PHOTO COURTESY NATHAN REITER PRINCE ALBERT DAILY HERALD
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Owen MacNeil scans to make a pass from behind the net in the first period of the Tigers 3-2 win Wednesday night in Prince Albert against the Raiders.
The Medicine Hat Tigers return from their mini-Saskatchewan road trip on a high note.
A night after losing 8-2 against the Saskatoon Blades, the Tigers scored early and maintained their lead for a 3-2 win Wednesday night against the Prince Albert Raiders. The Tigers wrap up their season series with the Raiders with a record of 1-3 after the win.
Tomas Mrsic opened the scoring 5:02 into Wednesday’s contest with a shot from the slot that tumbled through Tikhon Chaika’s glove. Tyler MacKenzie and Dru Krebs had the assist on Mrsic’s fifth goal of the year. A mere 27 seconds later, the Tigers struck again when Dallon Melin circled around the back of the net and fired a wide shot past Chaika for his sixth marker of the year. Kurtis Smythe had the lone assist.
Prince Albert answered back with 5:32 left in the first period with a Cole Peardon shot that found its way through Tigers net minder Beckett Langkow.
Neither team scored in the second period as the Raiders led the game in shots 19-18 through 40 minutes. The Tigers were short-handed Wednesday night with forward Hunter St. Martin scratched due to an injury suffered against the Blades.
The stalemate continued into the third period as Medicine Hat and Prince Albert traded chances and killed off their penalties, both teams nullified the other’s three man advantages.
With 3:31 left in the game, Shane Smith picked up a loose puck in the slot and wired a shot top shelf before falling down to give the Tigers a two-goal lead. Melin had the only assist on Smith’s 11th goal of the year, the eventual game winner.
Prince Albert mounted a storm of offence with Chaika on the bench and eventually found the back of the net as Sloan Stanick scored with 46 seconds left in the game to bring them within one. The Tigers held onto their 3-2 lead for their 12th win of the season, bringing their record to 12-16-4-1.
Langkow made 25 saves in his 11th win of the season in the orange and black. Across the ice, Chaika turned aside 21 Tigers shots.
The Tigers return to Co-op Place and are back in action Friday when they host the Red Deer Rebels before the Kelowna Rockets come to the Hat on Saturday for the Tabbies final game before the Christmas break.
