Tigers get doubled up in Saturday night loss to Hurricanes

By James Tubb on January 15, 2022.

The Lethbridge Hurricanes continue to dominate the Highway 3 rivalry with the Medicine Hat Tigers.

The Tigers lost 6-3 to the Hurricanes Saturday night at Co-op Place for the fourth time this season.

Medicine Hat associate coach Joe Frazer said the Tigers had a good start but just didn’t follow it up.

“I thought the first period was one of the best periods of the year and then we just didn’t follow it up for the next 40,” Frazer said.

The first 10 minutes of the game was quickly swallowed up with both teams getting chances but neither were able to find the back of the net.

Hurricane forward Justin Hall opened the games scoring with his first of three goals, seven seconds after the frames halfway point to put Lethbridge ahead. The Edmonton product has had a lot of success against the Tigers this season, as he has eight goals and five assists in four instillations of the Highway 3 rivalry.

Hall said he isn’t sure why he’s had so much success against the orange and black  and joked that he wishes he could play the Tigers every game.

The Tigers answered back quickly to tie the game up on a Dru Krebs point shot that floated past Hurricanes net miner Jared Picklyk and brought the 1,946 Tigers faithful to their feet. Owen MacNeil and Carter Choreny picked up the helpers on Krebs’ second of the season.

MacNeil’s assist gives him points in three straight as he scored in the Tigers 6-2 loss Friday night in Moose Jaw against the Warriors and had the overtime winner in Medicine Hat’s 4-3 win against the Brandon Wheat Kings last Wednesday.

The tie game lasted 40 seconds before Corson Hopwo scored his eighth of the season to put the Tigers ahead. Medicine Hat goaltender Garin Bjorklund had the only assist on Hopwo’s goal as he carried the puck up the ice and wired a shot top shelf on Picklyk to break the tie.

Hopwo said it was a good feeling to get on the score sheet but also said it was unfortunate the Tigers didn’t get the win. When asked about what the Tigers carry over from the loss Hopwo said they need more consistency in their game.

“We just have to play a full 60, that’s kind of been the story for the whole year,” Hopwo said. “Let off a couple times in the game and good teams turn over and make you pay on those mistakes.”

Medicine Hat held the 2-1 lead for the rest of the frame and into intermission after outshooting the visiting Hurricanes 15-7 in the period.

The Tigers lead did not last long into the second before Lethbridge took over.

Jett Jones and Ty Nash both scored for the Hurricanes in the first five minutes of the period to null Medicine Hat’s lead and put the orange and black behind, 3-2.

Frazer said the Tigers need to figure out their consistency when it comes to their second periods. Medicine Hat gave up eight goals combined in Friday and Saturday night’s second periods.

“The last two first periods have been good so it’s there but it’s the consistency thing and that’s kind of plagued us all year, Frazer said. “It’s a 60 minute hockey game and we have to make sure after a great first period we just re-group and do it again.”

It took almost 10 minutes but the Tigers tied the game up late in the second on a big goal for Andrew Basha.

The Calgary product fired the puck past Picklyk with 4:20 left in the second for his first Western Hockey League goal. Saturday night marked Basha’s 17th game with the Tigers since he was called up from the Southern Alberta Hockey Academy in late November. Steven Arp and Rhett Parsons had the assists on Basha’s first.

The rookie Tiger said it was nice getting his first WHL goal but had a hard time separating the moment from the loss.

“It was definitely a relief, I was looking for that for awhile now but end of the day, we wanted that win more,” Basha said.

The Lethbridge–Medicine Hat rivalry showed it’s true colours late in the second frame as the Tigers Pasha Bochorov and Hurricane Logan Barlage dropped the gloves after a big hit by Bochorov.

Medicine Hat ended up with a power play after the fisticuffs that was quickly muted by a short handed breakaway goal by Hall for his second of the game that put the Hurricanes up 4-3 heading into intermission. Lethbridge outshot the Tigers 16-8 in the frame to tie the games total up at 23-23 after 40 minutes.

Lethbridge jumped out early in the third to extend their lead to 5-3. Yegor Klavdiev scored his sixth of the season 3:44 into the period to give the Hurricanes some insurance.

The Tigers and Hurricanes traded chances throughout the frame  as the Tabbies chased the two goal deficit. Hall completed his hat trick with an empty net goal with 2:33 left in the game to give the Hurricanes their final lead of 6-3.

Hurricanes head coach said he thought the Tigers played well out of the gate and said it just took his team a little bit to get their feet going before picking up the win.

“I thought the second and third periods, once we had a few goals we played a much better game and took it over,” Ksio said.

When asked how they find consistency coming off their long stretch of games Frazer said the Tigers just have to be ready.

“You just have to be ready to go, it’s another opportunity to play an un-beleivable game and the game we love and you just have to get yourself excited,” Frazer said.

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