Lethbridge Hurricanes ended their winless start to the WHL season with a 3:5 away victory over Tri-City Americans on Wednesday night, breaking a run of four consecutive defeats for the visitors. The hosts remain without a point after four games, while the visitors secured their first win in five matches.
Both sides sit near the bottom of the standings with zero points on the board, which tells you nothing about where they might finish — the table only begins to form meaning once teams have accumulated some points. Lethbridge's victory though marks a shift in momentum for a side that had been searching for answers.
The Americans' recent record reads like a cautionary tale: losses to Penticon, Spokane twice, Kamloops and Wenatchee in their last four outings. Tri-City picked up one point last week in their previous fixture, but that was a draw, not a win. They should have too much for teams they've been losing to consistently.
Lethbridge's path to this result was not straightforward either. They dropped 4:7 to Calgary, then found their feet with a 3:1 win over Prince Albert before losing to Red Deer and suffering two heavy defeats to Medicine Hat. The old head settled them down in this one, and the visitors saw it out without letting Americans back into the game.
The result extends Tri-City's winless streak to five games across all competitions and leaves them staring at the drop in the early stages of the season. Lethbridge, meanwhile, are on a good run now and the confidence from one win can change everything in junior hockey.
