Calgary, Alta.- The playoff winds have blown the Lethbridge Hurricanes all the way to the WHL Eastern Conference Championship.
The Bridge City bunch punched their ticket with a hard-fought 3-1 road win to eliminate the Calgary Hitmen in Game 7 of their second-round series on Wednesday night.
Alternate Captain Brayden Edwards was in on all three Canes goals to keep the playoff train chugging.
The Abbotsford, B.C. product opened the scoring off a scrambled play in front of a ravenous crowd at the Scotiabank Saddledome before dishing an assist to Logan Wormald for the series-clinching goal on a two-on-one break in the first period.
Edwards capped off his night by teeing up Luke Cozens for a beautiful backhand strike early in the final frame.
2024 WHL Champion Jackson Unger made 34 saves to seal the win, highlighted by a slew of highlight-reel saves on a 4:00 penalty kill in the third period.
The former Moose Jaw Warriors went 4-1-0-2 in the second round with a 2.09 goals-against average, a .923 save percentage and a shutout in Game 1.
Edwards, who is in his final season of WHL eligibility, led the charge for the Hurricanes with nine points (4G-5A) in seven games, while Captain and WHL Defenceman of the Year nominee Noah Chadwick (Toronto Maple Leafs) made a massive impact with four goals and three assists- including a two goal effort in Game 6 to force the seventh and final tilt.
Lethbridge has advanced to the Conference Championship for the first time since 2018, when they fell to the eventual champion Swift Current Broncos.
The Hurricanes will tangle with the Eastern Conference regular-season-leading Medicine Hat Tigers for a berth in the WHL Championship Series.
