NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Oasiz Wiesblatt scans his options with the puck in his own end in the first period of WednesdayÕs battle against the Edmonton Oil Kings at Co-op Place.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com
There’s a reason the Edmonton Oil Kings are the top ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League.
The Medicine Hat Tigers kept up with the Oil Kings Wednesday night but ultimately fell 7-3. Edmonton scored three unanswered goals in 5:01 of action from the end of the second to the start of the third for their 42nd win of the season.
Tigers associate coach Joe Frazer said he thought the Tigers had a good first period but was critical of the Tigers performance in the second.
“…Chances were back and forth (in the first period), I thought we played with them but I thought we came out sluggish in the second and thought they really took it to us,” Frazer said. “We were fortunate it was 3-3 but we have to finish the period, we can’t give up those two late. We have to be more aware defensively, especially the last five minutes of the period and unfortunately it cost us.”
The Tigers entered Wednesday night’s content on the heels of a 2-0 shutout win against the Swift Current Broncos Saturday that snapped a 12-game losing streak. For the second straight game, the Tigers dominated the face-off dot, winning 34 draws to Edmonton’s 26.
The CHL’s top ranked Oil Kings opened the scoring with Justin Sordif’s 17th of the season 5:16 into the contest. Medicine Hat answered back 1:36 later when Logan Barlage redirected a shot from Rhett Parsons for his 13th goal of the campaign, sixth in the Hat. Ashton Ferster had the second assist on the marker.
The tie lasted less than a minute as former Tigers forward Josh Williams retook theEdmonton lead with a breakaway shot that snuck through netminder Garin Bjorklund. Williams’ 31st of the season would marinate as the latest goal before Oren Shtrom took a cross-ice pass from Dru Krebs in the Oil Kings end and wired it far side past Kolby Hay to tie the game up at 2-2 and bring the crowd of 1,837 Tigers’ faithful to their feet.
After an 13 game goal drought, Barlage said it felt good getting back on the scoresheet.
“I always want to be on the scoresheet as much as I can and it’s been awhile,” Barlage said. Just getting a goal like that and it was good to see Shtrom get a couple tonight too, my lineman. Hopefully it opens the floodgates for both of us and really start producing more.”
Shtrom’s eighth of the season stood as the last goal of the first, as both teams were tied on the scoreboard and in shots, 11-11.
When asked how it felt getting two points against a team as good as Edmonton, Shtrom quickly stated his priorities.
“Obviously it feels good but its not the two points we wanted,” Shtrom said.
Frazer said it was great to see Barlage and Shtrom get on the scoresheet.
“Great job by Logan going to the net and tipping that one in and it was nice to see Shtrom’er shooting the puck tonight,” Frazer said. “He’s had lots of chances lately so I know he’s been gripping the stick a little tight but it was great to see him get those two so hopefully it leads to many more to come.”
Just like the first, Edmonton opened the scoring in the second period. Cole Miller tipped in a wide Dawson Seitz shot that had Bjorklund going one way as the puck suddenly went another to give the Oil Kings a lead 4:45 into the frame.
After two high-danger saves by Bjorklund on Kaiden Guhle and Carter Souch, the Tigers tied the game up once again. Shtrom finished off a tic-tac-toe play on a Tabbies power play for his second of the game. Barlage and Tyler MacKenzie had the helpers on the goal 40 seconds into the man advantage.
When asked what it meant seeing MacKenzie get rewarded with an assist in his second game back from an upper body injury suffered on Jan. 22, Frazer said the Red Deer product just competes so hard.
“When you watch he’s one of the hardest workers out there,” Frazer said. “He’s winning the stick battles, just brings that passion and love to win that we need and we need more guys to have that.”
The game appeared to be heading into the intermission tied up at 3-3 before Edmonton’s Hayden Wheddon tipped a shot past Bjorklund for the lead with 1:41 left in the period. The Oil Kings were not complacent with the one-goal lead, as Williams found the back of the net 51 seconds later to give Edmonton a 5-3 lead after 40 minutes.
Frazer said the Tigers have to make sure they re-focus between periods in order to recreate the success they had in the first.
“After each period you have to get re-focused and that’s individually,” Frazer said. “You have to get yourself ready to play, especially against one of the best teams in the country, you can’t let your foot of the gas for any amount of time and I think a lot of our young guys learned that tonight.”
Edmonton scored first once again in the third, as Jaylen Lupen knocked in a loose puck in front of Bjorklund to give the Oil Kings a 6-3 lead 3:21 into the period. The Tigers had multiple chances in the third period but Sourdif scored his second of the game with 1:28 left to secure the 7-3 win.
In his 38th start of the season, Bjorklund turned aside 32 of the 39 shots he faced. Frazer said Bjorklund was good in net for the Tigers and said they need to be better in front of him.
Across the ice, Hay made 21 saves in his 20th appearance of the season for Edmonton. The loss gives Medicine Hat 39 on the year as their record sits at 10-39-3-1.
Oil Kings head coach Brad Lauer he expected the Tigers to compete as well as they did Wednesday night against his team. With a share of injuries on forward, Lauer said it was good to see the younger Oil Kings perform as they did.
“…You need everybody at this time of year, you get injuries, guys banged up, as you go through the playoffs you’re goignto have to use everybody,” later said. “This is a great opportunity for our young guys to be in situations and play important minutes…”
The Tigers are back in action this weekend with a home-and-home series against the Red Deer Rebels. The Tabbies fell 11-1 in their most recent game against the Rebels. They will head to Red Deer Friday night before hosting the Rebels Saturday.
Frazer said they will look at how they played in the first period as their approach to the weekend series.
“I think the good this is we can contrast how we played in the first and what worked,” Frazer said. “Being above the puck, puck management and offensively contrast that to the second and third when we didn’t do it. It’s pretty obvious how we need to play.”
