NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers netminder Ethan McCallum stretches out his blocker to make a breakaway save in overtime Saturday night at Co-op Place. The Tigers lost 4-3 to the Saskatoon Blades later in the extra frame.
The Medicine Hat Tigers took a knick out of the WHL-leading Saskatoon Blades on Saturday.
The Tigers held on to pick up a point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Blades at Co-op Place, securing two points over the weekend. Medicine Hat came into the contest off a 2-1 shootout loss Friday to the Prince Albert Raiders.
Associate coach Joe Frazer says they’re proud of their efforts in the game but would have liked the two points.
“We give up the lead and we stick with them, we came back to tie it up and it’s great character point,” Frazer said. “There’s not really any moral victories this time of year, we want to win hockey games. But if we play that way, we’ll win more than we lose.
“We’ll be successful if we can replicate that effort and that structure. Our structure was was really good, we competed and if we play like that we can play with anybody.”
Medicine Hat was without forward Oasiz Wiesblatt on Saturday after the 19-year-old had to be checked out by Tigers’ athletic therapist Mikki Lanuk twice in Friday’s loss. Wiesblatt went hard into the boards and later took a stick up high to the face. Frazer says he’s day-to-day and listed as “questionable” for their next game.
The Tigers capitalized on their special team opportunities in the first period Saturday.
Hunter St. Martin opened the scoring 6:05 into the game, much to the delight of the 3,626 in attendance, with a shorthanded, breakaway goal. The shorthanded marker is St. Martin’s third of the season and his 20th goal on the year.
Justin over six minutes later, Medicine Hat utilized their own power play. Shane Smith knocked in a rebound off a shot from Gavin Mckenna for the 2-0 lead. Tomas Mrsic had the second assist on Smith’s 27th.
The Blades answered back with 4:08 left in the frame. As one of their penalties expired, Saskatoon caught the Tigers with only one defenceman on the ice and Brandon Lisowsky scored his first of the night off a 2-on-1 breakaway.
Medicine Hat led the game in shots 11-6 after 20 minutes.
The second period looked destined to be a goal-less period before Saskatoon tied it up late. The puck was tied up behind the Tiger net and squeaked out front for Lisowsky who one-timed his second of the game to tie it up at 2-2 with 5.8 seconds left in the frame. Trevor Wong had the assist on both of Lisowsky’s goals.
Saskatoon grabbed their first lead of the night early in the third. Fraser Minten redirected a shot from Tanner Molendyk at the point to make it a 3-2 Blades lead 4:57 into the third. The pace went back and forth as the Tigers pushed for the tie, eventually capitalizing just under eight minutes later.
With sustained pressure in the Saskatoon end, Tyler MacKenzie came off the bench and picked up a pass along the boards in the Blades’ zone. He sent it cross ice to Mrsic who scored his 15th of the season and tied the game up with 7:32 left on the scoreboard.
Neither team scored in the remaining time, earning a point for the first and second place teams in the Eastern conference. Medicine Hat had chances in the overtime but didn’t record a shot. After an opportunity for Medicine Hat in the Blades end, the puck went the other way and Minten scored on a 2-on-1 rush for the game winner and his second of the night.
Ethan McCallum made 20 saves in net for Medicine Hat. Across the ice from him, Austin Elliott turned aside 20 shots. Medicine Hat was 1-for-5 on the power play, Saskatoon was 0-for-2.
The Tigers (32-17-4-2) are on the road Monday with a Family Day matinee against the Edmonton Oil Kings. Smith says the 2 p.m. start is a little different and is looking forward to the different atmosphere.
“iIt should be fun with Family Day, it’ll be good,” Smith said. “They’re playing good hockey as of late, so we know it’s going to be a tough game and we have to bring everything we have for it.”
Edmonton helped the Tigers in the standings over the weekend. The Oil Kings beat Red Deer Rebels twice to allow Medicine Hat’s lead for the Central division to sit at six points over the Rebels and Swift Current Broncos, both tied for second.
