NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Nick Perna makes a pass during a Western Hockey League game against the Lethbridge Hurricanes at the Canalta Centre on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
Nick Perna got the first one out of the way on Tuesday night at the Canalta Centre.
The 19-year-old Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman put an exclamation point on his team’s 8-3 victory over the rival Lethbridge Hurricanes by netting his first goal in just his second game since being traded from the Portland Winterhawks last week.
“It was good to get the first one off the chest,” said Perna, who had just one goal over 47 games with Portland before the trade. “It was a great team win. I think in the third period we definitely stepped up our game. It was just a great win.”
The 6-foot-3, 183-pound Dallas product is coming off a whirlwind week. After being forced to pack his bags and say goodbye to his former teammates on short notice, Perna made the drive from Portland all the way to Medicine Hat through a gruelling snowstorm.
“I was at home with my billet family back in Portland and I got a call from Mike Johnston who just said, ‘You’re going to Medicine Hat,'” said Perna. “Portland was leaving for Kamloops that next morning so I kind of went in, said goodbye to the boys and then took off from there to Spokane. Then I came all the way here the second day, on Thanksgiving, so it was a lot … The drive up here was a little bit hairy, so it was nice to get up here – fight through that snowstorm and get on the ice.”
While getting here was a challenge, Perna says once he finally arrived in the Great White North he was immediately welcomed into the Tigers family and quickly started adjusting to the different systems.
“The boys are great, it was nice meeting them and the coaches have been great. Everyone I’ve met has been awesome so it’s been really easy to adjust,” he said. “Getting used to all the systems and what we have to do, in Portland it was a little bit different. Switching over to this, I think I’m settling in good after (Tuesday’s) game.”
Perna became the second player to join the Tigers through a trade last week, following behind forward Cyle McNabb, who was sent from the Saskatoon Blades to Medicine Hat two days before Perna’s acquisition.
“We were kind of joking around, saying I was only the new guy for one day then another new guy came in,” said McNabb. “Obviously me and him can kind of chat and go through it together, it makes it easier.”
Hat assistant coach Joe Frazer says both Perna and McNabb seem to fit the mould of a Tiger well. The Tabbies pride themselves on a dedicated work ethic and strong conditioning, and Frazer says both new recruits have been proving those aspects of their character since arriving in Medicine Hat.
“They’ll be great,” said Frazer. “The one thing about our culture, it starts with the leaders, they accept everybody. If you come in and work hard, they’ll accept you. We tell all the new guys when they get here, ‘Working hard is cool here. It’s not cool to take time off and be lazy. If you come in and work hard you’ll fit right in.’ I know those two, they’ll do that.”
The Tigers return to the ice Friday to face the Hurricanes in Lethbridge at 7 p.m.
