NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt is swarmed by forwards Ryder Ritchie, Gavin McKenna and defenceman Niilopekka Muhonen after scoring in the third period of an 8-1 win at Co-op Place over the Red Deer Rebels on Jan. 10.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers and Calgary Hitmen face off this weekend in a battle for first place in the East.
The Tigers (25-15-2) head to Calgary (24-11-3-1) today before hosting the Hitmen on Saturday at Co-op Place in a home-and-home between the two teams that are tied the Central division and Eastern conference with 52 points.
Both teams ride winning streaks into he weekend, with the Tigers winning four in a row and the Hitmen tallying six straight victories. It’s an important weekend, head coach Willie Desjardins says.
“Lots of people pick those guys as a favourite on this side, they have a really good team,” Desjardins said. “They don’t give up a lot, they’re good defensively, so it’s going to be a tough game. But it’s exciting, that’s what you want to see. You want to figure out where you’re at and then regardless if you win or lose and you have keep getting better.”
The Hitmen were one of three WHL teams listed in the CHL’s top-10 rankings, coming in at eighth. The Everett Silvertips are ranked third, Spokane Chiefs at 10th.
“Around the league you hear it every once and awhile, people talk but that really doesn’t make any difference, all they’re saying is they have a really good team,” Desjardins said.
“It doesn’t make any difference, in the end it’s all the games on the ice and it’s the best team on the ice who wins.”
The Tigers lead the season series 4-0-1 between the two Central division rivals, falling in a 4-3 overtime on Dec. 29, but bounced back to win the next night 5-2. It was a weekend the Tigers remained shorthanded, icing only 11 forwards, including two affiliates, in the lineup. Picking up three points that weekend was a step for the Tigers, and this weekend is another challenge Desjardins says.
“Their record is really good at home, so that’s going to be a tough game,” Desjardins said. “But right now, you’re trying to get ready for playoffs so you want to go into tough games, tough buildings, so you learn what you need to do. We know we’re not where we have to be, we have to keep getting better. This will be a test to show us where we’re at.”
The Hitmen are 15-2-1-1 in the friendly confines of the Scotiabank Saddledome, Tigers inching closer to .500 on the road (8-10-1). When the weekend series switches Saturday, the Tigers are 17-5-1 at home and Calgary is 9-9-2 on the road.
This weekend is also a new look for both teams at one another, with each making further moves ahead of the Jan. 9 trade deadline.
Medicine Hat brought in Nashville Predators defence prospect Tanner Molendyk and forward Misha Volotovskii, while the Hitmen acquired goaltender Daniel Hauser from the Wenatchee Wild and Vancouver Canucks defence prospect Sawyer Mynio from the Seattle Thunderbirds.
How that changes the matchup, captain Oasiz Wiesblatt says, it means they have to further commit to their own game.
“They got a lot of offensive power, the d-core is really good and their (new) goalie is really good, we haven’t seen him yet there,” Wiesblatt said. “But what we have to do is just get on their D man, bang bodies and wear them out, get their gap out of place. That’s where we have to get pucks in deep, play good in the neutral zone, and we have to make sure we’re staying on top of them in the neutral zone.”
Since the deadline and the beginning of the four-game win streak, the Tigers have seen health and returns that have allowed for running of full lineups. Desjardins says the ability to roll four lines and three defensive pairings, all WHL calibre, has brought them up as a team.
“We created more offence, our defence is solid and so is our goaltending, that’s how you win championships, is with your defence and goaltending,” Desjardins said. “Then we have the offence and our specialty teams who have been big lately, like really big. Our penalty killing has been huge for us.
“There are different things going in there, guys aren’t as tired when they kill penalties and we haven’t taken quite as many penalties lately, which has helped.”
The Tigers special teams ranks in the top-10 in the WHL, with the power play ranked sixth (25.8 per cent) and penalty kill at 77 per cent efficiency (10th).
With Harrison Meneghin’s return between the pipes, the Tigers have a pair of goaltenders who can record wins on a nightly basis between the 20-year-old and 17-year-old Jordan Switzer. Desjardins, not willing to tip his hand too much, says Meneghin remains the No. 1 but they will also rely on Switzer.
“Harrison is our number one guy, we brought him in for that, but things change depending on how guys play,” Desjardins said. “He’s just coming back and Switzer has been unbelievable for us in some big, big games and big wins for us. He’ll get his opportunity, so we’ll see what happens.”
Desjardins also provided an update on forward Andrew Basha, who is listed as an indefinite return on the WHL’s weekly report.
He says the Calgary Flames prospect, who is not with the team, won’t be returning to the lineup anytime soon. Desjardins says a potential return would only be made possible by a lengthy playoff run.
The 19-year-old Basha has been limited to 23 games this season due to the lower-body injury, notching nine goals and 29 points.
