Tigers put up six-spot at Edmonton for fourth-straight win

By James Tubb on January 11, 2025.

The Medicine Hat Tigers recorded a season-first Saturday night in Edmonton.

The Tigers beat the Oil Kings 6-1  for a season-high fourth-straight win, coming on the back of special teams with a pair of shorthanded and power play goals. Jordan Switzer made 21 saves for his 16th win of the season.

The contest kicked off with a fight between forwards Mat Ward and Oil King Roan Woodward just 46 seconds into the contest. Woodward laid a two-hand slash on the knee of Tigers’ forward Gavin McKenna late in the second period of the two team’s last matchup, a 7-4 Edmonton win on Dec. 7.

Coincidentally, for the fourth game in a row the Tigers opened the scoring.

On the second-half of a double-minor penalty kill, Hunter St. Martin scored on a two-man rush for his 27th goal of the season and WHL-leading fifth shorthanded goal. Veeti Väisänen had the second assist, putting Medicine Hat ahead 9:16 into the game.

Just over two minutes later, Jonas Woo fired a shot from the point that went wide of the Edmonton net. Liam Ruck picked it up beside the crease and spun it into the net at 11:42. Wiesblatt had the second assist on his 13th of the season.

Medicine Hat led the game in shots 13-6 after 20 minutes. They carried momentum into the middle frame with a pair of goals in the second half of the stanza.

The Tigers capitalized on a second Edmonton power play, with Niilopekka Muhonen sending a saucer pass to Kadon McCann on a two-on-one rush for the Cochrane product’s sixth goal of the season. Wiesblatt had the second helper on the 3-0 marker at 15:20. McCann’s goal gives the Tigers 11 shorthanded goals on the season, tying them with the Oil Kings for second in the WHL. The Portland Winterhawks lead the WHL with 12 shorthanded goals.

The Tigers made it a 4-0 score after 40 minutes on a late-frame power play.

Bryce Pickford fired a shot from the point that found Ryder Ritchie’s stick in front of the net for a deflection up and over Oil King net minder Alex Worthington. Tanner Molendyk had the assist on Ritchie’s 12th, giving the former Saskatoon Balde a point in all three games he’s played with the Tigers since being acquired on Jan. 6.

Medicine Hat’s shot lead continued after 40 minutes, leading 28-12.. 

The Oil Kings solved the Tiger net minder early in the third, on a power play.

The Tigers killed off the first penalty on a five-on-three kill but the Oil Kings eventually took advantage with Gavin Hodnett blasting a shot past Switzer. Lukas Sawchyn and Blake Fiddler had the assists on Hodnett’s 18th.

Medicine Hat responded less than three minutes later, with a goal from a hot hand. Marcus Pacheco sticked checked Fiddler behind the Edmonton net, sending the puck off the back of Worthington into the net for his seventh on the season. Pacheco scored his first career hat trick Friday night in the 8-1 win over the Red Deer Rebels at Co-op Place. 

The Tigers rounded out the scoring in the game with their second power play marker of the night.

Woo fired a shot from the point that Worthington made the original save on before St. Martin tracked it down and knocked in the rebound for his second of the ninth, 28th on the year. Markus Ruck had the second assist.

Medicine Hat held the Oil Kings power play to 1-6, converting 2-4 on their own man advantage. Edmonton won the face-off battle, 30-25.

The Tigers (25-15-2) are off until Friday when they head to Calgary to face the Hitmen on Friday for the first of a home-and-home. They’ll host the Hitmen the next night at Co-op Place. 

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