Tigers fall to Broncos in third period collapse

By James Tubb on February 7, 2025.

NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB Medicine Hat Tigers forward Misha Volotovskii battles for a face off in the first period of WHL action Friday at Co-op Place against the Swift Current Broncos. The tigers allowed four goals in the third period to fall 5-3.

The Medicine Hat Tigers led after 40 minutes but couldn’t hold onto a lead Friday night.

The Tigers surrendered four goals in the third period to the Swift Current Broncos, falling 5-3 to the East division rival. The loss snaps a 13-game point streak for the Tigers.

Head coach Willie Desjardins says it’s a game that can’t get away and one they have to learn from.

“You learn from your mistakes, so it’s not like a one off, we weren’t good enough,” Desjardins said. “We have to learn from it. We had a chance to put the game away, we didn’t put it away and we have to be better than that.”

Swift Current opened the scoring five minutes into the contest.

Harrison Meneghin made a pair of stops off a rush to send the puck to the corner. It worked around to Rylan Gould who out-waited the Tiger net minder before scoring at 4:50 for the 1-0 lead.

The Tigers tied the game up in the second half of the frame.

Gavin McKenna carried the puck up ice on a rush with Oasiz Weisblatt. Inside the Swift Current end, McKenna dropped the puck to Wiesblatt who touched it to McKenna. The 17-year-old wired home his 28th of the season, making it a 1-1 game at 13:31. Jonas Woo had the second assist on McKenna’s goal, who extended his point streak to 27 games with the marker.

The Tigers added a pair in the middle frame.

After a turnover at the Tiger blue line, Marcus Pacheco carried the puck up the ice on a two-man rush with Hunter St. Martin. Pacheco dished the puck to St. Martin ahead of the crease and he scored his team-leading 33rd of the season for the 2-1 lead at 8:51. Josh Van Mulligen had a second assist. 

The Tigers made it a 4-2 lead at 10:48 with a goal from the captain. Ryder Ritchie had the puck inside the Swift Current end and after a pari of nifty dekes, sent a pass to Wiesblatt who knocked the puck in while getting checked for his 24th of the season. McKenna had the second assist.

The Tigers outshot Swift Current 10-2 in the frame.

“They just got some chances and they scored on those chances,” Desjardins said. “They had just one in the second and they didn’t have a ton in the third. They just scored on it.”

Medicine Hat ended the second period with a lengthy power play as Broncos’ forward Kurt Rookes was given a five minute major and a game misconduct for crosschecking Mat Ward off a face off.

The Tigers were unable to capitalize on the extended man advantage. It was Swift Current who found luck on a power play.

Mistelbacher scored his first of the night with a high shot that banked off a Tiger stick past Meneghin to make it 3-2 Tiger lead at 10:52.

They tied the game up at 3-3 with five minutes left in the game as Trae Wilkie redirects a shot from Peyton Kettles from the point.

The Broncos grabbed the final lead with 3:40 left in the game. Mistelbacher created a turnover at the Swift Current blue line and scored on  the breakaway for the 4-3 lead.

He completed the hat trick with an empty net goal at 19:50 for the 5-3 final. On the goal, Wiesblatt caught Caswell with a hit in the neutral zone, getting a five minute major and a game misconduct for charging.

Meneghin made 18 stops, Joey Rocha had 27 saves. Swift Current was 1-3 on the power play, Tigers went 0-2. Medicine Hat won the face-off battle, 33-19. They also outshot the Broncos 30-23.

The Tigers (33-16-2-1) host the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday.

Game notes

Attendance: 4,192

Three stars:

First star: SC Joey Rocha (27 saves)

Second star: MH Oasiz Wiesblatt (1G, 1A)

Third star: SC Trae Wilkie (1G, 1A)