NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Riley Steen kneels to block a shot as goaltender Cash Christie moves to make a save in the first period of a 4-3, overtime win Saturday at Co-op Place over the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers took more than wins over the weekend.
The Tigers shut out the Lethbridge Hurricanes 3-0 on the road Friday, and after jumping out to a 3-0 lead Saturday back at home, saw their Highway 3 rivals tie a game that Bryce Pickford ultimately won in overtime.
Saturday’s 4-3 OT win was just Pickford’s second game back from a month-long absence due to injury. He missed the experience, almost as much as he yearned to score again.
“That’s a really fun group to be part of in there, it’s brotherhood and it’s a lot of fun,” Pickford said.
“My conditioning was not there, it felt like I was going to die, but it was good for me. I rose to the occasion and got the job done.”
His game-winning goal Saturday, his ninth decider, has him tied with Seattle Thunderbirds forward Cameron Schmidt for the league lead. He’s also tied with forward Liam Ruck for the team lead overall with 34.
Saturday’s win was the Tigers’ 14th consecutive regular-season and playoff victory over Lethbridge.
Forward Ethan Neutens also returned to the lineup Saturday after missing Friday’s action as a result of being boarded in the second period of their Feb. 16 10-1 win over the Red Deer Rebels.
Saturday’s game was No. 223 for Neutens, sharing the spotlight with goaltender Cash Christie, who made his debut in the overtime win. The 16-year-old made 20 saves and picked up the win in his first start, he was all smiles recounting the experience.
“It was special, I was just trying to soak it all in and they were great in front of me,” Christie said. “It was such a cool experience and I’m just so happy we could get the win.”
He was backed up by Jordan Switzer, who stopped all 26 shots he faced in Friday’s shutout win. Head coach Willie Desjardins says they had planned on getting Christie a start in this game, also wanting to give Carter Casey some rest after travelling back from the WHL Prospects Game. Desjardins was impressed by Christie’s efforts.
“He was in control the whole night, even if they scored, he didn’t panic, he was pretty solid and made a big save in overtime,” Desjardins said.
Christie, a 2024 fourth-round pick by the Tigers, has spent the season playing at the U18 level with the South Alberta Hockey Academy. He’s run a 9-1 record with a 2.34 goals against average and a .924 save percentage.
He says the WHL is faster, stronger and more skilled than the U18 level, but he just played his game. Christie says he learned a lot from his first 64 minutes of WHL action.
“You just have to be there mentally the whole game,” Christie said. “They bury on their chances a lot more, and faster. So I think just staying focused the whole game.”
Getting an overtime chance in his first game also brought its own challenge, a stressful one, Christie says. Before the extra frame started, Pickford skated back and offered some words of advice to the young net minder before ultimately winning the game.
“He was just saying go play my game and we got this; he’s such a good captain,” Christie said. “I have nothing but good things to say about him. Then him scoring at the end was pretty huge, too.”
Pickford shared a similar sentiment about Christie.
“I couldn’t pick a guy that deserves it more than him, he’s a nice kid and he’s even nicer off ice, too,” Pickford said. “To see him all happy after and him having his arms up in the air, it made my day.”
The Tigers are in Edmonton tonight, taking on the Oil Kings who come out of the weekend nine points back of Medicine Hat for the Central division lead. The Tabbies will likely be without defenceman Jonas Woo for the matchup.
Woo was assessed a 10-minute misconduct and a match penalty for attempt to injure after trying to start a fight in the Tigers end in the second period Saturday.
According to the WHL rule book, players receiving a match penalty are suspended from further competition until the WHL Office rules on the issue. No supplementary discipline had been announced by press time.
