The Lethbridge Hurricanes are set to face the Moose Jaw Warriors in the first round of the WHL Playoffs. (File photo: LNN)

By Justin Goulet

Hurricanes announces first-round playoff details, season award winners

Mar 25, 2023 | 6:04 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Lethbridge Hurricanes have qualified for the Western Hockey League (WHL) post-season, and know who their first round opponents will be.

The Hurricanes are set to face off against the Moose Jaw Warriors in the opening round of the 2023 WHL Playoffs, presented by Stringam Law.

This season will mark the seventh straight post-season appearance for the Lethbridge club. The Hurricanes will start the series in Moose Jaw at the MJ Events Centre on Friday, March 31, 2023.

This series will mark just the third time the Hurricanes and Warriors will face each other in the WHL Playoffs. It will be the first time they will see each other in the post-season since 1997, when Lethbridge defeated Moose Jaw in six games in the second round. That post-season, the Hurricanes went on to win the WHL championship.

Below is the post-season schedule for the best-of-seven first round series between Lethbridge and Moose Jaw:

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• Friday, March 31 at 7 p.m. – Lethbridge at Moose Jaw at the MJ Events Centre
• Saturday, April 1 at 7 p.m. – Lethbridge at Moose Jaw at the MJ Events Centre
• Tuesday, April 4 at 7 p.m. – Moose Jaw at Lethbridge at the ENMAX Centre
• Wednesday, April 5 at 7 p.m. – Moose Jaw at Lethbridge at the ENMAX Centre
• Friday, April 7 at 7 p.m. – Lethbridge at Moose Jaw at the MJ Events Centre
• Saturday, April 8 at 7 p.m. – Moose Jaw at Lethbridge at the ENMAX Centre
• Tuesday, April 11 at 7 p.m. – Lethbridge at Moose Jaw at the MJ Events Centre

Lethbridge finished the 2022-2023 regular season in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, while Moose Jaw landed in fourth.

The Hurricanes conclude their regular season against the Rebels in Red Deer on Saturday, March 25. More information on playoff tickets is available at the Lethbridge Hurricanes website.

SEASON AWARDS

In addition to announcing post-season details, the Hurricanes have unveiled their awards for the 2022-2023 season.

Tyson Zimmer has won the 106.7 ROCK Three Star Award. Zimmer was named a star of the game on 11 occasions over the regular season. The forward was named a first star six times, a second star twice, and a third star three times. In 11 of the games in which Zimmer was named a star, the Hurricanes were victorious against their opponents.

The Canadian Tire South Top Scorer Award went to forward Cole Shepard. He set a career high with 55 points over the regular season, including 20 goals and 35 assists. The overage player led the Hurricanes in assists, points, power play assists, shorthanded goals, and shorthanded assists.

Hurricanes defenseman Joe Arntsen received the Herman Elfring Community Relations Award. The team said Arntsen has been “a great ambassador in the community this season, attending numerous events, including hockey practices and school visits throughout the season, going out of his way to always connect with the kids that are in attendance.”

Noah Chadwick received the Hockey Hounds Scholastic Award. The defenseman completed his high school requirements one year early. He completed an online course through Athabasca University and an in-person university transfer elective course at Lethbridge College. Currently, Chadwick is finishing a second online university course, while balancing his work on the ice.

The Dennis Dirtwork Fan Favourite award was given to forward Jett Jones. He is a three-time recipient of the award, joining Brad Rubachuk, Jason Hegberg and Tyler Wong as the only other players in team history to win the award three or more times. Jones received 560,569 votes out of over one-million ballots cast, which is a new team record.

Defenseman Chase Pauls won the ENMAX Corporation Hardest Working Award. Pauls serves as an alternate captain for the Hurricanes and earned 19 points this year.

Joe Arntsen earned a second award. He was the recipient of the Sefas Farms Top Defenseman Award. He set a new career high in goals and led the Hurricanes in defenseman scoring.

The Joan Kobal Memorial Award is given to a player who demonstrates dedication, perseverance and sportsmanship. Goaltender Bryan Thomson received the award for the 2022-2023 season. Thomson missed an entire summer and training camp after recovering from an off-season hip surgery. He returned the Hurricanes only to be injured two games back into the fold. Since making a full return to the team, Thomson has posted career bests in goals against average (2.58), save percentage (.921) and shutouts, with three. He is also tied for second in all-time victories in team history with 58.

The Car Trentini Memorial Award is given to the team’s Rookie of the Year. The winner for the 2022-2023 season is goaltender Harrison Meneghin. He started his rookie campaign as a backup netminder before becoming an established starter, at one point starting 14 games. Meneghin has posted a record of 19-12-2-2 with a goals against average of 2.83 and a .908 save percentage, with one shutout. He is also ranked by the NHL Central Scouting Service for the upcoming NHL Draft, and was named the WHL Goaltender of the Month in November.

Jett Jones was named the winner of the Harry Ingarfield Memorial Award as the team’s Most Valuable Player. In his final WHL season, Jones set new career highs in goals (21), assists (28) and points (49, while taking the most face-offs than anyone else in the entire WHL over the regular season. Jones has served as the co-captain of the Hurricanes for the last two seasons.

Read more local sports at Lethbridge News Now.