Tigers beat Broncos with last-minute goal from Liam Ruck

By James Tubb on February 6, 2026.

Medicine Hat News

Liam Ruck didn’t like the sound of overtime Friday night.

The Medicine Hat Tigers forward scored with 28.6 seconds left in the third period to edge out the Broncos 2-1 in Swift Current.

While it took until the last minute for the tie breaker, the Tigers had plenty of chances, outshooting Swift Current 50-16. The first period shot totals were 22-4 for Medicine Hat, a welcomed early push after a slow start cost them Wednesday in a 4-2 loss to the Edmonton Oil Kings at Co-op Place.

Broncos net minder Archer Cooke made 48 saves, Jordan Switzer stopped 15 shots for his league-leading 23rd win of the season. Switzer has tied his win total from last season, with 47 career victories. 

The Ruck twins provided all the offence for the Tigers, Markus scoring his 13th of the season in the first period and Liam notching his 30th in the dying seconds.

Markus’s tally came with 2:44 left in the first period, off a cross-ice pass from Dayton Reschny who started the game with the twins before slotting between Luke Cozens and Kade Stengrim.

Swift Current tied the game up 5:12 into a second period that saw a combined four power plays.

The Tigers had to kill off a 95-second five-on-three power play late in the third period, with a net-front block from Veeti Väisänen preserving the tie.

Both teams were held scoreless on four power plays each.

In the last minute an icing saw the play head to the Broncos end where it spent most of the night. A miss-drop on a face-off gave Andrew Basha, slotted between the Rucks, another chance.

He won the puck back to Niilopekka Muhonen who threw the puck on net where it was blocked by a Bronco but laid in the slot. Liam scooped it up and scored, icing the Tigers’ 35th win of the season.

The Tigers host the Broncos at Co-op Place on Saturday for the final meeting of the season between the two clubs. They lead the season series over Swift Current 2-1.

14
-13