Medicine Hat News
In a back-and-forth series, did you expect anything less than a back-and-forth Game 7?
The Lethbridge Hurricanes beat the Medicine Hat Tigers 5-4 Tuesday in front of a near-sellout crowd of 5,556 at Canalta Centre, advancing to the WHL’s Eastern Conference finals with 4-3 series victory.
Tyler Wong’s shorthanded goal three minutes into the extra frame sent off a wild celebration by a team that had relied on him in an incredible display of endurance.
The Canes advance to play the top-ranked team in the CHL, the Regina Pats starting Friday at the Brandt Centre. Regina came back from a 3-1 series deficit to beat Swift Current in their Game 7 Monday night.
Mark Rassell had two critical goals off rebounds as the Tigers came back from a 3-1 deficit, while Matt Bradley and Zach Fischer had the others for the Central Division champions. Jordy Bellerive, Tyler Wong and Egor Babenko all scored in the first past Medicine Hat netminder Michael Bullion, who got better as the night went on to finish with 25 aves. But affiliate player Dylan Cozens forced overtime late.
Stuart Skinner was busier in the Hurricanes net, making 36 saves in the team’s second-straight Game 7. They beat Red Deer two weeks earlier to claim their first-round series win.
Emotions were expectedly high at Canalta Centre, with the biggest crowd since the building opened a year and a half earlier. But it was the fans decked out in blue and red who went home happy.
