PHOTO COURTESY LEE LACHANCE/RED DEER REBELS
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Gavin McKenna leads the line after scoring on a power play in the third period of a 7-1 win Friday at Red Deer over the Rebels.
It took the penultimate matchup between the Rebels and Medicine Hat but the Tigers finally picked up a win in Red Deer this season.
The Tigers scored five times through 30 minutes to propel them 5-1 over the Rebels at the Peavy Mart Centrium. It’s the third win for Medicine Hat in seven meetings with the Rebels, who will be at Co-op Place on March 15.
Ryder Ritchie recorded his first WHL hat trick, adding a pair of assists to finish with a five-point night.
Tigers’ star Gavin McKenna showed no rust in his first game back after a three-game suspension for slashing, recording a goal and a trio of assists to extend his point streak to a CHL-leading 36 games. It’s the longest point streak in the last 25 years in the CHL.
Medicine Hat scored three times in the first period, with Ritchie finding twine 1:26 into the game.
Defenceman Josh Van Mulligen, who assisted on Ritchie’s first goal, also scored in the opening frame for his third of the season. Ritchie and Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll assisted on Van Mulligen’s goal.
Liam Ruck scored on a Tiger power play just over the halfway mark of the first, with McKenna and captain Oasiz Wiesblatt recording the assists on Ruck’s 22nd.
Ritchie scored his second of the night 3:10 into the middle frame.
Red Deer scored in the first five minutes of the second period to snap Harrison Meneghin’s shutout-bid, he finished the night with 29 saves for his 19th win of the season.
Medicine Hat rounded out the scoring in the middle frame, with a breakaway goal from Hunter St. Martin.
The Florida Panthers’ prospect tallied his team-leading 37th of the season, scoring on the rush off an extended pass from McKenna.
They scored on a power play in the third, with McKenna blasting home his 33rd on the year. Ritchie sent hats flying with 1:55 left in the game, with his 28th of the season.
Wiesblatt finished with two assists.
Missing from the lineup Friday was forward Kadon McCann who remains day to day with an upper-body injury. Defenceman Niilopekka Muhonen was also scratched, out due to illness. He missed practice on Thursday.
Tigers power play was 2-5, the penalty kill stopped all seven Red Deer man advantages.
The Tigers (43-17-3-1) are off for the rest of the weekend with just four games left on the schedule.
They’ll head down the Highway 3 to face the Lethbridge Hurricanes on March 14 before hosting the Rebels on March 15 for the penultimate regular season home game of the season.
