Tigers keep finding ways to win despite being handed their share of adversity
By Ryan McCracken on November 16, 2017.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken The Medicine Hat Tigers have been dealt their fair share of adversity through the first quarter of the Western Hockey League season, but none of it seems to have knocked them off stride. The team lost star forward Mason Shaw to a torn ACL in the pre-season and standout rookie Josh Williams to a broken collarbone earlier this month, but all they’ve done is win since the calendar turned to November. “We’re feeling confident,” said Tigers defenceman David Quenneville, whose 13-6-0-0 Tigers hold a seven-point lead on the Central Division with two games in hand. “I think we’ve done a real good job of just battling. We’ve been in some tight games here lately and we’ve just found a way every night.” The Tigers received a wake-up call at the end of October when the Moose Jaw Warriors and Swift Current Broncos handed them a pair of ugly losses on back-to-back nights, 9-1 and 4-0. Captain Mark Rassell says the team took the ensuing week off to focus on what went wrong before turning a new leaf with five consecutive victories and a No. 10 ranking in the Canadian Hockey League’s Top 10. “Our D zone was gross those two games,” said Rassell. “We spent that whole week working in our defensive end. Something we pride ourselves on is our D zone, all of our offence, all of our rushes are started from a tight group in the D zone so that week off we had was huge.” Rassell took over the role of captain after Shaw was moved to the injured reserve for the majority of the season, and Tigers head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston says he provides a number of assets to the team. “He’s an intelligent guy who’s got a real good feel for what’s going on in the room. He’s an upbeat player so he keeps the group positive. He’s meant a lot,” said Clouston. “Not only is he doing a great job with the leading and leadership of the team, but he’s got 20 goals already. That’s amazing.” Part of Medicine Hat’s early-season success has come through discipline. The Tigers have taken the least amount of penalty minutes in the league by a good margin. At 174 penalty minutes through their first 19 games, the Tigers have at least 37 fewer than any other team in the league. “We stress discipline,” said Clouston. “I think a lot of nights the discipline has really helped us.” Medicine Hat’s winning streak will be put to a stiff test Friday when the Broncos (13-4-1-0) make their first trip to the Canalta Centre this season. Swift Current’s top line of Tyler Steenbergen, Aleksi Heponiemi and Glenn Gawdin have been wreaking havoc on the league while helping the Broncos to a No. 6 ranking in the CHL’s top 10. The trio has combined for 137 points over 18 games while holding the top three spots in the WHL’s scoring race. “They’re really good. Obviously I played with (Steenbergen) with Team WHL and he’s a fantastic player, then Heponiemi and Gawdin are two really good players,” said Quenneville. “I think the biggest thing with them is just being physical and eliminating time and space almost like any other good player, and obviously eliminating their high quality chances.” The Tigers will look to exact some revenge while keeping their winning streak alive when the puck drops at 7:30 p.m. 14
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