NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Oasiz Wiesblatt stares into the Edmonton bench after scoring his first period goal in the Tigers 6-1 win Wednesday against the Oil Kings at Co-op Place.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers open up a busy slate of games this evening.
They are in Red Deer to face the Rebels in the first of a three-game, three-day set where they host the Calgary Hitmen on Saturday and the Prince Albert Raiders on Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers enter the weekend on a high, coming off a 6-1 win Wednesday against the Edmonton Oil Kings. Head coach Willie Desjardins tagged special teams as the difference in the win.
“Edmonton had won a couple of games, they beat Lethbridge and Brandon, so they’re playing pretty well,” Desjardins said. “We are all about trying to make sure we keep getting better. It was a good game, we scored in some opportunities – I thought our specialty teams probably made the difference. We stayed out of the penalty box, which is something we’ve talked about, but our penalty kill was good. Then we got a couple of power play goals, that was a difference in the game.”
The Tigers converted on two of three power plays and only took two trips to the penalty box. Coming off of that win and into the busy weekend, associate coach Joe Frazer said success will be about ensuring they do the right things on and off the ice.
“They’re all three really good teams. PA has a three-in-three as well, they’re playing Friday and Saturday so there’s really no excuses,” Frazer said. “That’s why you come to this league, to play the pro schedule, and it makes sure you get acclimated to it when you move up the levels.
“It’s all about the off-ice this weekend and making sure you’re taking care of the body and being a pro off the ice. So when it comes game time, we’re ready to go.”
The busy weekend is exciting for Oasiz Wiesblatt, who had a goal and two assists in the win Wednesday, one of six multi point games for the Tigers.
“It’s going to be hard though,” Wiesblatt said. “Going to Red Deer, they’re a great team who had a week off, so we know they’re going to come out strong, but we’re ready for them. We’re hungry and we’re motivated to win that game and do well on the three-in-three.”
Wiesblatt’s line with Andrew Basha (three assists Wednesday) and Brendan Lee (goal, assist) have led the Tigers offensively all season. The trio has combined for 28 goals and 37 assists for 65 points, scoring 32 per cent of the Tigers’ overall 85 goals on the year.
“It’s extremely fun,” Wiesblatt said. “Lee’zer with probably an NHL shot, so that helps – it’s just such a great shot. Bash and I have great chemistry, just living with each other almost. We just find ways and kind of learn from each other.”
Defencmen Reid Andresen and Pasha Bocharov both scored Wednesday and forwards Tomas Mrsic and Brayden Boehm added a goal and an assist each. Tyler MacKenzie had a trio of assists, earning first-star honours on the night.
While they look to continue their offensive success, the Tigers also have extra motivations in each of their matchups. Tonight’s contest against the Rebels is Dallon Melin’s return to Red Deer for the first time since becoming a Tiger this off season, and the Rebels have beat Medicine Hat once this season. The same motivation comes in the Hitmen and Raiders games, both teams who have beat the Tigers once.
“We have to prove to them we’re a really good team and prove it to each other that we can win those games,” Wiesblatt said.
Saturday’s game against Calgary gets underway at 7 p.m. and Sunday’s battle with Prince Albert is a 4 p.m. start, both at Co-op Place.
