NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Gavin McKenna celebrates his second shorthanded goal, with captain Oasiz Wiesblatt in tow, in a 5-4 Game 2 overtime win Sunday at Co-op Place for a 2-0 lead in the second-round series with the Prince Albert Raiders.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers held serve to open the second round.
A pair of wins at Co-op Place gives them a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven conference semifinals series with the Prince Albert Raiders. They took Game 1 on Saturday 6-4, scoring five straight goals, four in the second period, to outlast the Raiders.
Game 2 brought more dramatics as the Tigers led 2-0 after 40 minutes before the two teams traded a total of six goals in the third to send the game to overtime, where Medicine Hat took the victory on a power play goal, the fourth special teams tally by them in the game.
Liam Ruck tipped in a point shot from Bryce Pickford on the power play for the overtime winner, his second goal of the playoffs.
“‘Picks’ just walked down, put it right on my tape and all I had to do was tip it in,” Ruck said.
Captain Oasiz Wiesblatt had a four-point weekend, scoring in each win to lead the WHL in playoff goals with nine. Gavin McKenna extended his historic, CHL-leading point streak to 47 games.
Two of those special teams goals in Sunday’s win came off the stick of McKenna while the Tigers were shorthanded. The first, a goal of the year candidate that saw the 17-year-old fly up ice on a two-on-two, fake right before giving himself a behind-the-back drop pass, then spinning clockwise to unleash a cross-body wrist shot that beat the Raider net minder.
The highlight-reel goal resembled basketball moves that would dominate Sportscentre, McKenna’s magic taking over the Internet as the hockey world reacted to the moment. The Whitehorse product, modest postgame while running a massage gun over his legs, broke down the goal.
“I saw a little bit of a two-on-two and I just tried to put it behind my back to get him moving one way and then turn the other way,” McKenna recounted. “I just saw a shooting lane, shot it and it went in.”
He’s tried moves like that on an outdoor rink back home but not the full move that set the Co-op Place faithful ablaze.
“He’s pretty exceptional, that was unbelievable,” head coach Willie Desjardins said about the goal. “Both shorthanded goals were unbelievable, he’s a good player. It’s tough, he battled today, too. He battled and he played hard, and he’s just an exceptional player.”
The Tigers scored five power play goals on eight chances across the first two games, a weekend of success that propels their man advantage unit to first in the WHL Playoffs at 35.7 per cent. They’re just ahead of Prince Albert who entered the series as No. 1, and after scoring three power play goals on nine chances, are still in second at 33.3 per cent.
“Special teams are huge in games like these where every single detail matters and every shot matters,” McKenna said. “If you get a power play, that could be a game winner. So you have to make sure every time you’re out there, you’re bearing down.”
Jordan Switzer picked up the win in both games, making 16 saves Saturday and 27 on Sunday. Desjardins says they tabbed the 18-year-old to start the series instead of Harrison Meneghin as he was able to practise more ahead of puck drop Saturday. The overage net minder was away from the team until Friday due to family matters.
With a few morning skates and practices ahead giving Meneghin an opportunity to face some shots and get back to game speed, Desjardins says they will “see what happens” ahead of Game 3.
The Tigers will also have to evaluate defenceman Jonas Woo before Wednesday’s action. The 18-year-old was one of three Tigers hit from behind into the boards in overtime of Sunday’s action. He took the worst of all three, taking some time before he skated off on his own. The Tigers scored the overtime game winner on the ensuing power play but Desjardins had no firm update on his status postgame.
Looking at the weekend and the early 2-0 series lead, Desjardins says both teams have had their moments with the toughest parts still to come.
“We played parts pretty well and they played pretty well, so we’re going to have our work cut out there,” Desjardins said. “They’re going to be real comfortable going back home, they love that building and it’s a hard building to play in, and we know that. So we’ll just have to go in and see what happens.”
The series shifts to Prince Albert and the Art Hauser Centre with Game 3 on Wednesday and Game 4 on Thursday. If needed, a Game 5 would be Saturday back at Co-op Place with a rare 4 p.m. start. Prince Albert has defended home ice well in the playoffs, with a 3-1 record in their first-round series win over the Edmonton Oil Kings. The lone loss was Game 1 of the series, winning Games 2, 5 and 7 at the Hauser.
It’s a two-game set on the road that McKenna says they have to battle through.
“These are going to be huge games, it’s a tough building to play in, so we have to make sure that we’re doing all the little things right,” McKenna said. “It’s a small rink, so things happen fast. If you get a chance, you have to bear down. They thrive at home, so we have to try to steal one or two in their barn.”
