NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Dallon Melin looks to receive a pass in the Tigers 9-1 win against the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Sept. 24.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
For the first time since the 2018-19 season the Medicine Hat Tigers will break out their passports.
The Tigers are hitting the road for a five-game trip through the United States, setting up for their first games against American opponents since the 2019-20 season and first trip since 2018-19. They hit the road Wednesday and will arrive in Everett on Thursday where they can get a practice in before the first game.
Only three Tigers have played games in the U.S. – forwards Dallon Melin, Brendan Lee and Owen MacNeil, and the latter two played for U.S. clubs.
Lee played for the Everett Silvertips, the Tigers first stop of the trip as they match up Friday night. The 20-year-old forward is looking forward to being back in the city where his WHL career started.
“I haven’t been in that rink for a while now, it’ll be really exciting to go back there and play a game against them and see a lot of family and friends,” Lee said.
The Seattle product says the game against the Silvertips and when the Tigers travel to Seattle to face the Thunderbirds on Oct. 11 will be exciting for his family who will be in attendance.
Lee played 71 games for the Silvertips over two seasons (2019-21) before joining the Blades and then Tigers in the 2021-22 season.
For MacNeil, he has his eye on the Tigers’ last game of the road trip, when they head to Spokane to face the Chiefs, his former team, on Oct. 14. He said he is excited to see his former teammates again and hopes to beat them.
“Some of my best friends in the whole world are from there, it’ll be cool to see them and see some old teammates and sit down with family and experience that rink again,” MacNeil said. “But it’d be real good to get a win against them, I’m excited to see if we can do that.”
MacNeil said the U.S. game is heavier and more defensive than it is in Canada, and said the fan atmosphere is unique.
“They just cheer at everything, it doesn’t matter if it’s a hit, a fight, or a goal, they just cheer. The $2 beers in Spokane probably get people going, too,” MacNeil said.
Tigers associate coach Joe Frazer has made the trip as both a player and coach. He said he’s excited for the atmosphere of the different arenas and the opportunity for the team.
“The buildings are fun to play in and the fans are rowdy, all the teams are good so it’s good hockey and it’s a great time here to do some team building,” Frazer said. “We have a lot of new faces, a lot of the guys haven’t been on a trip like this, 10 days together.”
One of those new faces, 20-year-old Melin, who joined the Tigers ahead of training camp after playing four seasons in Red Deer, has made the trip before. He said he took the 10-day trip as a 16-year-old and is excited to do it again with his new club.
“I can’t wait, I haven’t played the American teams in three seasons, I also love getting on the road with the boys and it’s perfect opportunity early in the season to get some chemistry going, build some bonds, so I’m really looking forward to it,” Melin said.
After playing in Everett on Friday the Tigers will head to Portland on Saturday to battle the Winterhawks. After playing Seattle the Tabbies will take on the Tri-City Americans on Oct. 12 before wrapping up in Spokane.
As excited as the Tigers are to spend time on the road, there is a common message heading into the slate of games as they look to bounce back from two straight losses to the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Winnipeg Ice last weekend.
“I’m really excited. I think all the guys are too and we realize it’s not just fun, it’s also a business trip,” Parsons said. “We have to go down there and expect to win. So I think the guys know that and it’ll be good to get on the road.”
