NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers goaltender Garin Bjorklund reaches out for a poke check in the first period of the Tigers 2-0 loss to the Calgary Hitmen Saturday night.
“You have to decide if you don’t want to be average and if you don’t want to be average, then find a way not to be, just find a way.”
Said Medicine Hat Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins after the Tigers 2-0 loss Saturday night at Co-op Place against the Calgary Hitmen.
“It’s just something that’s inside you and guys have to realize that,” Desjardins said.
Medicine Hat came into Saturday’s contest on the heels of a 3-0 loss Friday night in Red Deer against the Rebels. After Saturday’s defeat, the Tigers have been held goalless in three straight games and have been outshot 111-45 in those three contests.
Desjardins said there’s no reason for guys not to be good or play hard.
“I don’t care if it’s your age, I don’t care, our guys can find ways to be better,” Desjardins said. Sometimes we break down in structure, our penalty kill has been great lately and our goaltending has been good–there’s things there that are good enough for us to play well. Guys just have to figure it out…”
Tabbies net minder Garin Bjorklund was locked in early as he turned aside multiple high danger Hitmen chances to keep the game at 0-0.
The Tigers ultimately fell behind first on an unfortunate bounce. Keagen Slaney fired a puck wide left of the net that ricocheted off the boards and banked off Bjorklund’s back and into the net with 4:12 left in the period.
The Highway 3 rivalry was in full spirits in the first frame as every whistle was met with shoving and chirps flowing back and forth afterwards.
Calgary carried their 1-0 lead into the first intermission after outshooting the Tigers 14-2.
Tigers forward Noah Danielson, who made his return to the lineup Friday after being out with injury since Feb. 16, said they have to get more pucks on net if they want to find success.
“I think we just have to funnel more pucks to the net, get traffic, go hard to the net I think that will be key for us,” Danielson said.
The second period was a back and forth affair as both the Tigers and Hitmen traded chances. Medicine Hat had two power play opportunities that they could not find the back of the net on. Penalty trouble soon quenched the Tabbies momentum as the penalty kill was put to work twice in the frame, with the second PK coming with 15 seconds left in the period.
The stalemate of a second period continued into the third as the two teams traded chances but could not find twine. Bjokrlund continued his clinic in net, keeping the Hitmen at bay with save after save and bringing the crowd of 2,483 to their feet.
Calgary cracked the code in the third when Riley Fiddler-Schultz broke across the Tigers blue line and fired a shot past Bjorklund. Fiddler-Schultz’s 27th of the season gave Calgary their 2-0 lead.
The Tigers brought Bjorklund to the bench late but could not find the back of the net with six skaters as the Hitmen held on for the 2-0 win.
Calgary’s Brayden Peters pitched the shutout making 13 saves to give Calgary a much needed two points as they are fighting for the Eastern Conference’s final wildcard spot. The Hitmen sit three points back of Swift Current in the final playoff spot with 55 points.
Hitmen head coach Steve Hamilton said he was happy with his team’s performance as they fight to remain in the playoff hunt.
“Our playoff lives are at stake here and this nine game stretch and I think our guys understand this is our playoff hockey right now if we’re going to give ourselves any chance to play we have to be dialled in and I though it was a good performance,” Hamilton said.
Across the ice, Bjorklund turned aside 37 shots in the loss.
Medicine Hat has a few days off before they hit the road to Calgary Wednesday for their final match of the season against the Hitmen.
Desjardins said, “guys have to be better,” when asked what the focus will be in practice ahead of that rematch.
“There’s not a lot of secrets, we’re playing against good teams that are fighting for playoff spots and we are going with a young lineup, so it will not be easy,” Desjardins said. “So is there any magic? No, there’s no magic, it’s hard work. Every shift has to be good, we can’t afford for a guy to have a night or a bad shift or take a bad penalty.”
