Tigers drop final road game of season

By James Tubb on April 10, 2022.

The Medicine Hat Tigers return to the Gas City after a tough final road trip of the season.

The Tigers leave Manitoba on the heels of losing 8-2 to the Winnipeg Ice Sunday afternoon, their third game in as many nights. Medicine Hat lost 6-1 Saturday night to the Ice and dropped Friday’s contest against the Brandon WheatKings 6-3. Sunday’s loss marks the Tigers 11th defeat in a row.

Winnipeg, the WHL’s top team, opened the scoring 6:15 into the game when Benjamin Zloty scored his first goal of the game. Mikey Milne had the lone assist. The Ice added to their lead 4:53 later when Milne found the back of the net himself, picking up his 36th goal of the year.

The Ice outshot the Tigers 13-8 in the opening frame. Winnipeg clinched home ice through the Eastern conference playoffs and a franchise record 50 wins after their victory Saturday. With Sunday’s win, they clinched the WHL’s Scotty Munro memorial trophy as the 2021-22 regular season champions.

Winnipeg carried the offense into the second period when Conor Geekie scored his 23rd of the season 6:51 into the frame. The Tigers got on the board 2:11 later when Tyler MacKenzie found the back of the net with his fourth goal of the year. Noah Danielson and Owen MacNeil had the assists as the Tigers began to gain momentum.

Oasiz Wiesblatt feathered a pass from below the goal line to Danielson who smacked it home to bring the Tigers within one. Danielson’s 11th of the year came 2:05 after MacKenzie’s marker and was Medicine Hat’s last offense of the game as Winnipeg ran off five straight goals.

Matthew Savoie and Connor McClennon each scored 1:20 apart to end the second period with Winnipeg ahead 5-2.

The physicality picked up in the third period as Winnipeg’s Sequoia Swan was handed a two minute major and 10 minute game misconduct for charging, 2:53 into the final period. Owen Boucher of the Ice spent four minutes in the box for slew footing.

Wiesblatt was handed a five minute major and a 10 minute game misconduct for cross checking with 2:37 minutes left in the game.

Savoie, Zloty and McClennon all scored in the third period to give Winnipeg their final lead of 8-2 and pickup their 51st win on the season.

Beckett Langkow was between the pipes for Medicine Hat and made 25 saves in Sunday’s loss. Across the ice from him, Winnipeg goaltender Daniel Houser made 24 saves in the win.

The Tigers (11-52-3-1) have four days off before they host the Edmonton Oil Kings Friday night at Co-op Place for their final game of the 2021-’22 season. That contest gets underway at 7 p.m.

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