Tigers look to shake nine game slump tonight

By JAMES TUBB on November 23, 2021.

It’s been over a month since the Medicine Hat Tigers last won a hockey game.

The Tabbies enter tonight’s game against the Regina Pats after a 7-3 loss Friday in Lethbridge and a 4-2 loss at home Saturday to the CHL’s best Winnipeg Ice – extending their losing streak to nine games.

A loss to the Regina Pats in tonight’s 7 p.m. game at Co-op Place would signal their longest losing streak since the 2000-01 season, when the Tigers finished the year 24-40-3. Until this past weekend’s losses, Medicine Hat’s previous seven defeats were all one-goal differences, with three coming in overtime.

Head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins says they’ve been in all of the games they’ve lost in the slump, but need to get results.

“We haven’t come out with a win, so we have to get wins,” Desjardins said. “Bottom line is we’re lucky to be able to have a chance to play…. The only solution is in the room, there’s no solution outside. We just have to find the way inside the room to make it work.”

When the Tigers do win, Desjardins says it will be because his leaders stepped up.

“When you’re in stuff like this, it’s your leadership that will make the difference and you need guys stepping up and having big games,” Desjardins said.

The Tabbies will be without one of those leaders tonight, as Corson Hopwo left Saturday’s game early due to injury and did not return. Desjardins says Hopwo was being reviewed and likely won’t be in the lineup Tuesday.

Oasiz Wiesblatt took Hopwo’s spot on the top line alongside Lukas Svejkovsky and Noah Danielson for the rest of Saturday’s loss.

The Pats are off to a slow start to the season as well, with a 7-10-0-0 start that resulted in their head coach being let go last week. Desjardins said the Tigers will all need to be ready for Regina to come in playing hard.

“You don’t cover it with one guy, you cover it with the group all stepping up and playing better,” Desjardins said.