NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Tyler MacKenzie carries the puck up the ice in the first period of the Tigers 3-0 preseason win Saturday against the Swift Current Broncos at Co-op Place.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers players have made roster decisions difficult – in a good way – for their coaching staff.
The team finished preseason action Saturday with a 3-0 win over the Swift Current Broncos at Co-op Place, one night after beating them 6-3 on the road.
Tigers associate coach Joe Frazer spoke after Saturday’s win, which put the team’s exhibition record to 3-1, and said it was a productive preseason, with the team reaching certain goals for structure and concepts while circulating guys through the lineup. Frazer says the Tigers adjusted well to the various scenarios thrown their way.
“There was some adversity against Lethbridge (Sept. 10), being down and having to battle back, come from behind,” Frazer said. “(And) I thought this weekend was great, we learned how to play with the lead last night, then they tied it up and we had to deal with that adversity. So there’s just different situations that arose that we had to deal with, and I thought the guys did a great job mentally.
“That’s been a key point of emphasis, being mentally harder and staying more focused on the process than the outcome this year. I think the guys have really bought into that and I think our older guys really set the tone with that, just being way more even keel whether we’re up or down, just playing the same way.”
Starting goaltender Beckett Langkow was between the pipes for the 26-save shutout on Saturday, a good tuneup for the regular season he said.
“It feels really good, gives me a lot of confidence going into the home opener next weekend, and you know I think it’s good for the guys to see I’m back there battling for them,” Langkow said.
Frazer said it was good to see their starter feeling good and playing like he did. With the season opener set for Saturday at Co-op Place against the Lethbridge Hurricanes, there are still some roster decisions to be made for the Tigers. Their preseason roster lists 30 players, 18 forwards, nine defencemen and three goaltenders.
“There’s a lot of tough decisions to make still and that’s a good thing, guys made it hard. We knew this was going to be a competitive camp and it has been all the way through,” Frazer said. “The 20-year-old situation, you have until Oct. 10, some other guys whether it’s this week, or after the first game or second or third game, it’s tough decisions to make. We just have to keep thinking about it.”
Tyler MacKenzie scored an empty-net goal in Saturday’s win. He said it’s a positive to have a winning record in the preseason but said there’s still more to accomplish after last season.
“We came in humble after last year,” MacKenzie said. “It’s not a year you want to have but it’s not a year you want to forget. We owe it to ourselves, we owe it to everyone around us. We kept it humble, we played the right way and I think things are starting to turn around, it’s just working out the process.”
MacKenzie would not single out any player he thought got better over the summer but said the group, from the top down, came in with a purpose.
“From the coaching staff all the way down to the players and even our trainers, we all kept a level head and we knew what we needed to do coming into this year. We all want to win. We want to work hard. So I think we did that,” MacKenzie said. “It was big for us to come out with this (win) but I think it’s just a start. We need to come into this week, work hard and practice hard and come out ready on Saturday.”
Saturday’s contest will have an even more special meaning for MacKenzie – his first home opener as he enters his third season. He debuted in the 2020-21 bubble season and missed the start of the 2021-22 season with an injury.
“It’s going to be pretty fun to get in one,” MacKenzie said.
