Rebels 3 Hurricanes 2 (SO)
LETHBRIDGE — The new-look Lethbridge Hurricanes, under the guidance of GM/head coach Peter Anholt since mid-December, presented the visiting Red Deer Rebels with a major test Saturday.
The ‘Canes, with rookie netminder Stuart Skinner coming off a 40-save-performance in a 5-3 road loss to the Edmonton Oil Kings the night before and looking stellar once again, led 2-0 less than seven minutes into the contest. But Rebels netminder Taz Burman never allowed another regulation-time goal as his teammates battled back to force a scoreless overtime and then prevailed in a shootout for a 3-2 Western Hockey League victory.
“We battled hard, it was a tough game,” said Rebels GM/head coach Brent Sutter. “Lethbridge was certainly a different team, they played a much more structured and heavier game and their goaltender was very good for them.
“But I thought Burms played very well for us too. He was really good. It was kind of a goaltenders duel and a well-played game by both teams.”
The Hurricanes opened the scoring just 2:04 into the game when Miles Warkentine potted his second goal of the season, and struck again at 6:43, with Taylor Cooper pulling the trigger.
“We got behind early but we stayed with our game,” said Sutter. “It was just one of those nights when we had to stay with it and stay with it. It was a hard-fought, tough game.”
Defenceman Nelson Nogier got the visitors on the board with his second goal of the season late in the second period and Presten Kopeck connected with 1:51 remaining in the third period to pull the Rebels even.
Nothing was settled during the five-minute overtime session and Burman stopped five of the six shooters he faced in the ensuing shootout. Brooks Maxwell and rearguard Brett Cote, with the clincher, beat Skinner in the one-on-one competition.
Burman finished with 31 saves through 65 minutes, while Skinner turned aside 36 shots.
The win came on the heels of back-to-back Red Deer losses, including Friday’s 5-3 defeat to the visiting Kootenay Ice in which Rebels netminder Rylan Toth struggled and was replaced by Burman late in the second period.
“The tough part about Friday’s game was that it was there for us because we actually played very well,” said Sutter.
“Tother had a tough night. When you’re down 4-1 and only giving up 14 shots on net . . . you need to have better goaltending than that, and he knows it. He’s going through a little tough stretch now and he just has to bounce back from that.”
• The Rebels are idle until Friday when they are in Cranbrook to face the Ice. Red Deer is home to the Brandon Wheat Kings 24 hours later . . . The Rebels were zero-for-five on the power play Saturday; the ‘Canes were zero-for-four . . . Forward Morgan Klimchuk, a Calgary Flames first-round NHL entry draft pick in 2013, scored a goal and added an assist in his Brandon Wheat Kings debut Saturday — a 7-4 win over the visiting Calgary Hitmen. Klimchuk , 19 and likely in his final junior season, was acquired from the Regina Pats Friday in return for 17-year-old forward Jesse Gabrielle . . . The Edmonton Oilers returned centre Leon Draisaitl to the Prince Albert Raiders Sunday. The Oilers’ first-round selection in last year’s NHL entry draft is expected to be dealt by the Raiders to a WHL championship contending team within the next two to three days. The Kelowna Rockets are rumoured to be the front-runners to acquire Draisaitl.
gmeachem@www.reddeeradvocate.com