NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Hunter St. Martin calls game with a backhand goal on a breakaway in overtime, winning Game 4 at Swift Current 4-3 over the Broncos Wednesday night to take a 3-1 series lead.
The Medicine Hat Tigers rode the rollercoaster Wednesday night, coming out with a commanding series lead.
The Tigers overcame a two-goal deficit in the first period, beating the Swift Current Broncos 4-3 in overtime to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series. It was a bounce-back win for the Tigers, who dropped Game 3 5-4 Tuesday to snap a 12-game win streak.
Forward Hunter St. Martin, who scored the overtime winner, says they didn’t stop battling.
” We god own 2-0 two early and it’s a tough one, that’s a tough spot to be in,” St. Martin said. “But our group rallied and we just battled back. Harry was unbelievable throughout and the team just rallied. Even when they scored late., that’s hard, they have all the momentum and to be able to just pull that one off is huge going back home.”
Harrison Meneghin made 25 saves for his third win of the playoffs. Head coach Willie Desjardins says they didn’t give their goaltender a lot and the Tampa Bay Lightning prospect held them in the game.
“That’s when you need big save, so he was huge for us,” Desjardins said. “Sure it would be nice to get a regulation win but really, doesn’t matter how you get it, as long as you get it.”
For the first time in the series, Swift Current opened the scoring.
Just 1:34 into the game, Carlin Dezainde flew down the wing and wired a shot past Meneghin for his fourth of the series. He tallied a hat trick in the Broncos’ 5-4 Game 3 win Tuesday. Parker Rondeau and Connor Gabriel had the assists.
The Broncos added to their tally 5:12 later, scoring on a power play.
Hunter Mayo blasted a shot from the point that Bronco captain Clarke Caswell tipped in for his second goal of the series. Luke Mistelbacher had the second assist as Swift Current led 2-0 in the first half, much to the delight of the 2,890 in attendance.
Medicine Hat responded on a power play of their own.
After a pile of shots on net, St. Martin sent a cross-crease pass to Ryder Ritchie who wired home his third of the playoffs. Gavin McKenna had the second assist on Ritchie’s goal, extending McKenna’s point streak to 44 games.
The Tigers had a second power play in the opening frame but couldn’t find twine, leading the frame in shots 16-8 but trailing 2-1 on the scoreboard.
Medicine Hat tied the game up early in the second. After sustained pressure in the Swift Current end, McKenna carried the puck up to the point and fired a worm-burner on net, with Wiesblatt redirecting the shot five hole for his seventh of the series and the 2-2 tie 3:59 into the middle frame. McKenna and Ritchie had the assists on the goal.
Both teams traded chances in the middle stanza, with the Tigers outshooting Swift Current 13-7 in the period.
Medicine Hat grabbed an early lead in the third period with a pair of five-bell efforts.
Meneghin stopped Mistelbacher on a breakaway, who kicked it to the corner. Tanner Molendyk sent the puck up the ice to Wiesblatt’s stick. He dished to Ritchie on the far wall and sent a cross-crease pass to McKenna, who one-timed home the shot for the 3-2 lead 3:24 into the period and his second of the series.
McKenna has 14 points through the first four games of the first round, leading the CHL playoffs in scoring. It’s production McKenna takes pride in and he credits his line with Wiesblatt and Ritchie for the success.
“Playoffs is hardest hockey the year and some people shy away,” McKenna said. “With WIesblatt, me and Ritchie, we have been playing pretty well together and we’ve been clicking when we needed to and stepped up with some big games.”
Swift Current pushed throughout the period for the tie, with Meneghin making save after save to keep the Tigers ahead. The Broncos eventually struck twine late in the frame with the first of the series from their leading goalscorer.
Mistelbacher, who scored 42 goals in the regular season, had been held scoreless in the series. He took a pass cross-ice from Mayo and wired home a shot for his first of the playoffs and the 3-3 score with 1:57 left in the third.
Both teams pushed for a chance before the third period could end. The final buzzer rang and St. Martin, on a rush, unleashed a shot at the side of the net that kicked off a skirmish. Both him and Bronco defender Marek Rocák off to the box to start the overtime period.
It didn’t take long into overtime for the Tigers to call game.
Meneghin made a save on off a shot and dropped the puck off to Veeti Väisänen beside the net. He rifled the puck up net to St. Martin who was left all alone out coming out of the penalty box. He flew in all alone, with McKenna trailing, but the Florida Panthers’ prospect took care of business.
St. Martin deked to the right and scored with a backhand for the 4-3 win, his second of the playoffs and the 3-1 series lead.
The Tigers outshot Swift Current 48-28, with the Broncos winning the face-off battle 36-28. Both teams scored on a power play, with Medicine Hat 1-6 and Swift Current 1-2. Reid Dyck finished with 44 saves for Swift Current.
The series returns to Medicine Hat on Friday for a potentially decisive Game 5, with Medicine Hat one win away from the second round for the first time since 2016-17.
