Canes win Traverse City title

The Carolina Hurricanes completed a strong run through the Traverse City (Mich.) prospects tournament Tuesday, topping the host Red Wings 6-4 to win the championship for the first time since 2009.

Forward Julien Gauthier and defenseman Jake Bean, both taken by Carolina in the first round of this year’s NHL Entry Draft, combined for three goals in the second period.

Gauthier scored short-handed, then later powered his way to the net for a second goal. Bean ripped a shot from the right circle for a power-play score.

The Canes jumped to an early 2-0 lead in the first as Steven Lorentz and Andrew Poturalski scored. The Wings made it 2-1 with a goal in the final minute of the period.

In the second, the Wings had a shot bang off the crossbar and Carolina goalie Alex Nedeljkovic made a lunging save to maintain the Canes’ 2-1 lead – one of his 31 saves.

Bean scored to make it 3-1, and Gauthier scored off a Nicolas Roy pass on a two-on-one rush for the shorthanded goal, then used his 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame to muscle to the net to score again.

Hudson Elynuik, a third-round pick this year, scored in the third for the Canes. Tyler Bertuzzi scored the second of his two goals for Detroit later in the third.

The Canes prospects, coached by new Charlotte Checkers coach Ulf Samuelsson, topped the New York Rangers 4-3 in their opener, then beat the Minnesota Wild 4-2. A 6-3 victory over the Dallas Stars earned the Canes a spot in the title game, where they claimed the Matthew Wuest Memorial Cup.

Nedeljkovic started three games in the tournament.

This story was originally published September 20, 2016 at 9:37 PM with the headline "Canes win Traverse City title."