Blades brush off three-goal deficit, come back to beat Tigers

By Medicine Hat News on January 25, 2020.

The Medicine Hat Tigers watched a three-goal lead vanish on Friday night at the SaskTel Centre.

After taking over the commanding lead just past the halfway point of the second period, the Tigers allowed five goals over the next 11 minutes of ice time before falling 6-5 to the Saskatoon Blades.

Tristen Robins finished with a hat trick for Saskatoon, while Kyle Crnkovic closed out the night with a goal and four assists.

James Hamblin kicked off the scoring with a breakaway goal to give Medicine Hat a 1-0 edge after 20 minutes.

Daniel Baker tacked onto the Tabby lead 35 seconds into the second, then Baxter Anderson snapped a 19-game goalless drought 11 minutes later – but the Blades dug in and came storming back.

Robins put Saskatoon on the board just over a minute after Anderson’s tally, then Crnkovic struck three minutes later before Chase Wouters erased the deficit with just over a minute left in the second.

Hungry to avenge an embarrassing 11-3 loss in Medicine Hat’s last visit to Saskatoon, the Blades seized control on a goal from Riley McKay in the opening minute of the third period, then Robins added his second of the night – and 20th of the year – one minute later to chase Hat netminder Garin Bjorklund from the crease in favour of Mads Søgaard.

Corson Hopwo answered for Medicine Hat a few minutes later, but Robins responded with his third shortly afterward to bring the hats over the boards.

The Tigers kept coming and Nick McCarry cut the deficit back down to a goal with five minutes left in regulation, but they were unable to get anything else past Blades netminder Koen MacInnes.

Bjorklund stopped 26 of 31 shots before leaving the crease. Søgaard allowed one goal on five shots in relief.

MacInnes picked up the win – pushing Saskatoon to 23-18-1-2 – on 28 saves.

The Tigers came up empty-handed on four power play attempts while allowing two goals on seven Saskatoon advantages.

With the loss, Medicine Hat slips to 29-14-1-1 on the season – three points back of the Lethbridge Hurricanes (28-11-2-5) for second in the Western Hockey League’s Central Division with one game in hand.

The Tigers close out their two-game East Division road trip Saturday in Prince Albert against the Raiders at 6 p.m.