NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers goaltender Beckett Langkow keeps his eye on the puck off the stick of Winnipeg Ice forward Connor McClennon in the first period of the Tigers 5-2 loss to Winnipeg at Co-op Place on Saturday.
The Canadian Hockey League’s top ranked team was on full display Saturday night in Medicine Hat.
The Medicine Hat Tigers led early but could not contain the Ice as they beat the Tabbies 5-2 at Co-op Place. Medicine Hat entered the contest on the heels of a 5-4 loss Friday night in Lethbridge against the Hurricanes. The Tigers trailed 5-2 early in the third and fell just short of the comeback.
Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins said his team battled hard and tipped his cap to the Ice who entered the season a top the CHL’s rankings.
“They’re good team, they played P.A. (Prince Albert) and Swift Current hard, I thought we were right there with them,”Desjardins said. “We out shot them, they’re missing some guys and they’re going to get better as they go here too. I thought our D was good, we have a really good defence, up front we may be missing a couple pieces but we had some guys playing hard.”
The Tigers outshot Winnipeg 34-23 in the loss and got on the scoreboard early, going ahead only 15 seconds into the contest and bringing the 2,535 Tigers faithful in attendance to their feet quickly. Forward Oasiz Wiesblatt took a cross ice pass from Owen MacNeil and found the back of the net for his fourth goal of the season for the early lead.
Wiesblatt was happy to get the early marker but said they need to continue that effort over 60 minutes of play.
“It’s good when you can get a start like that, it’s the best start you can get,” Wiesblatt said. “It was a good start and a good first period we just have to keep that going for a full 60 minutes.”
Basha had the second assist on Wiesblatt’s goal as the duo have combined for a total of 10 points through three games for the Tigers (Wiesblatt 4 goals, Basha 2 goals, 4 assists).
The Ice answered back quickly with a power play goal from Arizona Coyotes prospect Conor Geekie only 1:08 after Wiesblatt’s goal.
Medicine Hat grabbed the lead once again a little under halfway through the first when Tyler MacKenzie tipped in a point shot from Bogdans Hodass for the forwards third goal of the season. Rhett Parsons had the second assist as the Tigers continued to go back and forth with the Ice.
Winnipeg would grab control late in the first and not let go as they scored four un-answered goals for the victory. Geekie picked up his second goal of the game with 1:22 left in the first period with Ty Nash grabbing the assist. The Ice had the only offence of the second period as Skyler Bruce scored his first goal of the season, the eventual game winner.
A scary moment for the Tigers and goaltender Beckett Langkow came in the second period when the Vegreville product was hit in the jaw of his mask with a skate from a falling Winnipeg player and he fell to the ice tossing off his mask. After a visit from trainer Mike Lanuk, Langkow was able to stay in the game where he had 19 saves in the loss.
The 19-year-old goaltender said he was lucky the skate hit where it did on his mask and not any lower. He said after a moment like that he just told himself to breathe.
“Just try to breathe through it and calm yourself down, don’t try and rush back into the game, get a drink of water and just reset. Just make sure make sure I’m feeling good,” Langkow said.
The net minder’s takeaway from the weekend against Lethbridge and Winnipeg was he thought the Tigers and himself could have been better.
“It could have been a lot better tonight for me and the team could have been better too but this weekend, there’s a lot of goals that I was just right there,” Langkow said. “So I’m just looking to take the next step and the ones that are close hit me instead of going in the net. I think I could be a lot better.”
Geekie rounded out his first career WHL hat trick early in the third period with Bruce and Nash picking up the assists. Jaren Brinson scored an empty net goal just before the final buzzer as the Ice held on for the 5-2 win.
Desjardins said he takes some positives from the weekend but said the Tigers can be better.
“We have to have better habits, that stuff we totally control,’ Desjardins said. “We have to keep working on that but I think we do that you and I think we can be effective.”
The Tigers are off until Friday when they get their U.S. road trip started with a game in Everett against the Silvertips. The trip will be a first for the young Tabbies who have been held in their own conference since COVID-19 shutdown the WHL. Wiesblatt said he is looking forward to the trip.
“I’m excited to go to the U.S., I haven’t done that yet and I’m excited to go with the boys,” Wiesblatt said. “Get the bonding but we’re going there with the reason to go win, work hard and compete.”
