Tigers lose big in Lethbridge Saturday

By James Tubb on February 26, 2022.

When it rains it pours.

The Medicine Hat Tigers had their losing streak extended to 10 games Saturday night, as they fell 9-2 on the road to the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

Hurricanes forward Justin Hall continued his offensive prowl against the Tigers this season with a five goal night that gives him 13 goals and five assists in just five contests with the Tigers this season.

Medicine Hat entered Saturday’s contest on the heels of a 6-2 loss Friday night at Co-op Place against the Winnipeg Ice. The Tigers also started the game with a short bench, running 11 forwards and six d-men due to forwards Tyler MacKenzie, Noah Danielson, Brendan Lee and  defenseman Gleb Ivanov all on the injury shelf.

Lethbridge jumped out first and took control of the first period.

Tyson Laventure picked up a turned over puck at the Tigers blue line and put the Hurricanes on the board at the 13:31 with his eighth goal of the season. Lethbridge’s Justin Hall added two more goals to their lead four minutes after Laventure’s marker.

Hall knocked in a puck out of mid-air on a Hurricanes power play two minutes before out muscling Dru Krebs to the front of the net and rooking the puck over net minder Garin Bjorklund.

After 20 minutes of play in the first Lethbridge led 3-0 on the scoreboard and were ahead 17-4 in the shots category.

The Hurricanes followed up the three goal first period with a five goal second frame.

Hall continued his strong offensive performances against the Tigers with two goals in the first ten minutes of the period, both on the power play. Medicine Hat’s Bjorklund was chased from the game after Chase Pauls scored his first of the season 42 seconds after Hall’s second goal of the frame.

The 19-year-old net minder turned aside 12 of the 27 shots he faced before rookie goal tender Zach Zahara took over between the pipes. Zahara was called up to the Tigers Thursday with net minder Beckett Langkow on the shelf after injuring his finger in practice Tuesday.

Hall welcomed Zahara to the contest with his fifth goal of the game as the Hurricanes jumped ahead 7-0 a little over halfway through the game.

Medicine Hat got on the board 1:03 later with a memorable goal. Tigers Rookie forward Tomas Mrsic took a pass from Barlage and fired the puck on Hurricanes net minder Bryan Thomson at the same time as a Lethbridge defender crashed into his own net minder.

The goal was reviewed before it was deemed a good goal for Mrsic’s first WHL marker in his fourth appearance donning the orange and black. Barlage and Oren Shtrom had the helpers on the 2021 eighth overall pick’s goal. For Barlage, the assist marked his 100th in the WHL.

Saturday night’s contest was also Barlage’s return to Lethbridge since he was traded to the Tigers at the Jan. 17 trade deadline. Corson Hopwo, who went the other way in the trade, was out of the lineup Saturday as he was serving a one game suspension for a check from behind in the Hurricanes 8-1 loss to the Calgary Hitmen Friday night.

Medicine Hat carried the momentum into a power play five minutes later as defenseman Bogdans Hodass fired home a pass off of a face-off from Teague Patton for his sixth goal of the season and second straight game with a marker.

Lethbridge capped off their dominant period with a goal from Ty Nash with 53 seconds left in the frame to lead the game in shots with 30-11 and carry an 8-2 lead into the third.

Zahara had himself a strong start to the third period between the pipes, stopping multiple wide open Hurricane opportunities with his pads.

The Hurricanes continued their offensive onslaught as Logan Warmold picked up a drop pass from Hall and fired a shot top shelf for the 9-2 lead.

Warmold’s goal would be the last of the contest as the clock hit zero on a tough road game for the Tigers.

Coming in relief, Zahara stopped 12 of the 15 shots he faced in 29:21 of action. Across the ice, Bryan Thomson picked up the win with nine saves in 40 minutes of action. Jared Picklyk took over the crease in the third period and made five saves.

Lethbridge has taken all six games of the highway three rivalry this season as they continue their push for the playoffs. With the win, the Hurricanes are tied with the Calgary Hitmen for the second Eastern Conference wildcard spot with a record of 21-24-2-1

The loss gives the Tigers a record of 9-36-3-1 as they’ll look to snap their 10 game losing streak Tuesday when they host the Red Deer Rebels at Co-op Place. That game gets underway at 7 p.m.

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