NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Bryce Pickford admires a pass from his defensive end in the first period of a 7-3 win Saturday over the Red Deer Rebels at Co-op Place.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Who knew two months could feel so long.
Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Bryce Pickford spent the last two months watching from the stands as his team made the second-half push before finally getting back into the lineup on March 15, notching a pair of assists in a 7-3 win at Co-op Place over the Red Deer Rebels.
“It was awesome to be playing with the boys, it sucks watching up in the stands watching them play,” Pickford said. “But it felt good to go back in the lineup and help them out and get a win.
“The first couple shifts I was just feeling out nerves and all that. We had a pretty packed building, which is pretty cool. But after the first couple shifts, I got the rhythm and was back in it.”
The 18-year-old defenceman went down with an upper-body injury following a first period fight in Seattle against the Thunderbirds on Feb. 1. During the time away, Pickford says he learned when and when not to push himself both on and off the ice.
“Just knowing when to stop and recover,” Pickford said. “That’s a big part, sleep and everything, just knowing when to stop and not overwork my body.”
The Chauvin, Alta. product’s two assists in his return brought his stats up to a point-per-game level, with 20 goals and 46 points in 46 games played. His return and the return of Jonas Woo, expected at some point this week, helps the defensive group as a whole, associate coach Joe Frazer says.
“We really like our D core, knowing when all those guys are healthy, it’s exciting,” Frazer said. “Guys don’t have to get over used, we can stay fresh and everybody should be ready to go.”
Pickford, like the rest of the Tigers’ roster, has shaved the sides of his head into a mullet for the playoffs slated to start next Friday. It’s the same team-bonding hairstyle he had during the Thunderbirds run to the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2023, although better cut this year he says.
With the post season close and the conference race still undecided, Pickford says the approach this week can’t change for the group.
“We just don’t really change much, just work hard in practice, hanging out away from the rink and have fun,” Pickford said. “Just don’t stress too much at this point.”
He’s spent a majority of his time away from the rink with 17-year-old blue liner Tyson Moss. Recently he’s been staying with his grandma, who has been teaching him card games like Nerts. He’s been beating her at Hearts but admits he hasn’t heard of Euchre yet.
It’s those card games and ways to take his mind off the WHL that Pickford says will be key for himself and the rest of the team as they look to make a lengthy playoff push.
“In the playoffs, you make a few adjustments, kind of get the body ready, but I think just try not to think about it too much,” Pickford said. “If you think about too much, we’re just going to get stressed or we won’t play our game. So we just have to have a good practice week, we have a week off before playoffs. So just have a hard week of practice, relax, don’t overwork our bod and come ready for whoever we have.”
He enjoyed having the 5,645 in attendance for his return to the WHL lineup, having the crowd behind them throughout the win. The last playoff series he appeared in, the WHL finals against the Winnipeg Ice, the Thunderbirds averaged 5,270 in three home games. Those attendance numbers create an atmosphere Pickford says helps push playoff efforts.
“Having lots of fans in the building and having them behind us is pretty cool, which we had last Saturday and should have this Saturday,” Pickford said. “If we get lots of fans every night and they’re just cheering loud, it will help us a lot.”
