Medicine Hat Tigers goaltender Jordan Hollett makes a save during Saturday's Western Hockey League game against the Lethbridge Hurricanes at the Canalta Centre. -- NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
The Lethbridge Hurricanes snapped a lengthy losing streak without a moment to spare on Saturday night at the Canalta Centre.
Logan Barlage scored just over one minute into the third to snap a tie game and lead Lethbridge out of an eight-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers in their final game of the regular season.
Medicine Hat’s offence went right to work in front of a packed house of 4,046 rivaling fans, but the Hurricanes held on to overtake the Tigers in the third.
Tyler Preziuso put the Tabbies out in front just 25 seconds into the first by beating Hurricanes goaltender Logan Flodell through the wickets, though the ’Canes netminder settled into his crease and kept Lethbridge in a 1-0 game with 10 saves through opening frame.
While the Hurricanes were given a chance to draw even when David Quenneville was nabbed for hooking early in the second period, Preziuso struck again shorthanded — this time 29 seconds into the minor penalty — by chipping a puck past Flodell from a sharp angle for his 17th of the year.
Aching to end their eight-game slide with the playoffs just around the corner, the Hurricanes rallied back into the fray when Zach Cox beat Tigers goaltender Jordan Hollett — who returned to the crease Saturday after missing 15 games with a knee injury — off the rush to start up a strong pushback effort.
Lethbridge appeared to tie the game when a puck bounced off the end glass and into the crease for a Zane Franklin tap-in, but a review determined the puck was kicked inside the crease before crossing the line and the goal did not stand.
Despite having a goal overturned for the second night in a row, the Hurricanes dug in and quickly shifted momentum in their favour. Captain Jordy Bellerive officially knotted the game up on a rebound with two minutes left in the second, then Barlage gave Lethbridge their first lead of the night after beating Hollett over the glove on an early 2-on-1 rush in the third.
The Tigers pressured for an equalizer but were unable to get another puck past Flodell despite two power plays and 14 shots in the final frame.
Flodell collected the 32-save victory to close out Lethbridge’s season at 33-33-6-1 while taking the season series against the Tigers by a 4-3-0-0 margin.
Hollett stopped 21 in the loss, leaving Medicine Hat’s record at 36-28-8-0 to close out the year.
The Tigers will break for the week before opening the WHL’s Eastern Conference quarter-final series Friday on home ice against the Brandon Wheat Kings at 7:30 p.m. The Hurricanes will host the Red Deer Rebels in the first round. The winner will advance to take on the winner of Medicine Hat’s series against Brandon.
