Medicine Hat Tigers goaltender Zach Zahara pushes to his right to make a breakaway save in the first period of the a 6-3 preseason loss Sunday at Co-op Place to the Lethbridge Hurricanes.--NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers can finally set their focus to the real season.
The Tigers dropped the last two games of the preseason, falling 2-1 Friday at Red Deer to the Rebels before a 6-3 loss Sunday at Co-op Place against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
They finish the preseason with a 1-3 record, a span of four games and two weeks head coach Willie Desjardins says illustrates there’s still work to be done.
“We’re missing lots of guys at different times, but saying that, we have lots of work to do as a group,” Desjardins said. “Do I like the group, yeah, I like it a lot. I think we got a really good group, but I think we have lots to work on.”
The Tigers have 11 regulars at NHL camps. They had 12 invites, with defenceman Bryce Pickford unable to attend the Colorado Avalanche rookie camp due to illness. The former Seattle Thunderbird made his preseason debut on Sunday, with two goals and a third period fight.
Desjardins liked Pickford’s debut as well as what he saw from the other 18-year-old defenceman he acquired in the offseason, Jonas Woo.
“Pickford had a good game, Woo looked good, some of our key guys I thought looked good, which is really important,” Desjardins said.
“Bryce will be really good for us, he brings lots of energy, plays a tough game and created some good things.”
Mat Ward added the Tigers’ other goal in Sunday’s game, Woo finished with two assists. Zach Zahara made 21 saves. In Friday’s loss, Liam Ruck scored Medicine Hat’s lone goal and Jordan Switzer made 23 saves.
The Tigers have five days of practice before the franchise’s 55th season opens on Saturday, when they host the Edmonton Oil Kings at Co-op Place. Before then, the Tigers could see the return of some players from NHL rookie camps while others may stick with the pro clubs to attend main camps, scheduled to start this upcoming weekend.
Desjardins says regardless of who returns to the club, the players they have need to be ready come Saturday night.
“We have to be ready, every game is important this year,” Desjardins said. “Whoever’s back is back. We have to find ways to win with whatever and whoever we got here.”
There will also be eyes this week on forward Gavin McKenna. The 16-year-old started Friday night at Red Deer and left the game a few shifts into the contest after getting hit into the boards in front of the Medicine Hat bench.
The Whitehorse product was scratched on Sunday, Desjardins says they’ll see where McKenna is in regards to his status for the season opener.
“He’s got a week to get ready so we’ll just see how it goes,” Desjardins said.
