Another backup shines for Tigers
By RYAN MCCRACKEN on March 16, 2021.
mccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken A return, a debut; call it what you will – Beckett Langkow stole the show. The 17-year-old goaltender put a yearlong wait in the rear-view mirror and set his focus on new horizons when he stepped into the crease for Saturday’s Western Hockey League debut with the Medicine Hat Tigers, logging 34 saves for a 4-2 victory over the Calgary Hitmen. “It’s been a long wait,” Langkow said in Saturday’s post-game Zoom conference with media. “I’ve been here (with Medicine Hat) for over a month already, lots of practice. It felt like I’ve just been getting better and better, getting used to the speed and the shots here.” Calgary was overwhelming off the hop Saturday, and Josh Prokop managed to sneak a rebound past Langkow for an early lead just 58 seconds into regulation. But the 6-foot, 176-pound netminder settled right back into his crease for 12 saves in the opening frame before holding off the Hitmen in a late push. “I think I had a bit of a rough start there. It felt kind of weird the first five minutes. I haven’t played a game in, I think it’s almost a year. The first goal kind of woke me up a bit, and I felt good after that one,” said Langkow, whose Tigers went 2-1 against Calgary this weekend. “As soon as you give up one, you kind of feel bad about it. But we got it right back, so then it was basically a 0-0 hockey game again. It helps a lot when those guys really battled for me.” The strong debut was an indication of what the Tigers saw in Langkow – a product of Vegreville who went overlooked in the bantam draft. Last month, Tigers director of player personnel Bobby Fox said he believed Langkow was the best goaltender in the Alberta AAA Midget Hockey League last season, and he proved why Saturday. “I really strived to work for this, and it feels great for it all to come together,” said Langkow, who recorded a 1.93 goals against average and a .934 save percentage with the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers last year. “I’m not satisfied yet, though. I just want to keep this train rolling and keep getting wins for the team.” The Tigers have boasted a history of strong backups in recent years, many of whom have either challenged for or ultimately taken over the No. 1 role. Nick Schneider posted a 2.82 GAA with an .898 save percentage as backup to Marek Langhamer in 2014-15. In 2017, Michael Bullion joined the Tigers in a trade with the goal of helping Schneider manage the load, and ultimately took over the starter’s position. Denmark’s Mads Søgaard then joined the team in 2018 and took over the No. 1 spot from Jordan Hollett. Søgaard ended up getting the bulk of the starts last season, but Garin Bjorklund still posted a 2.91 GAA with an .897 save percentage and a 20-5-1-1 record as a rookie before taking over the No. 1 spot this year. If Saturday’s performance is any indication, the Tigers will again possess a potent one-two punch between the pipes this season. “Since I’ve been here there’s been great goaltenders and that’s the biggest key to winning games,” said Tigers defenceman Cole Clayton, who leads the WHL with 14 points after recording four goals and three assists in three games this weekend. “You’ve got to have good goalies, and when they’re saving pucks we’re winning games. Garin is great and Beckett showed us tonight that he can play as well, so we’ve got two really good guys back there.” Langkow added he’s thankful to enter the WHL as backup to a goaltender like Bjorklund – who went 179th overall to the Washington Capitals in last year’s NHL entry draft. “It helps having Garin here. He’s a draft pick and a great guy and he really pushes me to compete in practice. It just makes me that much better,” said Langkow. “He’s also a great friend who helps me through lots of things. He came in sort of the same as me, in a backup role, and he’s helped me and I’ve learned lots from him.” Visit https://www.medicinehatnews.com for recaps from all three of this weekend’s games. The Tigers took two of three from the Hitmen, with 6-2 and 4-2 victories coming before 1 5-4 loss on Sunday. The Tigers are now 4-3 on the shortened season. 17-16
