NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins looks up at the Co-op Place scoreboard before the third period of a 5-3 loss to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Dec. 18. - NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Medicine Hat Tigers head coach and GM Willie Desjardins did not hold back after his team’s 2-0 loss Saturday night at Co-op Place to the Calgary Hitmen.
“We’ve had 60 games basically to show if we can play and right now guys, they can’t, they’re not there,” Desjardins said. “We’re going to have to find some younger guys and we’re going to have to go with them.”
Saturday’s shutout loss was the third game in a row the Tigers were held off the score sheet. They’ve also been outshot 111-45 in that stretch.
Desjardins said he likes every guy on his team and wants them all back next year to play well but said they need to do that, play better.
“There’s going to be competitions for spots because this isn’t acceptable for next year, we know that.” Desjardins said. “We did it this year so we could be better next year and it’s going to be tough to be better. We’re not where we need to be so we’re going to have to find a way and guys are going to have to show some stuff.”
The Tigers and Desjardins have said multiple times they made a choice when Cole Sillinger did not return to an orange and black jersey from NHL training camp that they would take a step back in order to build for future success.
Before Desjardins took over the reins in 2002, the Tigers had not qualify for the playoffs for five straight years.
Desjardins said the choice they made to take a step back this year was to avoid a streak like that again.
“We bit the bullet this year, so that we wouldn’t go five. That’s why we made that decision,” Desjardins said. “Rather than spread it out, we took our lumps this year, so be it. But saying that, there’s no reason not to be good and to play hard. I don’t care if it’s your age, I don’t care, and our guys, they can find ways to be better.”
The first five year of Desjardins’ first stint with the Tigers resulted in two WHL championships, a conference final appearance and two conference semifinal appearances.
Coming out of this weekend the Tigers remain at the bottom of the WHL with a record of 11-45-3-1, giving them 26 points on the season. That also puts them in last of the entire Canadian Hockey League, with the closest team being the Cape Breton Eagles of the QMJHL with 30 points.
In Saturday’s loss, netminder Garin Bjorklund made 37 saves and Friday night Beckett Langkow turned aside 40 shots in a 3-0 loss in Red Deer, his first game since Feb. 19 due to injury.
When asked after Saturday’s loss how big it is for his goaltenders to perform as they did Desjardins said it’s not a surprise to him and he expected it to be a strength at the beginning of the season.
“We have two good goaltenders and I expect them to play well, that’s what they’ll do for us,” Desjardins said. “We thought we had enough with our D and our forwards to be competitive. Those guys are playing well and the rest of us have to be better.”
The Tigers have eight games left in the season that will provide players an opportunity to prove whether they fit into the lineup for next season. Prospects will also have a chance to show what they can do at the WHL level.
Medicine Hat recalled four prospects last weekend in forwards Tomas Mrsic, Shane Smith, Hunter St. Martin and defenceman Josh Van Mulligen.
Mrsic played in both games over the weekend and Smith slotted into Saturday’s loss after Teague Patton was scratched due to injury. Desjardins said he doesn’t want prospects coming in and thinking they’re going to easily get spots.
“You work for your spots. You work in practice, you work in the weight room, if you do that then you get a chance to play and we’re not going to give anybody anything,” Desjardins said. “Guys are going to have to work for it and if they work for it, they’ll get rewarded.”
When asked how frustrating Saturday’s loss and a year like this is for the team’s winningest head coach, Desjardins said it’s no different than the players.
“If you could accept performances like this, you’ll get performances like this for the rest of your career,” Desjardins said. “So you better not take it easy, it better not be something that you can live with… The minute we’re not disappointed is the minute we’ll never get better. So I should be frustrated and I should be disappointed every night we don’t win.”
The Tigers are on the road Wednesday to face the Calgary Hitmen for the final time this season.
