Tigers lose barnburner in Brandon, extend streak

By James Tubb on November 27, 2021.

It was a high scoring affair in Brandon on Friday night.

The Medicine Hat Tigers came back from a 5-1 deficit but fell 7-4 to the Wheat Kings on the road. The loss marks the Tabbies’ 11th in a row.

Vincent Lorio got the Wheat Kings on the board early with a goal 2:17 into the first. Ridly Greig would double down less than three minutes later to put Brandon ahead 2-0.

Tigers defensemen Daniel Baker scored his third of the year a 1:15 after Greig’s first of the game to bring Medicine Hat within one. Brayden Boehm and Oasis Wiesblatt picked up the assists on the Baker goal.

The Wheat Kings outshot the Tigers 11-8 in the first and took over the second period. Greig picked up his second of the game, while shorthanded, 3:15 into the frame. Marcus Kallionkeili scored six minutes later on a Wheat Kings power play before Brett Hyland could extend Brandon’s lead to 5-1 less than a minute later. Hyland’s fourth of the campaign would chase Tigers starter Beckett Langkow from the game after allowing five goals on 19 shots.

Medicine Hat’s Cayden Glover scored his first of the season at the 14-minute mark of the second period to bring the Tigers within three. Boehm notched his second assist of the night on Glover’s mark. Neither team scored in the remaining six minutes of the period and the first 10 minutes of the third before Greig picked up his third of the game to extend the Wheat Kings lead to 6-2.

The Tigers mounted a late comeback as Steven Arp scored his second of the season with 4:44 left in the game. Glover and Baker picked up the helpers on the rookie’s goal. Lukas Svejkovsky notched his 10th goal of the year on a power play just under a minute later to claw Medicine Hat within two. Tyler Mackenzie and Noah Danielson picked up the assists on Svejkovsky’s man advantage marker. Svejkovsky, a Pittsburgh Penguins prospect, is the Tigers leading scorer with 10 goals and 24 points in 17 games.

Nate Danielson, younger brother of Tigers forward Noah Danielson, scored a late shorthanded goal to set the final score at 7-4.

Garin Bjorklund stopped 11 of the 13 shots he faced in a period and a half of relief for the Tigers. Across the ice, Ethan Kruger picked up his sixth win of the year stopping 30 of the 34 Medicine Hat shots he faced.

The Tigers are back in action Saturday night with a rematch against the Winnipeg Ice. Medicine Hat lost 4-2 to Winnipeg last Saturday at Co-op Place. The Tigers will also look to get back in the win column for the first time since Oct. 22. Puck drops Saturday night at 8 p.m.