NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Brendan Lee points to teammate Andrew Basha who assisted on his first period power play goal in the Tigers 6-1 win Wednesday night at Co-op Place against the Brandon Wheat Kings.
The Medicine Hat Tigers picked up their first back-to-back win of the season in a big way Wednesday night.
Brendan Lee and Oasiz Wiesblatt had three point nights for the Tigers who beat the visiting Brandon Wheat Kings 6-1 at Co-op Place. They entered the game on a high note after beating the Moose Jaw Warriors 5-1 on the road Saturday.
Head coach Willie Desjardins said the Tigers played hard from the start and it paid off.
“The key was the third period when the game was on the line, we came out and we got those two quick ones. That turned it right away there,” Desjardins said. “Overall, it was a good effort. Guys worked hard, Beckett (Langkow) was good in net again, it’s good to have Lindstrom and Mrsic back, I thought both guys played well.”
The Tigers got on the board first with Hunter St. Martin’s second goal of the season, coming 3:38 into the game. He tipped home a shot from Dallon Melin for the early lead, Dru Krebs had the second assist. Medicine Hat added to their lead eight minutes later when Lee found the back of the net with the eventual game winner with a power play goal. Andrew Basha and Wiesblatt had the assists.
Brandon appeared to make the game 2-1 less than two minutes later with a power play of their own but the Tigers quickly challenged the goal which was overturned due to an offside. Desjardins credited video coordinator Jayce Desjardins for his quickness telling them to put out the challenge.
“He got it to us quick, like we knew right a way and I was surprised that he got it that quick,” the coach said. “That was a big call for us.
Langkow, who made 18 saves in the win, said he’ll have to thank their video coordinator for getting that one called back.
The Wheat Kings did get on the board a few minutes later on the same power play after the Tigers went down another man and Jake Chiasson scored his seventh of the season at the same time the first penalty was expiring.
It was all Medicine Hat after that as they held Brandon to 19 shots on the night, including a two shot second period, while pouring 37 of their own on net. Lee notched his second goal of the game 7:16 into the middle frame, Wiesblatt and Basha with the assists again. The 20-year-old tabbed his two line mates for his offensive night.
“I gotta give a lot of credit to my line mates, they’ve been playing really hard and it’s really easy to play with them, so that helps a lot,” Lee said. “Those two work really hard and they’re extremely smart players. It helps a ton and since we’ve been playing with each other more, we just try to find more things we can do better and the chemistry is coming.”
Desjardins said that line got rewarded for its hard work in the game.
“Oasiz plays hard every night, Basha has really good skill and Lee’ser is a good scorer, they have a lot of things going on with each other. But it’s just hard work,” Desjardins said.
The Tigers had an onslaught of offence to start the third period, scoring three goals in the first 3:14 of action.
Tomas Mrsic took a pass from Tyler Mackenzie behind the net and fired a shot top shelf for his second of the season 1:59 into the period. Only 20 seconds later, Owen MacNeil found the back of the net with his third goal of the year, Rhett Parsons with the assist. That goal chased Brandon starter Carson Bjarnason from the game, he had 26 saves on the night.
Dru Krebs welcomed the Wheat Kings new goalie, Nicholas Jones to the game, with a top shelf goal for his first marker of the season to give the Tigers their 6-1 lead. Wiesblatt and Lee had assists on the goal as their line with Basha had a combined eight points in the win.
“We work really well together,” Wiesblatt said. “We’ve played with each other for three games now and we’ve done well as we’re kind of just learning off each other.”
The Tigers (6-9-3-1) are on the road this weekend as they head to Saskatoon Friday for a battle with the Blades before facing off against the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday.
“Overall the team was good (tonight), the attitude was good and our guys are hungry and they want to play well,” Desjardins said. “MacNeil’s done a good job leading and pushing us forward.”
