Tigers record first road win, double up Warriors Friday

By James Tubb on October 18, 2024.

The Medicine Hat Tigers got back in the win column Friday night.

They recorded the first road win of the season, beating the Moose Jaw Warriors 6-3.

It’s a bounce back effort for the Tigers, overcoming an 8-1 loss Wednesday at Co-op Place to the Prince George Cougars.

Moose Jaw opened the scoring just 1:27 into the contest, with Owen Berge getting the last touch on the puck. Connor Schmidt and Ethan Hughes had the assists. Medicine Hat responded with a pair of goals in the frame.

A little under six minutes after the Warriors scores, forward Mat Ward knocked in a rebound for his second of the season. Bryce Pickford and Jonas Woo had the assists. Pickford’s assist comes in his first game back from a three-game suspension as a result of a kneeing major on Oct. 9.

The Tigers took a 2-1 lead exactly a minute later, with Gavin McKenna scoring his third of the season at 8:16. Oasiz Wiesblatt had the lone assist as Medicine Hat led 2-1 after 20 minutes, outshooting the Warriors 20-3.

Moose Jaw tied the game up early in the second, with captain Brayden Yager scoring 23 seconds into the middle stanza. Lynden Lakovic and Kalem Parker had the helpers.

The two teams traded goals in the middle of the frame. Nate Corbet scored for the Tigers at 10:06. The defenceman crossed the blue line into the Moose Jaw end on a rush, taking a cross-ice pass from Andrew Basha before scoring over the glove of Jackson Unger. Ward had the second assist as the Tigers led 3-2 at the 10:06 mark.

Moose Jaw answered back 1:25 later, with Parker scoring his first of the season. Lakovic and Yager had the helpers.

The game remained tied after 40 minutes, Tigers continued the shot lead 26-11.

They grabbed the eventual winning score just 4:44 into the third. Wiesblatt scored top shelf on a rush chance, taking a pass from McKenna for his fourth on the year.

The Tigers maintained the one-goal lead throughout the frame. Moose Jaw pressured late with a power play in the last four minutes. Medicine Hat turned it into a scoring opportunity with Hunter St. Martin scoring on a two-on-one breakaway with 2:57 left in the game for the 5-3 lead. They rounded out the night with Basha scoring on an empty net, Marcus Pacheco had the assist for the 6-3 final.

Both teams were perfect on the penalty kill, only having one opportunity a side. Harrison Meneghin recorded his third win with the Tigers, stopping 10 shots. Across the ice from him, Unger made 37 stops.

The Tigers (5-5) are off until Wednesday when they host the Calgary Hitmen at Co-op Place.