NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forwards Cam Parr and Kadon McCann battle for position in front of the Saskatoon net in the first period of a 4-1 win Tuesday at Co-op Place over the Blades.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com
The Medicine Hat Tigers needed their full lineup to pull out a win Tuesday night.
The Tigers held onto a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes, tallying an empty netter late, for a 4-1 win at Co-op Place over the Saskatoon Blades. It’s a victory that gets the Tigers back in the win column after a pair of weekend losses on the road, one being a 3-2 shootout loss to Saskatoon on Jan. 23.
Saskatoon – trailing by a pair – had a late power play the Tigers were able to kill off, with their penalty kill nullifying both Blades’ power plays on the night. The Tigers were 0-3 on the power play.
Head coach Willie Desjardins was happy with their effort in the win.
“We had a huge kill at the end of the game and everybody contributed,” Desjardins said. “It was just a game we didn’t give up an awful lot, but when we did, (Jordan) Switzer made some big saves. Overall, it’s just a real good team performance.
“The guys are good, they worked hard tonight. Saskatoon has a good team, they’re really hard to play against, so I was happy with our effort tonight.”
Switzer made 15 saves for his league-leading 22nd win of the season. Across the ice from him, Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Evan Gardner made 30 saves.
The Tigers were without captain Bryce Pickford (day to day, upper-body injury) and forward Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll (week to week, upper-body injury). Defenceman Jonas Woo left the game after 20 minutes and did not return. Desjardins says he’s considered day to day.
They were also without blue liner Veeti Väisänen for a stretch in the second period after he was hit in the neck with a puck. Being able to hold on with just the four was the turning point in the win, according to Desjardins.
“We had a pretty good stretch there, even when we were at four, I thought that helped us,” Desjardins said. “The forwards worked back tonight and made a difference for us. The group of five defencemen did a good job.”
The Tigers opened the game with a power play 11 seconds into the contest, tallying six shots to grab early momentum. Saskatoon didn’t get a shot on the board until the opening frame was nearly halfway through, forcing Switzer to stay focused on his process.
“Just being ready for that first one, not overthinking anything,’ Switzer said. “We played really well defensively tonight, so that makes my life even easier.”
They got on the board just over the halfway mark. Kade Stengrim fired a shot on net from the top of the circles that rebounded off Gardner back to the shooter. Stengrim backhanded the puck past Gardner for the 1-0 lead with 6:27 left in the frame. Josh Van Mulligen had the lone assist on his 12th of the season.
The Tigers added a second tally with 48 seconds left in the period.
Andrew Basha carried the puck into the Saskatoon end, dropping off for Markus Ruck just inside the blue line. The elder Ruck brother skated in and fed brother Liam at the net-front for a tip-in goal for the 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. Liam’s 28th of the season was the first of a six-point night for the Tigers’ top line.
“We’re starting to gel more as we get to know each other’s play styles,” Markus said. “Basha brings a lot of speed to our line, which helps a lot flying the O-zone. Once we get the puck back in the ozone, we’ve been pretty good.”
The Tigers added an insurance marker in the second period. Stengrim had the puck at the top of the circles in the Saskatoon end and he fired a shot on net that was slowed down by a Saskatoon defender. Kadon McCann picked up the loose puck and beat Gardner with a stretched-out backhander for the 3-1 lead with 3:32 left in the middle frame. Väisänen had the second assist on Stengrim’s 15th of the season.
Saskatoon got on the board with 1:57 left in the second. A failed clear in the Tigers end saw David Lewandowski score with a shot from the slot to make it a 3-1 game after 40 minutes.
The Tigers held Saskatoon at bay in the third period, outshooting them 11-4 in the frame and 34-16 on the night. After killing off the late penalty, the Ruck-Basha line created a turnover in their own end and turned up ice before Markus scored on the empty Blades’ net to secure the win.
Basha and Liam Ruck had the helpers on Markus’ 12th of the season.
The Tigers (33-8-3-3) are off until Saturday when they host the Lethbridge Hurricanes at Co-op Place.
