Tigers, Hurricanes ready to renew rivalry
By Ryan McCracken on October 19, 2018.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken
Another chapter in the storied Highway 3 rivalry will be carved into the ice this weekend.
After opening the season with a home-and-home split, the Tigers fell into a five-game losing slide before correcting their course with four wins in five contests ahead of tonight’s 7:30 p.m. tilt against Lethbridge at Canalta Centre.Now they’ll have a chance to shoot up the Central Division standings in another instalment of the Crowsnest Clash.
“It’s a good rivalry every time we play these guys, especially home-and-home,” said defenceman Dylan MacPherson, whose Tigers will face the Hurricanes again Saturday in Lethbridge.”The first night can get chippy, then you go back there and tempers are still high. It’s nice to play these guys knowing we’ve got to show up for both of them.”
The Hurricanes have gone 2-1-0-2 over their last five, but they’ll have some extra jump in their step following the return of centre Ryan Vandervlis Thursday. Vandervlis suffered serious burns in an off-season campfire incident that left him and teammates Matt Alfaro and Jordy Bellerive hospitalized. Vandervlis suffered serious burns and spent four weeks in ICU. He won’t play any time soon, but will be with the team through his recovery.
While the Tabbies won’t be taking it easy on their Crowsnest counterparts tonight, MacPherson says everyone in Medicine Hat’s dressing room was happy to hear about Vandervlis’ return.
“That’s huge for him, especially with what happened during his off-season,” said MacPherson. “It’s great for them getting him back but at the same time we’ve got to be ready for it because they’re going to be fired up.”
MacPherson — who returned to the team Oct. 2 after attending training camp with the Florida Panthers and Springfield Thunderbirds — says Medicine Hat’s defence has tightened things up by simplifying the approach over the past five games.
“We’re just trying to stick together and stay as a group of five,” said MacPherson. “Just shut teams down and play as one. If we take care of the D-zone it will transfer into offence.”
That offence has been bolstered through the past few games by the line of Ryan Chyzowski, Tyler Preziuso and Ryan Jevne. After struggling to find success in the early weeks of the season, the trip combined for 12 over two games last weekend by focusing on what made them successful in previous seasons — the mentality of an energy line.
“It’s a lot more fun to play like that,” said Chyzowski. “Obviously things weren’t going well at the start and that’s a little bit frustrating but I think just getting back to what made us successful, and with how much fun we had doing that last year and the year before, I think it just keeps us in a positive state of mind. I think that’s when you get those good bounces and the puck starts going into the net.”
The Tigers and Hurricanes will head to the Enmax Centre to finish off the home-and-home set Saturday at 7 p.m.
