Tigers avoiding losing streaks with tight division race

By JAMES TUBB on January 24, 2024.

jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb

As the Central division race narrows, the Medicine Hat Tigers are keeping pace at the top by staying in the win column.

The Tigers’ 7-3 win Sunday on the road against the Brandon Wheat Kings continued a trend that has played a role in Medicine Hat sticking at the top of their division. With the win, the Tigers snapped a two-game slide and maintained their lack of a major losing streak, having only lost two straight five times.

Doing so with a shorthanded lineup showcases a bounce-back ability associate coach Joe Frazer says stems from the 11-win season two years ago.

“It just shows us what type of leadership we have,” Frazer said. “We’ve had adversity a lot this year and a lot of the guys who went through that tough season two years ago, they’re our leadership group now, so they’re not afraid of adversity. Usually when adversity hits they’re more excited and they go right after it. So it says we’re in great shape and speaks volumes about our leadership.”

The three points from the weekend keeps the Tigers in second place of the Eastern conference and first in the Central division with a record of 28-14-3. They sit four points ahead of the Red Deer Rebels who are in second place in the division, but have played two fewer games.

Frazer says they don’t talk about the standings as a group, only because they know what they need to achieve, and that comes through wins.

“We have goals, we want to win the division, we want home ice, those are important for us and we set that out at the start of the year,” Frazer said. “We put ourselves in a position where that’s obtainable but we can’t look too far and we have a lot of season left. There’s 23 games left, that’s almost a midget season left in place, so it’s a lot of hockey left. We just have to make sure we’re taking it day by day getting better, and that starts in practice. This week we have a lot of practice time before Moose Jaw and we’re going to make sure we’re pushing the pace and getting better.”

As they continue to make that push toward the playoffs and maintain their spot in the standings, the Tigers will need production from the entire lineup. A large part of their recent success, especially with Cayden Lindstrom out long term recovering from hand surgery and Andrew Basha in and out of the lineup with injury, has been Tomas Mrsic.

The 17-year-old NHL draft-eligible forward has seen a jump in his production since the Christmas break but is also seeing more ice time on the penalty kill and at even strength.

He has six goals and 11 points in his last eight games, adding to the six goals and 26 points he had in the first 32 games of the season. It’s an uptick he’s obviously enjoying and says is helping himself and the Tigers.

“I’m pretty confident right now, making nice plays, stuff like that, my line mates also help me out and the power play is doing good,” Mrsic said. “It’s just successful team success right now, which is leading to my success as well.”

Frazer has liked what he’s seen from Mrsic as of late and says the Surrey product is going after the puck more and playing both ends of the ice, allowing for more offence.

“He has a ton of talent, speed, shot, skill, vision, now I think his compete level has really risen,” Frazer said.

“When he plays that 200-foot game where he is physical and tracking pucks, then his skill takes over more because he has the puck more. When he’s great without the puck and working, you have the puck more because you’re better defensively so you get the puck back quicker. He’s got a ton of talent, so when he has it, he usually makes a great play with it.”

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