LETHBRIDGE, Alberta — The Lethbridge Hurricanes have been one of the early surprises in the WHL this season following a 2014-15 campaign that saw them win just 20 games last season.
The Hurricanes maintained their stranglehold on second place in the Central Division as they snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-3 victory over the visiting Everett Silvertips before 2,767 fans Wednesday at the Enmax Center.
A short-handed goal by Lethbridge’s Cory Millette at 1:33 in the third period proved the difference and gave the Hurricanes a 4-2 lead.
Everett’s Noah Juulsen cut the deficit to one with a slap shot from the point at 15:59, and the Tips pulled goaltender Mario Petit two minutes later. But Everett couldn’t get the equalizer before time expired.
Everett (11-6-0-1, 23 points) saw its own three-game winning streak snapped as the Silvertips squandered an opportunity to move into sole possession of second place in the U.S. Division. The Hurricanes (13-8-0-0, 26 points) won their seventh straight at home.
Russian import Egor Babenko and Millette both scored twice for Lethbridge as the Hurricanes erased a 1-0 deficit after the first period. Coming into the game Everett had lost just once in regulation when scoring first. The Tips are now 9-2-0-1 when finding the net first.
Babenko scored twice in the second period as the Hurricanes turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-2 advantage through two periods.
Millette then opened the third with the short-handed goal as the Hurricanes took advantage of a three-on-two situation when Kord Pankewicz found Millette all alone at the right post for the two-goal advantage.
Babenko’s second goal came at 18:47 in the second when he skated in from the left side, dragged his toe and fired past Petit. The goal came after countryman Yan Khomenko had tied the game for Everett off a brilliant feed from former Hurricane Remi Laurencelle at 13:23.
The Hurricanes first took the lead at 8:04 when Babenko curled around from behind the net and went top shelf with his backhand for the 2-1 advantage.
Everett led 1-0 through the first period, but Carter Folk’s shot from the slot bounced off Petit to Millette, who crashed the net hard and put the rebound past Petit with 2:13 gone in the second.
The Tips took advantage of a Lethbridge turnover deep in its own zone to create their first goal. Graham Millar fed Devon Skoleski in a two-on-one situation, and Skoleski tallied his fifth goal of the year past Lethbridge goaltender Jayden Sittler’s right side at 10:31.
Everett out-shot Lethbridge 34-29. Laurencelle, who was the Hurricanes’ eighth-round bantam pick in 2010, finished with two assists in his first trip back to Lethbridge since he was acquired by Everett in 2014.
Petit made his first WHL start at goaltender. The Manitoba native recorded 25 saves as he was saddled with the loss.
Stittler earned the win as he tallied 31 saves.
Everett continues its four-game swing through the Central Division as it plays at Medicine Hat on Friday at 6 p.m.
Follow Silvertips writer Jesse Geleynse on Twitter @jessegeleynse.
Hurricanes 4, Silvertips 3
Everett 1 1 1 — 3
Lethbridge 0 3 1 — 4
1st Period—1, Everett, Skoleski 5 (Millar), 10:31. Penalties—Merezhko Let (delay of game), 6:46; Pfeifer Evt (interference), 13:04.
2nd Period—2, Lethbridge, Millette 8 (Folk, Lindgren), 2:13. 3, Lethbridge, Babenko 10 (Atwal), 8:04. 4, Everett, Khomenko 1 (Laurencelle, Stadnyk), 13:23. 5, Lethbridge, Babenko 11 (Nielsen), 18:47. Penalties—Gerth Evt (major-fighting), 5:20; Pankewicz Let (major-fighting), 5:20; Sutter Evt (tripping), 9:46; Pankewicz Let (cross checking), 14:00; Atwal Let (high sticking), 15:54; Lindgren Let (slashing), 20:00.
3rd Period—6, Lethbridge, Millette 9 (Pankewicz, Gutierrez), 1:33 (SH). 7, Everett, Juulsen 3 (Skrumeda, Laurencelle), 15:59. Penalties—MacDonald Evt (roughing), 11:56; Gutierrez Let (roughing), 11:56.
Shots on Goal—Everett 13-10-11-34. Lethbridge 13-8-8-29.
Power Play Opportunities—Everett 0/4; Lethbridge 0/2.
Goalies—Everett, Petit 0-1-0-0 (29 shots-25 saves). Lethbridge, Sittler 7-4-0-0 (34 shots-31 saves).
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