NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN - Medicine Hat Tigers centre Ryan Chyzowski leaps onto the back of teammate Cole Sillinger following Sillinger's goal in a Western Hockey League game against the Calgary Hitmen on Friday at Canalta Centre.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
The Medicine Hat Tigers took control of second place in the Western Hockey League’s Central Division Friday with a 6-1 win over the Calgary Hitmen at Canalta Centre.
The result – Medicine Hat’s fourth consecutive victory – nudges the Tabbies (39-19-2-1) past the Lethbridge Hurricanes (37-18-2-5) for second by way of a tiebreaker while putting six points between them and the Hitmen (35-23-4-1) with just seven games left in the regular season.
“We did our job tonight,” said assistant coach Ryan Smith, whose Tigers took second thanks to Lethbridge’s 6-3 loss to the Kamloops Blazers. Medicine Hat also holds a game in hand on the Hurricanes and two on Calgary.
“At this time of the year you have to worry about the people behind you, and you also want to look ahead, so you’re caught a little bit scoreboard watching – but you need to always take care of your own game and we did that tonight.”
Medicine Hat seized the lead four minutes into the first when Elijah Brown found Cole Sillinger next to the net on a power play for the rookie’s 20th goal of the season.
“We wanted to come out strong and we certainly did that in the first,” said Brett Kemp, who picked up the second assist on the goal. “We know they’ve got a lot of skill and they’re a good team.”
Baxter Anderson doubled up eight minutes later after Ryan Chyzowski’s shot trickled through the padding of Calgary’s Brayden Peters, allowing Anderson to poke an insurance marker over the line. Chyzowski picked up his 100th career assist on the goal.
“I think the whole team just came out ready to play tonight,” said Anderson. “We were all over them for a full 60 and they just couldn’t really generate much.”
The Tigers came up empty-handed on an extended two-man advantage to open the middle frame, but they kept up the pace and Sillinger broke through for his second shortly after Calgary’s penalties expired.
“We just kept getting pucks deep and working their D,” said Sillinger. “It feels good to get those two points. It just separates us from them that much further.”
The Hitmen responded with one from Kyle Olson on a power play of their own a few minutes later, but Cyle McNabb answered back late in the frame to carry Medicine Hat’s three-goal lead into the third.
“We didn’t really like how we played in the first. We knew we had better,” said Hitmen captain Mark Kastelic. “We cashed in on the power play there and started to get some traction, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.”
Chyzowski extended the lead halfway through the final frame, drawing Kemp’s third assist of the night.
Jack McNaughton took over in the crease for Peters a few minutes later. Peters parted after allowing five goals on 37 shots.
Things got scrappy during a Tabby 5-on-3 in the final minutes of regulation. A late check on Baxter Anderson prompted a line brawl between the teams, and Anderson, McNabb, Nick McCarry and Cole Clayton were all sent off for Medicine Hat, as well as Calgary’s Olson, Jett Woo and Jackson van de Leest.
“I don’t really remember what happened exactly,” said Anderson. “It just kind of all started with one fight and progressed from there.”
Jonathan Brinkman went on to round out the scoring for Medicine Hat in the dying seconds of regulation.
Down at the other end of the ice, Mads Søgaard held strong to secure a 28-save victory.
McNaughton stopped seven in relief in relief of Peters.
“We’ve won some games lately but tonight felt like a real playoff atmosphere,” said Smith. “If that’s an indication of how it’s going to be, that bodes well for us. It was a great 60-minute effort and I think a total team effort. There wasn’t anybody, in my eyes, who let us down. That was really important.”
The Tigers return to Canalta Centre Saturday to host the Edmonton Oil Kings at 7:30 p.m.
