NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN Medicine Hat Tigers forward Corson Hopwo blocks a shot from Swift Current Broncos defenceman Hendrik De Klerk during a Western Hockey League game on Tuesday at Canalta Centre.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
The Swift Current Broncos may only have 10 wins on the year, but the Medicine Hat Tigers are still expecting some serious pushback when they enter the Innovation Credit Union iPlex to close out a home-and-home series tonight.
The Tabbies bullied struggling Swift in a 7-0 beatdown to open the set Tuesday at Canalta Centre, but Hat assistant coach Ryan Smith says that lopsided result is likely to have left the Broncos with a chip on their shoulder entering tonight’s rematch.
“They won’t be happy with (Tuesday),” said Smith, whose Tigers fell 4-3 in a shootout during their last trip to the iPlex on Dec. 27. “They’re at home and that’s a hard place to play. They beat us after Christmas and I’m sure they’ll reflect on that. I think they’ll have a sour taste in their mouth and that’s the test to us, to kind of forget about (Tuesday) and start to focus on Friday.”
Tuesday’s big victory was propped up by a five-goal first period and finished with the first shutout of rookie goaltender Garin Bjorklund’s career. Medicine Hat’s top line of James Hamblin, Lukas Svejkovsky and Corson Hopwo combined for 11 points on the evening – eight of which came in the first period.
“We’ve just got to have that same start again,” said Svejkovsky. “We definitely know what to expect. They’re definitely going to come out harder in their rink.”
Svejkovsky joined the Tigers in a trade with the Vancouver Giants on Dec. 7 and the 18-year-old right-winger immediately became a part of the team’s top line. It didn’t take long before the trio started developing chemistry, and together they’ve racked up 53 points in the 12 games since the calendar flipped to 2020.
“I think we’ve been playing better as each game goes on,” said Svejkovsky. “I think our chemistry is getting up there, for sure. We’re just finding a way to distribute the puck with each other and stuff like that, so it’s been fun so far.”
That fun has translated into success, both in terms of standings and statistics.
With Tuesday’s win, the Tigers (31-14-1-1) closed to within one point of the Lethbridge Hurricanes (29-11-2-5) for second in the Central Division, while Hamblin’s four-point performance left him sitting alone at the top of the Western Hockey League’s scoring race with 76 points in 47 games – three points ahead of Kamloops Blazers forward Zane Franklin. Hamblin is also tied with Franklin for most assists at 47, while his 29 goals have him sitting fourth in the league.
What’s more, 33 of Hamblin’s 76 points have come in the 19 games since Svejkovsky joined the him and Hopwo on the top line – and he insists their success as a trio is a direct product of their work ethic, both on the ice and in the weight room.
“They’re just some guys who work really hard,” Hamblin said of his linemates. “It’s a lot of hard work paying off.”
The Tigers (31-14-1-1) return home to host the Brandon Wheat Kings (25-19-2-2) on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
