Lethbridge, AB – With a 4-0 sweep of the Calgary Hitmen in the WHL Meyers Norris Penny Eastern Conference Championship series, the Lethbridge Hurricanes have booked themselves a spot in the WHL Championship Final for the first time since 1996-1997. Lethbridge now prepares to battle for the Ed Chynoweth Cup in the WHL Championship Final presented by Kal Tire and Meyers Norris Penny with the winner of the Kal Tire Western Conference Championship series the Spokane Chiefs.
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rIn the last meeting between these two teams (Dec.5/07) the Hurricanes notched a 2-1 win over the Chiefs at the ENMAX Centre in Lethbridge. Zach Boychuk scored the game winner while rookie Cam Braes tallied the other Hurricanes marker. The Hurricanes have an all-time record of 4-9-3-0-0 against the Chiefs in Spokane and a record of 8-6-4-0-0 in the friendly confines of the ENMAX Centre for an all-time record against Spokane of 12-15-7-0-0. The Hurricanes last game in Spokane was during the 2006-2007 season on Nov.17/06, resulting in a 4-3 loss for Lethbridge. During the 2007-2008 season, Lethbridge notched a 5-0 record against U.S. Division teams. (Nov. 3/07 – Portland - 3-2W; Nov.7/07 – Everett – 4-1W; Nov.13/07 – Seattle – 3-2W; Dec.12/07 – Spokane – 2-1W; Jan.19/08 – Tri City – 2-0W)
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rGame time tonight is 8:00 PM MDT, be sure to tune into the game live with the voice of the Hurricanes; 94.1 FM - The Lounge, as Pat Siedlecki and Dick Gibson call all your Hurricanes action or see the game live and online on WHL WebTV or live on Shaw TV. Also be sure to check www.lethbridgehurricanes.com for game summaries and reports.
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rStorm Watch:
r- Veteran Moves: Jeff May (40 games) and Mike Wuchterl (54 games) have the most playoff experience for the Canes. For Wuchterl this is his third WHL Championship series appearance, he won a Memorial Cup with the Vancouver Giants last season.
r- Mitch Fadden has 271 points in his WHL career and was named a 2nd Team Eastern Conference All star along with line mate Zach Boychuk this season. For Boychuk the honor was his for the second consecutive year, the last Hurricane to accomplish back to back all star team selections was Shane Willis. Boychuk has 238 career WHL points in 214 games
r- Home and Away: The Canes tallied a road record of 23-11-1-1 and were one of seven teams in the WHL (four in the Central Division) to finish with 20 wins at home and on the road. Lethbridge only tallied a total of 13 wins on the road all of last season. Thus far in the post season the Hurricanes have an excellent road record of 5-1-1-0.
r- Juha Metsola was named CHL Goaltender of the Week for his Eastern Conference MVP performance against Calgary last week. The “Finnish Phenom” has a 12-2 record in his first WHL Playoff run, as well as a GAA of 2.01 and a save percentage of 0.922
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rTicket Information:
rAs Spokane holds home ice advantage over Lethbridge for the WHL Championship series based on their regular season point totals, the Hurricanes are proud to announce that the dates for Game Three and Four of the WHL Championship Series have been confirmed and are on sale NOW! Due to the overwhelming response from the fans, prices from the Hurricanes Eastern Conference Final series have been frozen! Be sure to check www.lethbridgehurricanes.com for ticket details or contact any Ticket Centre location, by calling 329-SEAT, or on-line at www.lethbridge.ca/tickets.
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rConfirmed home dates for the WHL Championship series with the Spokane Chiefs:
rGame 3 – Tuesday May 6th, 2008, 7pm ENMAX Centre (Playoff Home Game 9)
rGame 4 – Wednesday May 7th, 2008, 7pm ENMAX Centre (Playoff Home Game 10)
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rWHL Championship Pricing
rAdult: $24
rStudent: $19
rYouth: $10.50   
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rPlayoff Payoff Pricing is in effect! Purchase or renew your Hurricanes Season Tickets for the 2008-2009 season and save up to $250 over walk up prices! Click on the Season Tickets section at www.lethbridgehurricanes.com for details or contact the Hurricanes office at: 328-1986