Despite coming into their Western Hockey League first-round playoff series against the Moose Jaw Warriors as the lower seed, the Lethbridge Hurricanes don’t see themselves as being at any disadvantage.
“This is a series we’re confident in,” forward Jett Jones said.
The Warriors finished seven points ahead of the ‘Canes during the regular season on their way to securing the Eastern Conference’s fourth spot.
Moose Jaw also had the upper hand in the season series, winning three of four.
“The scores weren’t always indicative of how the games were played, but they’re a heck of a hockey team,” said ‘Canes head coach Brent Kisio.
“They’ve got a great power play… a lot of skill up front. We’re built differently that way and we’ve got to play different kinds of games.”
Up front, Moose Jaw boasts two players sitting in the top 25 of WHL scoring: Jagger Firkus and Brayden Yager.
In total, five Warriors scored at a pace of more than a point per game.
Charged with stopping that attack is ‘Canes goalie Bryan Thomson, who finished top 10 in save percentage, goals against average and shutouts among goalies with at least 20 games played.
“They’ve got a lot of skill, so we need to know who we’re on the ice against,” Thomson said. “We know what we need to do and play our game to get the job done.”
The ‘Canes believe playing a responsible team game will be key to their success.
“It’s going to be every guy doing their job, if it’s scoring goals or being an energy guy, hitting guys,” Jones said.
“We can’t be in the box much,” Kisio said. “We’re going to have to be a disciplined team that if we take a penalty, it has to be a hard penalty. It can’t be a little stick-check or something like that, because their power play will hurt you.”
Beginning on the road as the fifth-seed, the Hurricanes are looking for a fast start, trying to swing the series in their favour early.
“We’re happy with this matchup,” Jones said. “It’s just going to be big to get Game 1 and 2 in Moose Jaw, and play good.”
The series opens Friday with Game 2 the following evening. Puck drop for both is at 7 p.m.
Games 3 and 4 return to Lethbridge Apr. 4 and 5.
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