NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Mat Ward celebrates his second period goal in the Tigers 6-1, Game 3 win at Prince Albert over the Raiders on April 16 in the second-round series.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
For a majority of the population, the most wonderful time of the year comes in December. Ask Mat Ward, his favourite time of year isn’t when Santa Claus shows up, but when the lights turn bright.
The Medicine Hat Tigers overage forward’s game has translated well in the playoffs as they get set for the East finals getting underway Friday at Co-op Place.
Ward was acquired by the Tigers in August for his leadership and his grit, attributes they hoped would pay off on a lengthy playoff run. He had to battle his former club in the first round, tallying two assists in the five-game series with the Swift Current Broncos.
Come the second round, Ward added two goals and five points in the four-game sweep of the Prince Albert Raiders, scoring the game winner in Game 3 at Prince Albert. He takes pride in playing in the playoff moment and he’s enjoying those bright lights.
“I want to be a big-time player in big-time games,” Ward said. “The Swift Current series was tougher for me, just for personal reasons. But in the second round I really started out, my game started to elevate a little bit and got a little more free there.”
Associate coach Joe Frazer agrees with the now 21-year-old. He was looking forward to seeing Ward’s game transfer into the playoffs, and after getting past the difficulty of facing the Broncos, Frazer’s liked what he’s seen.
“This is more that type of hockey, it’s greasy, it’s hard, it’s inside the dots and he had a great series against P.A.,” Frazer said. “Every game he was noticeable. Three out of the four games he had over 10 hits, just playing that playoff style hockey of playing hard, going to the net. In the offensive zone he was creating, handling the puck. That line was really good, especially in Prince Albert.”
The Tigers have given themselves a pair of week breaks through the playoffs, getting time off before the second and now the third round, which has allowed them time to recover and rest. It’s also allowed for overage players like Ward, Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt and goaltender Harrison Meneghin, to reflect on their last playoff runs.
“It’s important sometimes to just take a minute to soak it all in,” Ward said. “A lot of times guys get caught up in everything and they forget what’s going on a little bit because everything’s so chaotic. But it’s important to just take a look and soak it in, right? It’s not every day you get to be this far.”
He’s looking to get through two more rounds and get a chance to soak in what being a champion feels like, in due time hopefully. Before then, they get set for the East finals against a Central division rival. He’ll be challenged in that series both at even strength and on the penalty kill where Ward has quickly become one of head coach Willie Desjardins’ first options over the boards.
He’s enjoyed the responsibility, working alongside Hunter St. Martin and assistant coach Josh Maser on a penalty kill that’s second best in the WHL Playoffs at 79.3 per cent effectiveness. While he likes scoring shorthanded goals himself, tallying one on the year, it’s a delight for him to set up St. Martin and his CHL-leading seven on the regular season.
Ward didn’t even try to flatter himself, despite burning up ice alongside St. Martin, he knows where his speed ranks on the penalty kill.
“Willie would be the first one to tell you (St. Martin) is a little quicker than me, too, but it’s good,” Ward said. “Sometimes I like to high flip it to him, I know he’ll beat guys in races so it’s easy to read off him.”
As much as Ward has enjoyed scoring goals and playing on one of the Western Hockey League’s top teams in his final season of the junior hockey, he’s also learned a lot from working alongside Willie Desjardins. It’s a relationship he’s happy to have forged throughout the year, hoping to add some legacy behind it in due time.
“It’s interesting because you know where he’s been and everything he’s done, so you have respect for everything he does,” Ward said. “You never, ever really need to second guess whatever he’s telling you, you just have to know he’s right. There’s no hesitation when he tells you something, that’s something that’s pretty important for us, too.”
