PHOTO COURTESY LEE LACHANCE/RED DEER REBELS
Medicine Hat Tigers goaltender Harrison Meneghin scrambles to make a save wiht a plethora of skaters around him during WHL action Friday night at Red Deer against the Rebels. Red Deer beat Medicine Hat 4-2.
The Medicine Hat Tigers dropped a two-game win streak Friday night.
The Tigers lost 4-2 at Red Deer to the Rebels, snapping a short win streak. Friday’s game was the fifth time the two clubs faced off this season, with Red Deer winning four of the games.
The Rebels got on the board first with an early score.
Red Deer grabbed a quick 1-0 lead with a goal from Jhett Larson just 57 seconds into the contest. Samuel Drancak had the lone helper on Larson’s third on the year.
Medicine Hat responded with a pair of goals in the first period for a 2-1 advantage after 20 minutes.
The Tigers made it a 1-1 game at 9:20 with a goal from Andrew Basha. Bryce Pickford had the puck on the blue line in Red Deer’s end, sending a pass to McKenna atop the face-off dot. He sent a hard pass to Basha in the slot for the tip in goal, beating Chase Wutzke on the blocker side fo this fourth goal on the year.
A little later in the frame, with 6:12 left in the period, Oasiz Wiesblatt scored at four on four, for his fifth of the season. Pickford had the puck and again passed it to McKenna who delayed long enough for Wiesblatt to sneak in far side for the one-timer.
Medicine Hat led the first in shots 15-10.
The Rebels rebounded with a pair of scores in the second for a 3-2 lead.
Red Deer’s Jaxon Fuder found twine on a power play to make it a 2-2 tie at 10:59. Carson Birnie and Talon Brigley had the helpers on Fuder’s second of the season.
Birnie potted the 3-2 goal just 3:55 later. Jeremiah Roberts and Jace Weir had the assists on Birnie’s fourth on the year.
The Rebels rounded out the score in the third with an empty net goal from captain Olli Josephson, his third on the year. Hunter Mayo had the lone assist.
Medicine Hat was 1-2 on the power play, Red Deer 1-3. The Rebels won the face-off battle, 42-24. Harrison Meneghin made 29 saves in the loss. Across the ice from him, Wutzke stopped 40 shots.
The Tigers (6-6) are back at Co-op Place on Saturday, hosting the Regina Pats for Hockey Fights Cancer night. Puck drops at 7 p.m.