Tigers score four unanswered Saturday to beat Hitmen

By James Tubb on November 30, 2024.

NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB Medicine Hat Tigers forward Gavin McKenna celebrates his third goal of the night, finding twine in the second period of a 7-3 win Saturday at Co-op Place over the Calgary Hitmen.

Medicine Hat collected a bounty of goals Saturday night.

The Tigers beat the Calgary Hitmen 7-3 at Co-op Place for a second win of the weekend. They came into the contest off a 7-5 home win Friday over the Brandon Wheat Kings.

“It was big, getting the win last night was huge and then to come back and get this one tonight is big too,” head coach Willie Desjardins said. “Calgary has a really good team, a lot of high offence. I thought our guys battled hard. Calgary came back, and we were able to take it away.

“Both our power play and penalty kill were good, probably the difference tonight. Switzy was good in net.”

Jordan Switzer made 25 saves in the win, his seventh win of the season.

“Our group was really good tonight, especially coming off the game yesterday. It wasn’t our cleanest effort but tonight was really good. “

Calgary opened the scoring Saturday night.

Just 4:28 into the opening frame, Chase Valliant knocked in a rebound for the early lead. Oliver Tulk and Tanner Howe had the assists on Valliant’s fourth of the year.

Medicine Hat responded with a pair of goals to lead after 20 minutes.

Bryce Pickford flew from his end to Calgary’s, firing a shot on net from the low circles, beating Eric Tu at 11:14. His first of the game extended his point streak to seven games.

They grabbed a lead with 4:10 left in the first with a goal from the CHL scoring leader. McKenna was at the low circle, and capitalized on a rebound, scoring his first of the night. Josh Van Mulligen and Oasiz Wiesblatt had the assists as McKenna extended his point streak to 11 games.

He also started the scoring in a busy second period.

Wiesblatt sent a pass from the Tigers blue line to McKenna at Calgary’s blue line. He broke into the offensive end and scored with a nifty breakaway move. Jonas Woo had the second assist on the 3-1 goal at 4:14.

Calgary rattled off a pair of goals to tie the game.

Tulk scored on a loose puck at the side of Jordan Switzer’s net, making it 3-2 game at 6:40. Ottawa Senators prospect Carter Yakemchuk had the lone assist on Tulk’s 11th.

They tied the game up on a power play 1:20 later. Howe fired a shot on net that knocked off a Tigers’ defender to Carson Wetsch at the net, for the easy tap-in. Yakemchuk had the second assist.

Medicine Hat roared off to a 6-3 lead after 40 minutes with three unanswered goals.

McKenna sent hats flying after finishing off a tic-tac-toe play on a Tigers power play at 9:10. Wiesblatt and Pickford had the assists on McKenna’s third of the night, 18th on the year. The trio of goals gives him his first hat trick to the season, third in his career.

The 16-year-old tabbed the breakaway goal as his favourite of the night.

“I don’t get too many of those, so to bury on one of those felt pretty good,” McKenna said. “The power play was buzzing tonight so to have all of those guys making plays just set me up on the last one.”

Calgary made a goalie change after the goal, with Kason Kobelka taking over for Tu, who made five saves in 29:10 of action. Kobelka made 15 stops.

The Tigers capitalized on a second power play, with McKenna and Pickford trading passes at the blue line. Pickford had final honours, blasting a shot past Tu for his second of the night and WHL defencemen leading 12th. Ryder Ritchie had the second assist, extending his point streak to seven games.

They rounded out the frame with a tip-in goal from Liam Ruck. The 16-year-old redirected a point shot from Van Mulligen for his fifth of the season and 6-3 lead with 1:39 left in the period.

Medicine Hat opened the scoring in the third.

While shorthanded, the Tigers broke into the Calgary end with a three-on-one rush. Hunter. St. Martin carried the puck up ice on the right wing, sending a pass to Kadon McCann in the slot, who returned it to sender for the one-time goal 57 seconds into the period. The gaol, St. Martin’s 19th of the season, was also the Florida Panthers’ prospects’ fourth shorthanded marker.

The Tigers were perfect on the power play, two-for-two. Calgary was 1/6. The Hitmen led in shots, 28-27.

The Tigers (14-11-1) are off until Wednesday when they head to Swift Current for the first game this season against the Broncos.  Pickford says they have to build off the wins.

“We just have to be ready to go, we’ll have a couple good practice days, keep our head on right and go at it,” Pickford said.