NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
Medicine Hat Tigers centre Ryan Chyzowski celebrates after scoring a goal in the third period of Saturday’s Western Hockey League game against the Kootenay Ice at the Canalta Centre.
The Medicine Hat Tigers shook off a late scare and rallied back to secure a 4-3 shootout victory over the Kootenay Ice on Saturday night at the Canalta Centre.
Ryan Jevne scored the shootout winner in the fifth round while Jordan Hollett turned away 32 shots through 65 minutes then stopped 4-of-5 shooters to complete a late comeback and lock up the win less than a week after being shut out in Cranbrook.
Hayden Ostir broke open a scoreless game at the three-minute mark of the second period when he entered the offensive zone, picked up a pass from Tyler Preziuso and beat Ice goaltender Jesse Makaj clean on the blocker side for his third of the year.
Hollett preserved Medicine Hat’s narrow lead at the intermission with 20 saves through the first two frames — including a breakaway stop on Ice rookie Connor McClennon late in the second. But the Ice finally broke through the 6-foot-5, 210-pound Ottawa Senators prospect’s defences early in the third when Davis Murray jumped on a loose puck in front and chipped it into the top corner for his fourth of the season.
While Tigers captain James Hamblin quickly answered back by shoveling a loose puck past Makaj on a power play two minutes later — snapping a five-game goalless drought — Kootenay immediately responded in numbers.
Former Tiger Jaeger White knotted things back up with his third of the year just over three minutes later then rookie centre Jakin Smallwood stole away the lead with the first goal of his Western Hockey League career at the halfway point of the third.
While the back-to-back markers silenced the crowd of 3,118, Ryan Chyzowski brought life back to the building with four minutes left in regulation by jamming a rebound behind Makaj to force overtime — giving Preziuso his third assist of the game.
Hollett settled back into his crease and held off four Ice shots in overtime — which featured 88 seconds of power play time for Kootenay and 42 for Medicine Hat — to force a shootout.
Tigers rookie Josh Williams and Ice winger Cameron Hausinger traded goals in the third round to extend the shootout after Kootenay’s Peyton Krebs and McClennon and Medicine Hat’s Hamblin and Bryan Lockner were denied in the first two rounds. Jevne broke the tie in the fifth round, then Hollett stopped Ice centre Brad Ginnell to seal the win.
Makaj settled for the loss on 25 saves — including two in overtime — to leave the Ice at 3-3-0-1 on the season. Medicine Hat climbed to 5-5-0-1 with the victory.
The Tigers return to the Canalta Centre Friday to host the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the first game of a home-and-home set.
