RED DEER ADVOCATE IAN GUSTAFSON
Medicine Hat Tigers Dru Krebs, Reid Andresen, Andrew Basha, Cayden Lindstrom and Oasiz Wiesblatt celebrate Basha's first period goal in a 4-1 win over the Red Deer Rebels on Monday in Red Deer.
The Medicine Hat Tigers were ready to go for matinee action Monday in Red Deer.
The Tigers scored 45 seconds into the game as they held on to beat the Rebels 4-1. Monday’s contest was the final matchup of the two Central division teams coming off a 4-3 overtime Red Deer win Saturday in Medicine Hat.
Associate coach Joe Frazer says the win was one of the Tigers most complete team games.
“Top to bottom, I thought we worked extremely hard but a group,” Frazer said. “There was no guys trying to do it themselves, I thought it was a real team mindset and a team game.”
“That’s probably one of our best team games of the year.”
Brendan Lee had the opening goal, knocking in a loose puck below the blue line off Red Deer net minder Kyle Kelsey for the lead 45 seconds in. Tomas Mrsic and Dru Krebs had the assists on the opening goal.
A little over six minutes later the Tigers picked up a five minute power play after forward Pasha Bocharov was hit up high by Red Deer defender Christoffer Sedoff, who received a five minute major and a game misconduct for a hit to the head. Bocharov did not return to the game.
While the Tigers could not capitalize on that extended power play they did find the back of the net on a later man advantage as Andrew Basha scored his 12th of the year. The forward took a pass in the slot from Oasiz Wiesblatt in the corner and scored bardown for the 2-1 lead, Reid Andresen had the second assist.
The Tigers had the lone goal in the second period as they capitalized on another power play, going 2-for-6 on the man advantage and a perfect 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. Cayden Lindstrom took a cross ice pass from Andresen and blasted his 16th goal of the year for the 3-1 lead.
Red Deer got on the board early in the third period on a goal that just trickled past the right pad of Beckett Langkow. Kai Uchacz had the final touch on the puck as Red Deer drew within two of Medicine Hat but that was all Langkow allowed, turning aside 16 shots for the win.
With 58 seconds remaining and the Red Deer goalie pulled, Lee scored on the empty netter from just outside the blue line for his 24th goal on the season.
The Tigers held on for the win as they push their record to 23-22-8-1 and put themselves back into a playoff spot, sitting in eighth place of the Eastern conference. Their next action is Wednesday in Regina against the Pats.
