Tigers playoff-bound yet again

By Sean Rooney on February 27, 2018.

Medicine Hat News

The Medicine Hat Tigers didn’t play Sunday, but they did clinch a playoff spot.

Thanks to the Kootenay Ice’s loss to Spokane Saturday and the Calgary Hitmen’s loss to Brandon Sunday, the 31-24-8-0 Tigers can finish no lower than third in the WHL’s Central Division. At 25-36-3-0, Kootenay remains four points back of Red Deer for third but with only eight games left in their regular season, can’t catch the Tigers.

Calgary (19-34-5-2) has four games in hand on Kootenay but is also eight points further back.

The WHL moved to match the NHL’s playoff system this season, with the top three in each division plus two conference wild cards filling out the bracket. The Tigers will now look to clinch home ice advantage in the first round, their magic number at six of a combination of them gaining or Red Deer losing out on points in the final nine games.

Oddly enough, if the playoffs started now the Tigers would host Brandon (33-24-3-2), who have more points than the Tabbies but are fourth in the East Division. No teams have been eliminated from post-season contention yet.

Medicine Hat has made the playoffs every year since 2003, except for 2016 when they dropped a play-in game to Edmonton. They’ve won at least one series in all but one of those post-season appearances.

They’re at the Oil Kings today, 11:30 a.m. before returning home to play Red Deer Saturday.

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