Christensen hits four targets, two teeth

By Ryan McCracken on January 31, 2019.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken

Logan Christensen took the accuracy shootout by force on Tuesday night at the Canalta Centre.

The 20-year-old Medicine Hat Tigers centre knocked out teammate Elijah Brown’s two front teeth, took his spot in the ATB Skills Competition then claimed the accuracy title by hitting all four targets in five shots over 13.7 seconds.

“Maybe it wasn’t an accident,” Christensen said with a smile. “We were doing a battle drill and we were on the same team, actually. My stick just got up and I didn’t even see it hit him, but he went down and now he’s missing a couple teeth.”

The injury immediately sent Brown to the dentist and ruled him out of the skills competition, but the 19-year-old Edmonton product admits the missing giblets still serve as a right of passage.

“It is what it is. Makes me look like a hockey player now,” said Brown. “It was the last drill of practice. It was a 2v2 battle in front and it was me and Logan trying to score against (Corson) Hopwo and Baxter (Anderson). Hopwo actually lifted Christensen’s stick and it just got me in the gibs. I felt myself swallow one of them and thought ‘OK that’s not good.'”

Brown added the pain hit him hard the moment he left the ice, but injured teammate Hayden Ostir — week-to-week with a knee injury — managed to keep his mind off agony and settle the nerves with a bit of comedy.

“I was swearing a little bit, had to get it out of me. But Ozzie was in there making me laugh and stuff,” said Brown, who will get some shiny new chompers next week. “(The dentist) just killed the nerve in the teeth. I go back exactly a week after, so next Tuesday, and I’ll get two new ones.”

Brown says he made sure to give Christensen a hard time about taking his place in the accuracy shootout, especially considering he took home the title, but thankfully the incident won’t keep him off the ice when the Tigers face the Warriors Friday in Moose Jaw.

“I gave him a hard time about it all day. There was a little blood on the ice and I kept pointing at it,” said Brown, who will be sporting a cage at Mosaic Place. “I’m going to look like a college kid out there.”

The Tigers will be looking to avenge Saturday’s 3-1 loss at the hands of the Warriors. Christensen says it was nice to have the better part of the week off, as well as the skills competition to allow the Tabbies to loosen up in approach of the rematch.

“It’s nice to get to let off a little bit of steam,” he said. “Now we’ve got a couple days to gear up and get after them.”

The Tigers and Warriors drop the puck Friday at 6 p.m.

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