NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Andrew Basha looks to make a pass in the first period of a 2-0 loss against the Calgary Hitmen on Saturday at Co-op Place.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers tough weekend finds them a spot lower in the WHL standings.
After beating the Edmonton Oil Kings 7-2 on Friday, the Tigers lost back-to-back against the Calgary Hitmen, getting shutout 2-0 Saturday at Co-op Place before losing 4-3 on Sunday in Calgary.
The losses drop the Tigers from seventh in the Eastern conference to eighth with Calgary jumping over Medicine Hat into seventh place. Beckett Langkow was between the pipes in both Calgary games, making 29 saves on Saturday before turning aside 28 on Sunday.
Head coach Willie Desjardins spoke with the News after Saturday’s shutout loss and said they can’t get frustrated when shots aren’t going their way.
“That’s what the game is going to be, you’re going to play against good players, it’s going to be shift after shift,” Desjardins said. “If you let that stuff in, it’s a weak mind and your mind can’t be weak, your only focus is winning, nothing takes you off that focus, nothing.
“It doesn’t matter if he makes the save the only shift that counts is the next one. We still have to learn that, we’re not at that point, guys have to show they’re at that point. It’s something that you have to have and if you can’t have then you’ll never be good in big games.”
Top prospect Gavin McKenna was in the lineup Sunday after his CSSHL season came to a close on Friday with the South Alberta Hockey Academy losing in the quarter-finals. McKenna and Lee led the Tigers offensively Sunday with a goal and an assist each. Bogdans Hodass scored Medicine Hat’s third goal of the game.
The Tigers head into the final week of the season with a Wednesday matchup at Co-op Place against the Edmonton Oil Kings before wrapping the regular season with a home-and-home series against the Swift Current Broncos, Friday’s game is on the road with Saturday’s at home.
Medicine Hat (28-28-81) has 65 points, putting them one spot behind the Hitmen with the same number of games left on the schedule. Swift Current has played one more game than Medicine Hat and sits on the playoff bubble three points out of a spot in the post season.
