Tigers lose home opener 3-2
By James Tubb on October 3, 2021.
NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat forward Brayden Boehm is checked while trying to enter the Broncos end in the first period of the Tigers 3-2 loss in Saturday night's home opener.It wasn’t the homecoming the Tigers would have imagined.
Medicine Hat dropped their home opener 3-2 to Swift Current on Saturday night. The Tigers start 0-2 on the season after losing to the Broncos on Friday night on the road in the WHL’s season opener.
It was all Broncos in Saturday night’s first period as they notched three goals. Caleb Wyrostok had the game’s first goal 3:17 seconds into the frame, while Mathew Ward picked up an assist. Only four minutes later Josh Filmon capitalized on a Brayden Boehm tripping penalty and scored on the Swift Current power play. Ryan Theisson and Ward assisted on the Broncos’ special teams marker.
As time was winding down in the first, Raphael Pelletier scored with 19 seconds left to give Swift Current a 3-0 lead heading to the dressing room. Filmon and Rayan Bettahar picked up the helpers on his goal.
It was a quiet second period on the score board as neither teams found the back of the net, but the physicality ramped up. Tigers Noah Danielson and Jordan Borysiuk of the Bronocs dropped the gloves in the Swift Current zone after a little bit of cross-checking and chirping back and forth.
Lukas Svejkovsky got Medicine Hat on the board with a power play marker 10:27 into the third period. Bogdans Hodass and Caleb Willms assisted on the special teams tally that came off a Ryan Bettahar hitting-from-behind penalty.
Svejkovsky re-joined the Tigers after spending the entire WHL pre-season at NHL camp with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
With 2:38 left in the third period, he notched his second of the game and the period to bring Medicine Hat within one. Both Hodass and Willms assisted on the goal, giving them each their second helpers of the game. The Tigers pulled netminder Garin Bjorklund with 1:02 left in the frame and went on the power play with six seconds left but couldn’t get the tying goal.
Tigers Head coach Willie Desjardins said his team getting behind early made it hard and they just didn’t do what they needed to to come back.
“… I thought we played good though,” Desjardins said. “I thought the first 10 minutes of the game we played really solid, kept it in there. We didn’t get many shots but we were in their zone the whole time. We just didn’t finish, we have to be better.”
He had praise for Svejkovsky and said he is a boost the team needs offensively.
“He’s a big lift for us. We need that offence right now, our young guys just aren’t generating enough, so it’s good to get some from him,” Desjardins said.
After giving up three in the first, Bjorklund shut the door stopping 22 of the 25 shots he faced. It was his second consecutive start after being in net for Medicine Hat’s Friday loss in Swift Current.
Desjardins said the three goals weren’t all on his netminder, and he was happy with Bjorklund’s game.
“He didn’t have a chance on any of them, really,” Desjardins said. “But then he came back and made some real big saves in the third, he was good for us.”
Broncos goalie Isaac Poulter, also playing on back-to-back nights, stopped 29 of the Tigers 31 shots. He held Medicine Hat scoreless Friday, stopping all 20 shots sent his way.
Swift Current head coach Dean Brockman was happy with his 20-year-old goaltender.
“He’s been outstanding, he’s the ultimate junior hockey player,” Brockman said. “He commits himself to everything and he’s getting rewarded. He’s had a few tough years with a really young group, so good on him.”
Desjardins said Poulter and the Broncos played well, but his returning players also need to play better if the they want to win.
“We have to be better,” Desjardins said. “We just weren’t good enough through the lineup and it’s such a hard league. If you think it’s going to be easy, it’s not. Some of our guys that were here last year I think they thought it was just going to happen this year and it’s not going to. We have to find ways to get better.”
Saturday night’s home opener was the first time in more than 18 months where Medicine Hat fans could be in Co-op Place for regular season action. For Desjardins, the fans were a welcomed sight.
“It thought it was great. It was so good to see the fans again and it was nice we scored to give them something to cheer about,” Desjardins said.
Bjorklund, who played 28 games during the 2019-20 season before the COVID shutdown, says seeing fans back in the stands was amazing.
“Obviously we didn’t get the result we wanted tonight but just to be back Saturday night in the ‘Coop,’ it’s pretty exciting to have the fans back and seeing the orange stands and everyone with the jerseys on,” Bjorklund said.
The Tigers have a week of practice before hitting the road Friday to Red Deer for a game against the Rebels, before returning home on Saturday. Medicine Hat will play host to the Edmonton Oil Kings at Co-op Place on Oct. 9.
Puck drops at 7 p.m.
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