By Sheldon Spackman

Rebels shell-shocked in Lethbridge

Mar 24, 2018 | 9:43 PM

The Red Deer Rebels dropped their second game in as many nights to the Hurricanes in Lethbridge Saturday, suffering an 8-3 loss to fall behind 2-0 in their best of seven WHL playoff series.

The first period in this one saw Red Deer get their first goal of the series early in the game when Brandon Hagel capitalized on a power play opportunity and solved the Flodell mystery from the night before, scoring at 59 seconds in and notching his first goal of the playoffs to make it 1-0 Red Deer. The goal followed a Lethbridge roughing penalty to Jadon Joseph at the 27 second mark which set a physical tone for the night.

The Rebels lead was short-lived though as Lethbridge flexed their special teams muscle once again by scoring a shorthanded goal at 7:44 courtesy of Dylan Cozens, his first of the playoffs to make it 1-1.

Soon afterwards, the Hurricanes grabbed a 2-1 lead when Dylan Cozens struck again, this time on the power play at 11:49 to earn his second goal of the game and the playoffs, a rebound effort after Rebels netminder Ethan Anders made the first two saves.

Unfortunately for Red Deer, the goal was quickly followed up with a bar-down blast from Zachary Cox at 13:03 to make it 3-1 Lethbridge. It was Cox’s first goal of the playoffs and led to a goaltending change for Red Deer, Riley Lamb replacing Rebels Rookie of the Year, Ethan Anders.

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The Hurricanes then added to their lead when Brad Morrison came down the left wing a few minutes later and scored his second of the playoffs, high glove-side on Riley Lamb at 17:41 to make it 4-1 for the home team.

However, Red Deer still showed life when Josh Tarzwell picked up his first goal of the playoffs at 18:38, a backhand shot from his knees at the top of the circle, hitting the post and in to make it 4-2 Lethbridge after a wild opening twenty minutes of play.

In the second, the Hurricanes extended their two-goal lead once again when Taylor Ross fired a one-timer past Riley Lamb at 6:59, his second goal of the playoffs to make it 5-2 Lethbridge.

Then just over a minute and a half later, the Canes Dylan Cozens picked up his own rebound to earn himself a hatrick on the night and his third of the playoffs, to make it 6-2 Lethbridge. The power play goal led to a large number of hats raining down on the Enmax Centre ice according to Rebels play-by-play man Cam Moon.

Then just 36 seconds later and eight seconds into another Lethbridge power play, the Hurricane’s Jordy Bellerive scored his second of the playoffs at 9:15 to make it 7-2 for the Home side.

In the third, things got worse for Red Deer as the Hurricane’s Brad Morrison scored his second of the night and third of the playoffs at 4:43 to make it 8-2 Lethbridge. It was the second time in the game Lethbridge scored four unanswered goals.

Red Deer however didn’t pack it in as Brandon Hagel came in through the Hurricane’s zone and shot it high, glove side on Lethbridge goalie Reece Klassen who came in to replace Logan Flodell on just the previous shift to make it 8-3 Hurricanes. It was Hagel’s second goal of the night and second of the playoffs and came on the power play at 10:55. The game would later finish 8-3 Lethbridge.

Shots on goal finished 38-34 in favour of Lethbridge, with the Hurricanes going 3 for 5 on the power play and the Rebels 2 for 8.

Games three and four of the best of seven series now switch to Red Deer on Tuesday, March 27 and Wednesday, March 28 for 7:00 p.m. face-offs at the Enmax Centrium.

If you can’t make it to the games, all the action will be live on 106.7 The Drive starting with the pre-game shows at 6:30 p.m.