New line combinations bearing fruit thus far

By Ryan McCracken on December 14, 2018.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken

The Medicine Hat Tigers will be riding some newfound chemistry and a three-game winning streak into the Enmax Centrium for tonight’s tilt against the Red Deer Rebels.

The Tigers shook up their forward lines and transitioned to a seven-defencemen approach last week and have been reaping the rewards in the three games since.

“Overall I think it’s been great. I think that each line is contributing,” said head coach Shaun Clouston, whose Tigers face off against the Rebels at 7 p.m.. “It’s probably three equal lines, almost, when you look at it. We know that (Ryan) Chyzowski, (Ryan) Jevne and (Tyler) Preziuso we can always go back to at some point but I think all three lines are playing with some energy and sometimes a little bit of a change does that.”

Jevne has especially benefitted from the change after collecting six goals and two assists over the past three contests alongside centre Logan Christensen and winger Hayden Ostir.

“I think it’s given us more depth for our forwards,” said Jevne. “We’ve got guys on each line who have scored and done that consistently, so it kind of balances the lines and it makes it hard for teams to get those matchups, and we’re getting opportunities in 5-on-5 more.”

Rookie forward Corson Hopwo has seen the biggest rise in ice time after moving from a bottom-six role to near-top-line minutes alongside Tigers captain James Hamblin and speedy winger Preziuso. The 17-year-old Duncan, B.C. product set up Preziuso for a tap-in from behind the net in Wednesday’s 4-2 win over the Kamloops Blazers at the Canalta Centre.

“They’re great players, both of them. They work hard and it just seems like we have pretty good chemistry with us three so we’ve got to keep it going,” said Hopwo. “I keep on working hard. Shaun is giving me some leeway with some plays and he’s giving me a big confidence boost.”

The changes have had an impact on the back end as well. Tabby blueliner Daniel Baker says it seems to be bringing out a new level of confidence in many of the team’s younger players, himself included. The 17-year-old Edmonton product netted the first two goals of his career and added three assists in the three games since the switch.

“It’s great,” said Baker. “I take pride in a two-way game, so it starts in the D-zone and I try to contribute offensively as much as I can.”

While Medicine Hat trails Red Deer by seven points in the standings, they’ve managed to stake a 3-0 edge in the six-game season series thanks to a dedicated approach whenever they cross paths. Jevne says he’s expecting a stronger push than they’ve seen from the Rebels all season, but he’s confident his team will answer the bell.

“We’ve really come out hard against Red Deer for whatever reason,” said Jevne. “We play our best games and our style of play really is tough for them to defend. It just seems that we get pucks on net and we’re crashing and goals are going in. We know they’re going to be watching a lot of video and try to figure out how to shut us down, so we’re going to have to be ready for that and expect they’re going to come out hard.”

The Tigers return to the Canalta Centre to host the Kelowna Rockets on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for their final game before the holiday break.