PHOTO COURTESY ANDY DEVLIN/EDMONTON OIL KINGS
Medicine Hat Tigers goaltender Jordan Switzer makes a stop on Oil Kings' forward Lukas Sawchyn's shot, one of his 37 saves in a 3-2, shootout win Wednesday at Edmonton. The win gives the Tigers 18 straight, a new franchise record.
It took a shootout but the Medicine Hat Tigers have set a new team record.
The Tigers came back to beat the Edmonton Oil Kings 3-2 in the shootout Wednesday night for an 18th straight win, setting a new franchise record for consecutive wins. They pass the record of 17 set by the 2006-07 Tigers.
Starter Jordan Switzer made 37 saves, including a couple of highlight-reel stops, for his league-leading 20th win of the season.
Kade Stengrim scored off a face-off in the Edmonton end in the first period, his 10th, sandwiched between a pair of Oil Kings goals from Landon Hanson and Kayden Stroeder as they led 2-1 after 20 minutes. Noah Davidson had the lone assist on Stengrim’s goal.
The game came to a pause with 2:03 left in the second period when Oil Kings forward Dylan Dean was hit in the corner by forward Ethan Neutens. Dean remained motionless on the ice and was stretchered off. Halfway through the third period the Oil Kings posted on social media that Dean was awake, alert and being treated by medical staff.
Neutens was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the hit.
On the ensuing penalty kill, Jonas Woo scored a shorthanded goal with a backhand in close on a breakaway for his 21st, third shorthanded goal, on the year.
Neither team scored in the third period, despite the Tigers outhsooting Edmonton 10-4 in the frame, forcing overtime. Medicine Hat had a power play late in the extra frame but couldn’t nab the game winner.
In the shootout, Davidson and Andrew Basha scored for the Tigers and Switzer stopped all three shooters he faced for the win.
Edmonton outshot the Tigers 39-23.
The Tigers (30-6-3-2) host the Oil Kings on Friday at Co-op Place.
