Tigers lose big in Winnipeg, extend losing streak to 12

By James Tubb on November 27, 2021.

The Medicine Hat Tigers will return from their Manitoba road trip empty handed.

The Tigers fell 7-2 to the Winnipeg Ice Saturday night and had their losing streak extended to 12 games.

Winnipeg entered Saturday night’s contest as the CHL’s top ranked team for the fourth week in a row. The win marks their 21st of the season in 22 games. Medicine Hat came into the game looking to get back in the win column and bounce back from a 7-4 defeat to the Brandon Wheat Kings on Friday night.

The Ice jumped ahead early on  Connor McClennon’s first of the game that beat Garin Bjorklund five hole. The WHL’s leading goal scorer’s goal came 15 seconds into an Ice power play at the 2:25 mark of the first frame.

Five minutes later, on another Winnipeg man advantage, McClennon would score seven seconds into that power play to double up the Ice’s lead. Both Benjamin Zloty and the WHL’s leading point getter Matthew Savoie, picked up assists on McClennon’s league leading 18th and 19th goals.

McClennon’s two were the only offence in the first as Winnipeg outshot the Tigers 13-6 in the frame.

Winnipeg started the second period with a Jakin Smallwood power play goal, 1:29 into the frame. McClennon and Zloty picked up the helpers on Smallwood’s first of the period. Special teams would be the story of the game as the Ice went three for five on the man advantage and the Tigers failed to capitalize on their two power plays.

Owen MacNeil would claw the Tigers back within two on a misplayed puck by Winnipeg goaltender Gage Alexander.

The 19-year-old net minder attempted to send the puck out of his end but the Tigers kept it in the zone and MacNeil notched his fourth of the year and second in as many games.

It would be almost all Winnipeg after that in the second. Smallwood scored his second of the game and 13th of the season 1:22 after MacNeil’s. James Form knocked in a breakaway goal at the 9:27 mark to extend Winnipeg’s lead to 5-1.

The Tigers would get on the board again with a deflected goal from Cayden Glover, his second of the campaign, with 3:04 left in the second. But, Winnipeg got the last offence of the period on a Mikey Milne goal that came 57 seconds after Glover’s. After 40 minutes, the Ice led 6-2 and were outshooting the Tigers 26-15.

The third period was relatively nondescript as both teams traded chances to no avail. Winnipeg defenceman Karter Prosofsky scored 7:12 into the frame to extend the Ice’s final lead to 7-2.

The bloated loss marks the fourth game in their last five that the Tigers have given up six or more goals.

Medicine Hat was missing two thirds of their top line in the loss as Corson Hopwo is out with a week-to-week injury and Lukas Svejkovsky was scratched late due to illness. Tigers defenceman Ryan Nolan filled in on the wing alongside Noah Danielson and rookie Andrew Basha.

Bjorklund stopped 35 of the 42 shots he faced for the Tigers in Saturday’s loss. The 19-year-old also played in Medicine Hat’s loss on Friday night to the Wheat Kings, after Beckett Langkow was pulled midway through the second period.

Across the ice, Alexander turned away 29 of the 31 Tiger shots he faced as he picked up his 10th win of the campaign.

After the long bus ride home from Winnipeg Saturday night, the Tabbies have the week to practice and gear up for a tough road matchup with the Edmonton Oil Kings team on Friday. Their next home game comes Dec. 4  in a rematch with the Wheat Kings for the Medicine Hat News Teddy Bear Toss game.

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