Tigers drop season opener in Swift Current

By JAMES TUBB on October 1, 2021.

The Medicine Hat Tigers failed to score as they dropped the season opener in Swift Current 2-0 against the Broncos.

Friday night’s game marked the first time in 570 days that fans were in attendance for a Tigers regular season game. It was also Medicine Hat’s first regular season game against a non-Alberta team since they faced Swift Current back on March 3, 2020. The WHL ran a 24-game schedule last year that saw teams play only within their province.

Swift Current opened the scoring halfway though the first period with a power play marker from Mathew Ward. Owen Pickering and Rylan Thiessen assisted on the Broncos man-advantage marker on Tigers Rhett Parsons’ holding penalty.

There was no offence in the second period even though the Tigers led in the shot category 7-2, and 15-9 through 40 minutes.

Carter Stebbings doubled down for the Broncos early in the third to put them ahead 2-0. Connor Hvidston assisted on the Swift Current insurance goal.

Garin Bjorklund, fresh off NHL camp with the Washington Capitals, started for the Tigers stopping 21 of 23 shots faced. Bjorklund figures to be the starter for Medicine Hat and head coach Willie Desjardins this season.

Swift Current’s Isaac Poulter stopped all 20 Tigers shots he faced. The 20-year-old net minder is in his fourth WHL season, all with the Broncos.

The Tigers and Swift Current are coming off of a preseason home-and-home series against one another. Medicine Hat took game one 3-2 in overtime on the road and then lost big at home 8-2. Medicine Hat split the pre-season 2-2 as they also faced the Lethbridge Hurricanes in exhibition action.

Medicine Hat will look to get retribution as they play host to Swift Current on Saturday at Co-op Place. Tigers’ Beckett Langkow will likely draw in for the second of the back-to-back games, with the Reid Dyck likely between the pipes for the Broncos.

Puck drops for the Tigers home opener at 7 p.m.

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