Tigers score seven, get much-needed win over Saskatoon Blades
By Ryan McCracken on November 4, 2017.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken The Medicine Hat Tigers got the emotional victory they needed Friday night at the Canalta Centre. After being outscored 13-1 in a pair of lopsided losses last weekend, the Tigers rallied to a 7-2 win over the Saskatoon Blades to restore a narrow lead in the Western Hockey League’s Central Division. “Last weekend was obviously tough for us, so to bounce back like this and get a huge W is definitely massive for us,” said Tigers winger Tyler Preziuso, who finished the win with a goal and two assists. “It’s finally jelling together and it’s nice to see.” The Blades were buzzing off the hop. While the Tigers earned the first quality scoring chance of the game when a Haden pass skipped over the tape of Dawson Heathcote, Saskatoon surged back up the ice and Josh Paterson beat Hat goaltender Jordan Hollett to give the Blades an early edge. But Haden found another window a few minutes later, and this time he made good on the chance —tipping a Dalton Gally point shot past Saskatoon’s Ryan Kubic to draw even. Haden wears No. 17 to honour his former UFA Bisons teammate Markus Lavallee who died in a car accident in the summer of 2015. He also recently got a custom pair of skates with Lavallee’s initials stitched into the tongue. Friday was the first night he wore them in a game. “It feels great. The skates are really nice, they’re really comfortable,” said Haden. “It’s kind of a goal I’ll credit to him. I was just standing there and it hit me and went in.” Preziuso pushed the Tigers in front in the final minute of the opening frame with his team’s second successful deflection of the period. The 18-year-old right winger tipped a Ryan Jevne shot into the top of the net to send Medicine Hat into the break with their first lead of the night. The offence continued to flow into the second. David Quenneville doubled up on the lead midway through the second by snapping a one-timer past Kubic on the power play for his sixth of the season. Quenneville —who will represent Medicine Hat and the WHL at the CIBC Canada-Russia Series — struck again a few minutes later, then Ryan Chyzowski drove in another for good measure to leave the Blades reeling after 40 minutes. “Penalties got us in trouble but I don’t think we were ready tonight,” said centre Cameron Hebig, whose Blades move on to face the Edmonton Oil Kings Saturday. “That’s not us, that’s not our team. We’re going to come back tomorrow and be better. James Hamblin added to the onslaught with Medicine Hat’s sixth unanswered goal just over a minute into the third, finishing off a power play chance started by defenceman Linus Nassen for his fourth goal of the year. Redcliff product Dylan MacPherson rounded out Medicine Hat’s scoring with his second goal in seven nights — and the second of his career — later in the frame. Hebig finally put a stop to the bleeding midway through the third, beating Hollett on the power play with Hamblin in the box for tripping, but it was all Saskatoon could muster on the night. Medicine Hat’s line of Preziuso, Jevne and Chyzowski combined for six points in the victory. Nassen added three assists. “It’s great to see them working so hard and playing with as much intensity as they are, and then getting rewarded. It doesn’t just happen,” Tigers head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston said of the Preziuso line. “The hard wok is really finally paying off.” Hollett locked up the 20-save victory to snap a two-game slide and push Medicine Hat to 9-6-0-0 on the year. “They scored pretty quick but he bounced back,” said Preziuso of Hollett. “I would have given him one of the three stars for sure.” Kubic took the loss — dropping Saskatoon to 6-8-1-0 — after allowing five goals on 28 shots through 40 minutes. Joel Gryzbowski entered to start the third and made 10 stops in relief. The Tigers return to the Canalta Centre Saturday to host the reigning WHL champion Seattle Thunderbirds (9-5-0-1) at 7:30 p.m. Michael Bullion is slated to start in goal for Medicine Hat. 22
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