By Dori Modney (@Dori_Modney on Twitter)

Hurricanes hold on to defeat Hitmen 5-4

Oct 27, 2017 | 11:53 PM

LETHBRIDGE – The Hurricanes improved to 7 and 5 on the season after downing the Calgary Hitmen at the Enmax Friday night.

The game got off to a roaring, high scoring first period. Less than three minutes in, Egor Zudilov tipped the puck inside Calgary’s net off a shot from Brady Pouteau, with the assist to Jake Elmer.

The Canes’ lead was short lived, as the Hitmen planted back to back power play goals at 8:45 and 10:35, leaving the visitors ahead 2-1.

Action didn’t lag and four minutes later Jordy Bellerive notched his seventh goal of the season, assisted by Ty Prefontaine and Brady Pouteau. The Hitmen were quick to answer back just a minute later, taking the score to 3-2.

Feeding on the quick pace, Calen Addison found the back of Calgary’s net just 40 second later, to tie the game 3-3.  The first frame came to end with the teams racking up two penalties each and the Hitmen ahead 13-10 with shots on goal.

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After a fast-paced first period both goalies were on their game for the second. The Canes’ Stuart Skinner reacted to a short-handed breakaway and kept the game tied, in 20-minutes of back and forth that produced just three minor penalties and saw Lethbridge lead shots-on-goal 24-22.

The first goal in the third didn’t come until the eight-minute mark, when Egor Zudilov tallied his second goal of the game, assisted by Jake Elmer and Brady Pouteau. The Canes were ahead 4-3, when just over two minutes later, the Hitmen came back on a two-on-one to slap a rebound shot and, again, tied the game.

The Hurricanes didn’t let up the pace and a scramble in front of Calgary’s net produced the game winning goal from Ryan Vandervlis, with assistance from Calen Addison and Jordy Bellerive.

Scoring came to an end with the Vandervlis goal at 13:16, but the Hitmen’s Andrew Fyten racked-up a five-minute major and a game misconduct for a hit from behind. In spite of the advantage for the Canes, the home team charted a succession of three minor penalties.

With 6-on-3 for the Hitmen, they pulled their goalie. As the clocked ticked down to less than a minute in the game, there was a scramble outside the Canes’ net. Fortunately, the Canes held on for 5-4 the win.

Shots on goal were 37-34 for the Canes, who host Seattle Sunday night at 6:00.