NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Markus Ruck celebrates his game winning goal with defenceman Bryce Pickford in the Tigers' 6-4 win Tuesday at Co-op Place over the Saskatoon Blades. Ruck finished the night with two goals and two assists.
Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis paired up in 2003 for a remake of the comedy classic Freaky Friday. Markus and Liam Ruck put in their efforts to make ‘Twin Tuesday’ the next family comedy.
The Medicine Hat Tigers twin forwards combined for four goals and seven points as the Tigers beat the Saskatoon Blades 6-4 at Co-op Place. Tuesday’s win marks the first time the Tigers beat Saskatoon in exactly five years, the last win coming Dec. 10, 2019 at Saskatoon with an 11-3 victory.
Liam, who was 11 years old the last time Medicine Hat beat Saskatoon, couldn’t recall what he was was doing at that age but he was happy to contribute to the streak-buster and for the Tigers to overcome the blown lead.
“It’s big one for us,” Liam said.
“It shows the character of our group. We’re missing a couple guys, a couple key players, and we still got it done against a really good team. So it’s good stuff.”
The younger twin Liam finished the ninth with a pair of goals and an assist. Markus, older than Liam by eight minutes, had a pair of goals and assists for a four-point night.
“Playing with Liam, it’s so much fun out there,” Markus said. “With Oasiz on the power play, he’s also fun to play with. It was great getting the opportunity to go out there with him. It was a fun night and we just have to keep going into this weekend.”
Medicine Hat came into the contest missing the CHL’s leading scorer Gavin McKenna who is away at Hockey Canada’s World Junior selection camp. They’re also missing three players with injury, 16-year-old forward Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll, 17-year-old forward Hayden Harsanyi and 20-year-old goaltender Harrison Meneghin.
The Tigers opened the scoring late in the first.
Andrew Basha carried the puck up ice on a three-on-two and sent a pass to Ryder Ritchie who scored his sixth of the season. Oasiz Wiesblatt had the second assist, giving Medicine Hat a 1-0 lead with 1:48 left in the frame.
The assist extends Wiesblatt’s point streak to seven games.
Medicine Hat led the first period in shots, 17-9, finishing the game with a 43-18 advantage. Head coach Willie Desjardins liked how his team limited the Blades and how they handled the adversity of the blown lead.
“We played real solid,” Desjardins said. “We played not quite as good in the second period for a bit, but then we came out good in the third.”
Saskatoon tied the game up in the second. Jordan Martin skated from his end with the puck, working his way into the Tigers end before he cut to the net front for a backhand goal. Misha Volotovskii had the lone assist on Martin’s third, scoring at 5:11.
The Tigers regained a brief lead on a power play.
Liam Ruck fired a shot on Evan Gardner that bounced to the net minder’s right. Markus Ruck picked up the puck below the circles and scores on the sharp angle, making it a 2-1 lead at 8:13. Wiesblatt had the second assist on Markus Ruck’s fifth.
Saskatoon tied the game up for a second time, with Zach Olsen knocking in a bouncing puck on a power play. Lukas Hansen and Cooper Williams had the helpers on Olsen’s fifth at 13:00.
The power play kept working for the Tigers, capitalizing on an Olsen high hooking call to grab the lead.
Markus Ruck carried the puck up ice, dishing off to Bryce Pickford at the point. The 18-year-old Defencemen fired a slap-pass to Liam Ruck at the side of the net for the easy tap-in. His ninth of the season put the Tigers ahead 3-2 with 4:34 left in the frame.
The assist gives Pickford, making his return to the lineup after missing the last three contests, points in eight straight games.
Liam struck again, tickling twine early in the third on another power play.
Pickford moved the puck up ice to Markus who crossed the blue line with brother Liam and Wiesblatt pacing with defenders towards the net. Markus sent a pass to Liam and he roofed a shot, making it a 4-2 game 54 seconds into the frame with his 10th on the year.
The Blades tied the game up with a pair of goals in the middle of the frame.
Ben Riche earned a penalty shot after getting hooked up by Pickford on a breakaway. He skated in on Jordan Switzer and fired a shot the Tigers’ net minder initially stopped, but the puck trickled into the net for the 4-3 score.
Just 2:07 later, as a Tigers’ power play expired, Brandon Lisowsky broke out of the penalty box and scored on a one-timer, tying the game up at 4-4 at 15:23. Hudson Kibblewhite and Volotovskii had the assists.
Medicine Hat pushed late, on their sixth power play. They threw chances towards the Columbus Blue Jackets’ prospect, Gardner. Just as the power play expired, the puck found Markus Ruck up at the blue line and he skated in before firing a laser for the game winner to the delight of the 3,014 in attendance.
Pickford and Wiesblatt had the assists on Markus’ second of the game, sixth of the season.
Medicine Hat capped the night off with an empty net goal from Basha at 19:59 for the 6-4 win, snapping a two-game slide.
Switzer made 14 saves for his ninth win of the season. Across the ice from him, Gardner stopped 37 shots.
The Tigers (17-13-1) are off until Friday when they head to Moose Jaw to face the Warriors in the first of a three-in-three weekend before the holidays.
