By Patrick Burles - @PatrickBurles on Twitter

Second straight comeback win gives Hurricanes 2-1 series lead over Tigers

Apr 12, 2017 | 12:34 AM

LETHBRIDGE – Just when you think they’re done, the Hurricanes find a way.

It’s becoming a bit of a theme for the club – who grabbed a 2-1 series lead Tuesday (Apr. 11) with a 5-2 come from behind win over the Medicine Hat Tigers.

After coming back from a 3-1 series deficit against Red Deer to advance to the second round against Medicine Hat, the Hurricanes were shutout in an ugly game one loss to the Tigers. They opened game two by swiftly falling behind 2-0, before clawing back for the victory and evening the best of seven series at one win apiece.

Tuesday night, they did it again.

Playing game three in front of an energized home crowd in Lethbridge, the team came out of the gate strong, but once again found themselves down 2-0 just past the halfway mark of the second, on goals from Medicine Hat’s James Hamblin and Mark Rassell.

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The comeback would start four minutes later, as Jordy Bellerive put the Hurricanes on the board, firing a wrist shot over the glove of Tigers’ netminder, Michael Bullion. Just one minute later, Giorgio Estephan would tie things up with a bullet on the power play.

The ‘Canes momentum carried over into the third, with Tyler Wong picking up the game winner with another power play marker. Estephan then added his second of the night, and Brennan Menell iced the victory with an empty net goal.

Having surrendered a two-goal lead for the second straight game, tempers boiled over for the Tigers with just 19 seconds left in the contest. A scrum behind the Hurricanes net quickly turned into a pair of fights, and then two more as the officials tried to get the players off the ice. In total, the referees handed out seven 10-minute misconducts – four to Medicine Hat and three to Lethbridge – along with three minor penalties.

Following the game, the WHL’s hottest player spoke to the media. Estephan registered two goals and an assist in the matchup, and has now put up 16-points in eight games to lead the Western Hockey League in playoff scoring. When asked how he’s doing it, he quickly directed the focus to the entire team.

“I just want to win, and I’m excited to come and play everyday, and my line-mates and everyone on the ice has been impeccable. Even from [Skinner] playing in the net, he kind of makes the save and we turn the other way,” he stated.

Estephan’s brilliance has helped to cover up the fact that the Lethbridge roster is decimated by injuries to key players. Calen Addison, Matt Alfaro, Zak Zborosky and Zane Franklin are all major parts of the team who are currently on the shelf with undisclosed injuries.

Both teams will now turn their attention to a crucial game four Wednesday (Apr. 12) – again at the Enmax Centre – with the Hurricanes eyeing a potential 3-1 series lead and the Tigers hoping to square things up before going home for game five on Friday (Apr. 14).