NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN - Medicine Hat Tigers forward Brett Kemp races around the ice during the team's annual skills competition, Thursday at Canalta Centre.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
Cyle McNabb brought some throwback Thursday magic to the showtime shootout.
Hoping to wow the crowd in his first Medicine Hat Tigers skills competition, the 19-year-old forward gave fans a blast from the past by capping off the marquee event with an impression of player-turned-coach Joe Frazer.
“Someone gave me the idea and I thought it was too funny not to do. So I got the glasses, I got the jersey, I thought it was pretty funny,” said McNabb, who attached a sparkler to his stick during his first attempt. “I know (Elijah) Brown was one of the judges and he liked the Joe Frazer one a lot, so I guess the judges were on my side.”
It’s been nearly a decade since Frazer last hit the ice for a Western Hockey League game – but fans got a glimpse of his glory days with the Tigers through a highlight reel presented prior to McNabb’s shootout attempt. Frazer has been behind the bench in Medicine Hat ever since trading in his uniform for a whistle in 2010, and says he got a chuckle out of watching McNabb pull the old jersey over his head.
“The guys gave me a little hint for what Cyle had planned but I didn’t expect the video and all that stuff,” said Frazer. “I thought he did a great job and he got a good laugh out of me. It was pretty funny.”
The move continued a trend of new Tigers stealing the show at the skills competition, and McNabb wasn’t the only one. Former Portland Winterhawks defenceman Nick Perna humoured fans with a James Hamblin impersonation, while fellow blueliner Parker Gavlas – a former Edmonton Oil King – grabbed the mic and did his best Bob Ridley call for a breakaway goal by Noah Danielson.
“I didn’t really have an idea, so I thought of the most important guy on this team so I picked him,” Gavlas said of his Ridley impersonation. “I thought he would be a good pick and I thought the crowd might like that one.”
Corson Hopwo rounded out the showtime shootout by taking a golf shot for his first attempt then staging a goalie brawl with Mads Søgaard.
“I wish that Hopwo would have finished better, but it’s all for fun and I love it,” Tigers captain James Hamblin said with a laugh. “Perna impersonating me, that was pretty hilarious. I loved that. And I thought that Gavlas was really good.”
Brett Kemp took home the title of fastest skater after edging Baxter Anderson in the final heat, while Daniel Baker won the accuracy shooting competition and Cole Clayton clocked in with the hardest shot at 89 miles per hour – however Cole Sillinger later broke his mark with a 92-mph blast in a shoot-off against Bryan Lockner for second place.
“I used a brand new stick and got it off the ice, it was like the perfect shot to me,” said Sillinger. “I knew I had a hard shot, maybe I didn’t know it was that hard. I don’t really take a lot of slap shots in the game other than one-timers and stuff like that on the power play. It’s a shot I don’t really like to use in the game other than that but it’s cool to see and it’s cool to measure your shot … Hopefully I can become the actual champion next year.”
Sillinger went on to become the last man standing in the elimination shootout, giving Team Chyzowski an edge entering the mini 3-on-3 tournament – and Chyzowski’s bunch held on to win the overall skills competition by defeating Team Clayton 2-1 in the 3-on-3 final.
“That was tough. It was long and we only had about five guys on the bench,” said Chyzowski. “It’s kind of like going back on the outdoor rink again and just playing some shinny so it was awesome to do that.”
While Hamblin joked about the sour taste in his mouth after his squad came up short in the four-team event, he said it was a great chance to let loose during a demanding stretch of the season, all while raising funds for the local MS Society.
“It’s a great event, everyone had fun and no one really cares about who wins,” he said. “I’m sure we raised a lot for the MS Society, which is awesome and that’s the main goal.”
