By Medicine Hat News on March 3, 2020.
Mads Søgaard is back on top of his game and the timing couldn’t be better for the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The 19-year-old from Denmark was named WHL goaltender of the week Monday following a pair of one-sided wins over the Regina Pats.
Søgaard wasn’t busy in either game, making 18 saves in an 8-2 win in Regina Friday, then all 18 in Saturday’s 2-0 shutout on home ice. He noted in an interview with the News last week that lower shot totals this year have been a change he’s had to overcome mentally, staying focused in preparation for the next one.
The 6-foot-7, 200 pound product of Denmark was drafted in the second round of last year’s NHL draft by Ottawa, but only just broke into the top-10 of WHL goals against average this week with 2.62.
Medicine Hat hosts another team not headed to the playoffs tonight, the Swift Current Broncos, 7 p.m. at Canalta Centre. The last-place Broncos have lost 14 in a row and are 10-45-1-3, but did surprise the 37-19-2-1 Tigers after the Christmas break – though Søgaard noted he was still battling jetlag in that contest after being overseas for the World Junior Championships’ Division 1 tournament.
Aside from that, however, the Tigers have won the other four head-to-head matchups this season.
The Tigers trail Lethbridge for second in the Central Division by four points, though they have a game in hand. They play at home to Calgary and Edmonton this weekend and close their five-game homestand next Tuesday against Red Deer.