NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
A group of Medicine Hat Tigers pose with teddy bears during the Medicine Hat News Teddy Bear Toss game Saturday night at Co-op Place. The Tigers lost 7-4 to the Edmonton Oil Kings.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Teddy bears flew as losses piled up this weekend for the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The Tigers lost a pair of games in the penultimate weekend of the unofficial first half, falling 4-3 at Lethbridge on Friday to the Hurricanes before a 7-4 defeat Saturday at Co-op Place to the Edmonton Oil Kings.
“It’s just not good enough,” head coach Willie Desjardins said. “There’s lots of good teams in this league. There’s parts of our game where we stick with it, we’re pretty good, and then we get away from it and we’re not so good. So it’s us having to buy in and do it every shift and realize there’s lots of good teams around us and we’ll have to play hard.”
Saturday’s contest was the Medicine Hat News Teddy Bear Toss game, with 4,312 in attendance letting 2,620 Bears and 2,258 toques, mitts and socks fly after Liam Ruck scored at 14:07. Those items will be split between the Medicine Hat Health Foundation, the Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter, the Medicine Hat News Santa Claus Fund and the Salvation Army.
“It’s nice to throw the teddies,” Ruck said at centre ice with bears all around him. “It’s a great group of guys here and I’m just happy I could do it.”
Of course, older twin-brother Markus assisted on the teddy bear goal, as did Oasiz Wiesblatt. Liam Ruck was named the WHL’s rookie of the week, tallying three goals and an assist in the Tigers’ three games last week.
Ryder Ritchie and Marcus Pacheco scored in the first period as well Saturday to give Medicine Hat a 3-2 lead after 20 minutes. Gavin McKenna had an assist on Pacheco’s goal, extending his point streak to 14 games as he embarks for Canada’s World Junior selection camp starting today in Ottawa.
Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll scored in the second period before Edmonton rattled off five unanswered goals for the win. Frustration built in the loss for the Tigers and fans at Co-op Place, beyond the the plethora of goals against.
Goaltender Jordan Switzer was ran in his crease twice during the game, once by 20-year-old forward Marshall Finnie looking to cross check a defender only to miss and hit the net minder. The next time, 20-year-old Rylen Roersma drove his shoulder into Switzer’s white mask, knocking the net minder to the ice.
Months removed from halloween, the spooky moment of the night came late in the second period. Oil Kings forward Roan Woodward two-hand slashed McKenna in the knee in the Tigers’ end, sending the 16-year-old forward to the ice.
Co-op Place fell silent as McKenna was slow heading down the tunnel, breaking a stick across the boards first. He eventually returned to start the third period.
Woodward was assessed no penalty on the attack, finishing with a pair of goals and the tying marker in the Oil Kings comeback. His assault was the boiling point, as goals piled up and frustration mounted with a combined 44 minutes of penalties handed out in the last minute. Oil Kings head coach Luke Pierce and Tigers’ assistant coach Josh Maser were assessed game misconduct penalties as both benches turned on one another.
“It’s always easy to get upset when the game’s over, that’s easy,” Desjardins said. “The key is to get upset when the game’s on the line and it’s not acceptable. It’s nice to get upset after but you don’t win with that. That’s too late. You have to be ready when the game’s on the line.’
The Tigers come out of the frustrating weekend with an even busier week ahead. They host the Saskatoon Blades tonight at Co-op Place before a three-in-three weekend sends them into the holiday break.
They head to Moose Jaw on Friday to face the Warriors, host the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Saturday before heading to Lethbridge on Sunday.
Medicine Hat will remain without goaltender Harrison Meneghin (lower body) and forward Hayden Harsanyi (lower body). Gordon-Carroll will miss this week’s action with a lower-body injury. Defenceman Bryce Pickford (upper body) is expected to play sometime this week before the holidays.
The Tigers have yet to announce the signing but have rostered 17-year-old defenceman Tyson Moss. The Port Moody, B.C. product started the season with the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL, suiting up in 23 games with six assists. He was a game-time decision Saturday night. Desjardins says Matt Paranych requesting a trade necessitated the need for the addition.
“We looked at bringing him in early in the year and just felt now is a good time to do it,” Desjardins said.
