NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
The Medicine Hat U15AAA SEAC Tigers took first place at the 51st Annual Hockey Hounds tournament, beating the Balhonia Prairie Storm 4-3 Sunday afternoon. It’s the first Medicine Hat champion at the locally held tournament since 1999.
The Medicine Hat South East Athletic Club U15AAA Tigers have snapped a long drought at the Hockey Hounds tournament.
The Tigers beat the Balgonie Prairie Storm 4-3 Sunday afternoon, capturing the 51st Hockey Hounds title, also marking the first time a Medicine Hat team has won the championship of the local U15AAA tournament.
Carter Jarvis had the eventual game-winning goal, scoring with 6:45 left in the third period.
The Tigers led 3-0 after 40 minutes off second period goals from Lincoln Stemkey, Chase Droeske and Carter Gilchrist.
Balgonie drew back into the game with a pair of goals in the third period before Jarvis found twine. The Storm scored with less than five minutes left, setting up a tense finish for the Tigers
Starter Paxton Smigelski held Balgonie at bay, finishing with 32 saves, securing the win for the Tigers.
Medicine Hat had a perfect tournament, coming back to beat the Weyburn Red Wings 3-2 on Thursday.
They had a trio of shutouts to punch a ticket to the finals, beating Rink Winnipeg 9-0 Friday morning and blanking Prairie Hockey Academy 10-0 later in the day.
The Tigers beat the West Central Wheat Kings 8-0 on Saturday for the spot in the finals.
Medicine Hat finished seventh in the 2023 tournament after finishing in the top-five the two years prior. In 2021 they finished fourth and took third place in 2023.
See Tuesday’s News for a full recap on the win and the 51st Hockey Hounds tournament.
