When the Lethbridge Hurricanes unveiled their Central Division banner at the beginning of the season, expectations for the team were the highest they’ve been in years. A month later, the team was mired in a six-game losing streak and was searching for answers.
“Everyone needs to buy in, or it’s going to be a long season,” Hurricanes captain Tyler Wong said in a Nov. 14 interview with Global News.
Just as the season was beginning to spiral, the team made a number of roster moves in an effort to create the right culture.
“We need to look at how we treat one another,” Hurricanes General Manager Peter Anholt said in an Oct. 24 interview with Global News. “In how we support one another, there’s a lot of things we want to look at.”
They traded and waived a number of players including leading scorer Brayden Burke, trying to find the right mix, and eventually they did. The ‘Canes caught fire, picking up points in 13 straight games. The stretch vaulted them to 5th place in the eastern conference.
“I’m proud as can be of this group,” Anholt said in a Dec. 12 interview with Global News. “How can we not be proud of them? It’s impressive what these kids have done, and what our coaching staff has done.”
The team is back in contention. But how does this year’s Hurricanes team compare to last year’s bunch that shocked the league?
Well, midway through their respective seasons, the 2016/17 version of the ‘Canes is well behind in wins, goals for, and goals against.
The hope for this year’s team is the adversity they’ve been through has strengthened them.
“Last year we had none (adversity) until playoffs,” Anholt said in a Nov. 9 interview with Global News. “And what good did that do? Right? I mean, we lost in the first round of playoffs, and quickly.”
The group hopes the adversity is behind them, and their chemistry continues to build in the second half.
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