Tigers leapfrog Rebels in Central Division standings

By Ryan McCracken on January 26, 2019.

Medicine Hat News

The Medicine Hat Tigers leapfrogged the Red Deer Rebels on Friday night at the Enmax Centrium.

Elijah Brown scored twice, Bryan Lockner and Cole Clayton both added three assists and Mads Søgaard made 36 saves to push Medicine Hat past the Rebels in the Western Hockey League’s Central Division standings while extending their stranglehold on the season series to 5-0-0-0 with a 5-3 victory.

Red Deer held off an early surge from Medicine Hat then shifted the momentum in their favour for the majority of the first period — putting 14 pucks at Søgaard — but they ultimately came up empty-handed in a scoreless frame.

The Rebels did come a few inches away from taking an early lead when a shot trickled through Søgaard’s pads midway through the first, but a sprawled out James Hamblin managed to swat the puck out of the crease before it crossed the line to preserve the stalemate.

Medicine Hat pushed back with a flurry of chances on Ethan Anders, but the Rebel netminder had an answer for all 17 shots he faced in the opening period.

Elijah Brown finally broke the goose egg on an early power play in the second. The 19-year-old Edmonton product crept in from the left circle and beat Anders through traffic for his eighth of the season with Jacob Herauf in the box for holding — Medicine Hat’s first power play goal in 15 consecutive opportunities.

Red Deer pushed back five minutes later when Ryan Gottfried picked up a pass from Arshdeep Bains at the point and snuck a low wrist shot past Søgaard for the first goal of his WHL career.

Hamblin responded five minutes later for Medicine Hat when he picked up a feed from Corson Hopwo in the circle and beat Anders over the glove to take back the lead, then Logan Christensen tacked on a few moments after that by going top shelf from a sharp angle with Hunter Donohoe in the bin for high sticking.

Brandon Hagel put Red Deer back within striking distance just 18 seconds into the third period when he marched into the slot and ripped a shot past Søgaard, but Brown snapped right back to restore Medicine Hat’s two-goal cushion on a one-timer from Lockner four minutes later.

The Rebels again muscled their way back into the conversation when Reese Johnson fired a shot under the bar near the halfway point of the third, but Tigers winger Baxter Anderson pushed the game out of reach for good on a quick shot from the corner with less than seven minutes left in regulation.

Anders stopped 29 in the loss, dropping Red Deer to 27-14-2-1.

Medicine Hat won its fourth in a row, improving to 27-16-2-2.

The Tigers return to the Canalta Centre Saturday to host the Moose Jaw Warriors at 7:30 p.m.