NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers net minder Garin Bjorklund sticks out his pad to deny former Tigers d-man Eric Van Impe a breakaway opportunity in the first period of the Tigers 2-0 win against the Swift Current Broncos on Mar. 5.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
For the Medicine Hat Tigers, lessons are a lot easier to swallow after a win.
Saturday’s 2-0 win over the Swift Current Broncos showed the Tigers how to play with a lead late and pick up the win.
Associate coach Joe Frazer said it was great to have the players see how they got the win.
“It’s not about the results all the time because we have the process,” Frazer said. “That’s really what we’ve been trying to preach here is the process and when you do the right things over and over again then the results come.”
The Tigers picked up a 1-0 lead with 9:39 left in the third and had to hold it down to snap their 12-game losing streak. Frazer said it wasn’t that they held the lead, it was how they held it down that he was happy with.
“We really bought into the structure and the game plan of it,” Frazer said. “Creating those turnovers through the neutral zone and transition on them, staying above the puck. In the past we’ve been a little more anxious when we’ve had the lead, so to see that maturation of sticking with the game plan, sticking to the structure and then coming out on top I think that’s a huge learning point for guys.”
Besides getting rewarded with the win, two Tigers came out on top of Saturday’s victory in Garin Bjorklund, who picked up his first shutout of the season, and Carter Chorney, who scored the game-winner.
Frazer said it was good to see Bjorklund get rewarded with the shutout and said the guys were happy for their netminder.
“He’s a great goalie and we need him, and to see him play like that and get the shutout, it’s so well deserved,” Frazer said. “He’s put in the time and a lot of work.”
Bjokrlund said it’s his goal every game to get a shutout but it was great to get that and the win.
“For me to clinch that one and for us to get the win over Swift, it was huge for our group and huge for myself,” Bjorklund said.
The Grand Prairie product was riding a cold stretch along with the team. As the Tigers had dropped 12 straight, Bjorklund only had one start in which he didn’t give up at least three goals and was pulled in three starts.
But the netminder has started showing signs of returning to the form that was drafted 179th overall in 2020.
When asked at what time he started realizing he was pitching a shutout, Bjorklund said he was maybe pushing it but realized with roughly seven minutes left in the game.
He said it got stressful when the Tigers took a penalty with 2:19 left in the game but was confident they’d pull out the win.
“I mean, it was kind of stressful but I knew the boys would come through and help me and it was good for us to get that win,” Bjorklund said.
The Tigers penalty kill, much like its netminder, was perfect in the win, stopping all four Broncos man advantages.
Frazer said they addressed taking penalties late in the game and controlling their emotions when having a lead, but said the penalty kill was a confidence booster for them.
“To come through with a big kill, blocking shots, selling out, Garin was big in net. It was just all around a great job by everybody,” Frazer said.
Chorney, who hit his 200th WHL game on Mar. 1, is one of those penalty killers.
The 20-year-old said it was an unbelievable feeling getting the big goal against a rival like the Broncos. He said it was huge when they pulled it off on the kill and secured the win.
“The boys battled hard all game and I thought we really deserved that, especially in that last two minutes when we took that penalty and the boys battled and didn’t give up,” Chorney said.
Frazer said Chorney’s goal reflected the game plan the Tigers had of sticking with the structure and and creating turnovers.
“You know, we had our guys in the right spots in the neutral zone, create the turnover and then we go score off the rush,” Frazer said. “It was just culmination of everything and it was great to see Carter get that goal because he’s he’s been such a great guy in the locker room for our young guys since we’ve gotten him, and to see him get rewarded, it was pretty special.”
The Tigers look to build off the win when they host the CHL’s top ranked Edmonton Oil Kings tonight at Co-op Place, one week after the Oil Kings beat them 5-2.
Frazer said they’ll need to be really good down low defensively and make sure they make it hard with the forecheck.
“With a team like that, you give them a lot of respect but you have to make sure you go after them too,” Frazer said. “You’ve got to be relentless, that’s how we want to play.”
