NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Noah Daneilson fires a puck on the Blades net in the first period of the Tigers 4-2 loss to Saskatoon Saturday night.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Tigers have hit a skid in the road.
Medicine Hat dropped their third straight game Saturday night, losing 4-2 to the Saskatoon Blades. The Tigers have lost both games against the Blades so far this season, allowing four goals in both contests.
Head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins said he thought the Tigers were way better Saturday night against the Blades then they were on Oct. 15 when they were shutout 4-0.
“I think we are growing as a team and I think that’s the important part,” Desjardins said.
Saskatoon jumped out first with a power play goal from Kyle Crnkovic, 8:25 into the first frame. Tristen Robins and Brendan Lee picked up the assists on his ninth goal of the season.
The Tigers would answer back quickly as Brayden Boehm knocked in a loose puck that Blades rookie net minder Ethan Chadwick could not contain to tie the game up at 1-1. Steven Arp and Oasiz Wiesblatt picked up the helpers on Boehm’s first of the season.
Boehm said it’s hard losing but he’s very happy to get the monkey off his back in his second WHL season.
“My first goal last year came in the first game and obviously not another one until now,” Boehm said. “It had been awhile coming and it was kind of nice to get that one under the belt and get ready for the year”
Both Medicine Hat and Saskatoon trades chances throughout the period that looked to end in a tie before the Blades capitalized on another power play. Egor Sidorov scored for Saskatoon on the man advantage to give them a 2-1 lead to end the frame. Aidan De La Gorgendiere and Robins assisted on Sidorov’s fifth on the year.
The Blades took advantage of another power play early in the second period as Crnkovic scored his second of the game to put Saskatoon up 3-1.
Medicine Hat would answer back a little over two minutes later as Oren Shtrom scored his third of the season off of a Rhett Parsons pass to bring the Tigers within one. Tyler Mackenzie picked up the second assist on Shtrom’s goal. That would be the only offense of the period as Medicine Hat led in shots, 15-7, after both teams had 10 shots each in the first frame.
Again, Saskatoon started another period with a goal as Brendan Lee found the twine on the Blades sixth power play early in the third. Lee’s third of the year was assisted by Charlie Wright and Moritz Elias as Saskatoon re-established their two goal lead.
The Blades would maintain their lead and take it 4-2, scoring all of their goals on the man advantage. For the Tigers, whose penalty kill has been strong all year long despite giving up four Saturday night, Desjardins said it just went the Blades way in the game.
“They got a couple right off face offs, which it’s not really the kill it’s the face off play and a lost draw, which isn’t really the kill, Desjardins said. “Wasn’t so much the kill they just capitalized tonight.”
Beckett Langkow, in his fourth start of the season, stopped 20 of the 24 shots he faced in Saturday night’s loss. Across the ice, Blades net minder Chadwick stopped 35 of the 37 Tigers shots he faced in his second start of his WHL career.
The 18-year-old Langkow said he thought the Tigers battled well in the loss but he thought he could’ve given his team a better chance to comeback.
“Just being a bit more aggressive and making sure I’m going in 100% every single shot they had,” Langkow said. “They didn’t have a ton tonight but they had a lot of good chances. So just making sure I stay dialled in the whole game.”
Desjardins said Langkow has given the coaching staff confidence whenever he’s been between the pipes this year.
“He’s played well for us and has been really solid this year for us and I think that we have a lot of confidence in him when he plays, Desjardins said.”
With the win Saskatoon brings their record to 8-2 on the year. Head coach Brennan Sonne said the Blades special teams have been a big part of their success early in the season as it was in Saturday’s win.
“Our penalty kill is right up their in the league as is our power play,” Sonne said. “That’s a huge part of it. We’ve gotten really good goaltending and we have some leaders that can manage wins and manage those leads.”
The Tigers now sit 4-5-1-1 early in the year with their next action Friday, when they head to Swift Current for their fourth matchup against the Broncos.
