Well, apparently you don’t keep them down. They keep coming back for more because it’s an intoxicating hook.
The Lethbridge Hurricanes missed the post-season for six consecutive years before finally making it to the playoffs last season. The Hurricanes, 9-1 in their last 10 games, have staying power this season at an Eastern Conference third-ranked 34-16-7.
The Victoria Royals head into Lethbridge tonight on a two-game losing slide at 31-23-4 and seventh ranked in the tough Western Conference.
The Hurricanes wheeled and dealed this season like they were on the Vegas Strip, not in an outpost in southern Alberta. There is a certain irony that the Hurricanes began the training camp with four 20-year-olds on the roster, with only three allowed. Carter Folk turned out to be the odd over-ager out in September and came to the Royals, who had a 20-year-old slot open. Yet, now only one of the four pre-season Hurricanes over-agers remains — current 40-goal scorer Tyler Wong — with Ryley Lindgren sent to the Swift Current Broncos and Kord Pankewicz to the Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior League. Add in 19-year-old Brayden Burke, also sent by the Hurricanes mid-season to the Moose Jaw Warriors, and you have a bit of an exodus.
“[Lethbridge] filtered out a lot of guys . . . there are a lot of new players on the roster,” said Folk, who was among those who got his first taste of the WHL post-season last spring with the ’Canes.
So it’s kind of like old home week for Folk, yet not really.
“It’s exciting to see my [old] billets,” he said.
But Folk has moved on, both physically and mentally. Yet, there always remains that tug when re-entering a city and building you once called home.
“I had circled on the calendar both games in Lethbridge,” Folk admitted. “I am hoping for a better result this time [the Hurricanes won the first meeting 5-2 at the Enmax Centre on Oct. 12].”
“It’s good to have another chance to stick it to them,” added Folk, a native of Regina who next season will play U Sports hockey at a Canadian university to be decided, while leaning toward enrolling in agricultural studies.
The Royals forward ranks continue to be depleted. Injured Anaheim Ducks prospect Tyler Soy is out week to week and Ryan Peckford is gone six-to-seven weeks, the latter a brutal break for a formerly unheralded player who was having a breakout season and had worked his way up to being the 87th ranked North American skater for the 2017 NHL draft.
Royals forward Jared Dmytriw, meanwhile, will sit out the second game of his three-game league suspension tonight.
“It’s going to take a group effort to overcome the players we are missing,” said Folk, a physical, fore-checking role forward, with six goals and 15 points and 87 penalty minutes in 54 games.
“That’s the message in our room. We can’t leave it up to one or two guys. It’s going to take all of us.”
