 11:17 before the period ended. Edmonton led 1-0 going into the second frame.

SECOND PERIOD

There were no goals scored in the second, but a number of penalties were called.

At 7:41, Cole Shepard of the Hurricanes was issued a minor for interference. Later, at 11:33, Edmonton’s Rilen Kovacevic received a minor penalty for hooking.

Lethbridge’s Joe Arntsen was sent to the box at 13:52, having received a minor penalty for holding.

THIRD PERIOD

Edmonton held a 1-0 lead going into the final period of regulation.

Four and a half minutes into the frame, the latest addition to the Hurricanes, Blake Swetlikoff, made a strong first impression. He scored his sixth goal of the season to tie the game, assisted by Cole Shepard.

READ MORE: Hurricanes trade for forward Blake Swetlikoff

At 11:21, Marshall Finnie of the Oil Kings was issued a minor penalty for kneeing.

Lethbridge utilized the power play and Logan Wormald scored to give the home team the 2-1 lead.

Just as the Hurricanes thought the meeting was over, Cole Miller scored at the 17-minute mark to tie up the Saturday night game, which sent the match-up to overtime.

OVERTIME & A SHOOT-OUT

No one was able to score in the extra period, which meant fans would witness a shoot-out.

Edmonton’s Luca Hauf scored on his first attempt, while Noah Chadwick did not score for the Hurricanes. Gavin Hodnett scored one on Bryan Thomson, giving the Oil Kings the advantage.

Tyson Zimmer would then miss for Lethbridge, resulting in a 3-2 win for the visiting Edmonton team.

Edmonton goaltender Logan Cunningham was named the first star of the game, with 45 saves on 47 shots. Lethbridge’s Blake Swetlikoff was named the second star while his teammate Logan Wormald received third star of the game honours.

UP NEXT

Up next for the Lethbridge Hurricanes is a meeting with the Swift Current Broncos. The Hurricanes will host the Broncos on Wednesday, January 11 at 7:00 p.m. at the ENMAX Centre.

The Hurricanes are currently in sixth place in the WHL Eastern Conference with a record of 21-15-0-2.

Read more local sports at Lethbridge News Now.