NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers goaltender Jordan Switzer squares up to make one of his 30 saves in a 4-1 win Saturday at Co-op Place over the Saskatoon Blades.
The Medicine Hat Tigers had a rebound Saturday night to get back in the win column.
The Tigers scored three times in the first period and Jordan Switzer turned aside 30 shots in a 4-1 win at Co-op Place over the Saskatoon Blades. It’s a bounce-back victory for the Tigers coming off a 6-3 loss Friday in Swift Current where they allowed six unanswered goals from the Broncos.
Switzer was pulled in the loss Friday, allowing three goals on 14 shots. He had just the lone blemish Saturday for his 26th career win.
“I knew that wasn’t good enough (Friday), Â I kind of got it from the coaches a little bit, but I have to be better for our group,’ Switzer said. “I thought I was a big difference maker in this game so that’s good.”
Head coach Willie Desjardins agreed with the 18-year-old net minder.
“Switzer was unbelievable tonight, last night he probably wanted a couple back, but he was unbelievable tonight,” he said.
Desjardins says the win was a difficult one facing a structured Saskatoon team.
“They played well in Lethbridge the night before, they do a lot of good things, they’re well coached, they have a really good structure, good goaltending, so it was a tough win,” Desjardins said. “We knew it’d be a tough way to play, they’re a good team. They came hard in the second, we weathered the storm a little bit and played pretty good in the third.”
The Tigers opened the scoring with a three-pack of goal in the first period.
Just before the halfway mark of the period, Yaroslav Bryzgalov forced a turnover in the Saskatoon end and fed Kadon McCann who scored with a shot from the top of the circles, beating Evan Gardner. His first of the season put the Tigers ahead 1-0 at 9:05.
They made it a 2-0 lead at 14:25 with a goal from the captain.
Markus Ruck had the puck at the side of the Saskatoon net, after Jonas Woo held it on an a breakout chance by the Blades. Ruck fed Bryce Pickford in front for a one-time blast and his fourth goal of the season.
In the last quarter of the frame, Dayton Reschny scored his first WHL goal. The 19-year-old free agent singing picked off an exit pass in the Blades’ end and skated in before wiring a shot past Gardner.
“It was a surreal feeling, the crowd is so loud,” Reschny said. “I just came off the bench and kind of anticipated the defenceman going to the middle and just got it on my stick. The first thing I thought to do is rip it and it happened to go in.”
Before the period could end, Pickford was tripped up in the corner and got up swinging, trying to fight Saskatoon captain Tyler Parr. Pickford was handed a fighting major, two minute unsportsmanlike penalty and a game misconduct. The Tigers killed off the penalty, leading 3-0 after 20 minutes.
Desjardins says they didn’t get an explanation on the misconduct from the officiating crew. Already missing overage blue liner Josh Van Mulligen, the Tigers leaned heavily on his defence partner, Jonas Woo aas well as the experience of Finnish defencemen Niilopekka Muhonen and Veeti Väisänen.
“That’s just something our team has to do, everyone,” Woo said. “When someone is out of the game, everyone has to step up. He’s my D-partner and I’m responsible for him, so I took that on my role and I think all the guys helped out. So I think it was a team effort.”
Saskatoon scored the lone goal of the second period.
Rowan Calvert scored at the net front, finishing off a pass from Dominik Petr behind the net. Parr had the second assist on Calvert’s fourth of the year as Saskatoon made it a 3-1 game at 5:36.
Saturday was the first home game for recently acquired forward Cam Parr, older brother of the Blades’ captain. It was also the return of two former Tigers, forward Hayden Harsanyi and defenceman Jack Kachkowski, both traded to the Saskatoon Blades on Jan. 6 for defenceman Tanner Molendyk and forward Misha Volotovskii.
The Tigers maintained the two-goal lead after 40 minutes, Saskatoon out-shot them 15-14 in the middle stanza.
They were able to hold Saskatoon to nine shots in the third period and iced the win with an empty net goal from Liam Ruck in the dying seconds. Older brother Markus had the lone assist on Liam’s first goal of the season. Saskatoon had three power plays in the third period, five total in the game, held scoreless on all chances. The Tigers also went scoreless on their three power plays. Medicine Hat won the face-off battle, 28-27.
Across the ice from Switzer, Gardner finished with 33 saves.
The Tigers (2-1) are off until Oct. 3 when they head to Lethbridge to face the Hurricanes. They’ll host the Calgary Hitmen on Oct. 4 at Co-op Place.
