Medicine Hat Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt leads the charge to the bench to celebrate his first of two goals in a 6-3 win at Co-op Place on Saturday over the Swift Current Broncos, taking Game 2 of the best-of-seven, first-round series.--NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
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There are few players who can take a beating on the ice to make a play. The Medicine Hat Tigers are fortunate their captain is that breed of player.
Over his five-year WHL career, Oasiz Wiesblatt has taken a lot of abuse from opponents who either try to get him off his game or are frustrated with him getting under their skin. There was a time, early in his career and even this season, the 20-year-old would bite on the abuse and fight back.
Through the end of the season and the start of the first-round series with the Swift Current Broncos, Wiesblatt has – to an extent -strayed away from the extracurriculars and he’s found success. Coming out of the opening weekend of the WHL playoffs, Wiesblatt leads the league in goals scored with five, and sits second in scoring with six points, three behind line mate Gavin McKenna.
The 17-year-old has played on Wiesblatt’s left side for his entire WHL career and sees his line mate as the definition of playoff hockey.
“He’s a playoff player, so he stepped up and there’s a reason he is captain, he leads us, and we all want to do it for him,” McKenna said. “He’s been special, he scored some huge goals and that’s why he’s our captain.”
Wiesblatt tallied a hat trick in a 4-0 Game 1 win Friday before adding a pair of goals and an assist in Saturday’s 6-3 Game 2 win, earning him the WHL’s player of the week. The Calgary product is happy with his production and says he’s made a focus of winning battles around his net and the opposing net.
“It feels good, just trying to keep getting into the house, that’s where a lot of playoff points are kind of made,” Wiesblatt said. “In the playoffs the two parts of the house are the most important part. So just trying to create some offence in there is good.
He agrees with McKenna, seeing the playoff-style of games as best fitting his skill-set, playing with compete, grit and hard work. Wiesblatt also sits second in the WHL in an underrated stat, winning the second most face-offs with 33 draws won. He leads the way for players who have taken more than 15 face-offs, winning 71.7 per cent of face offs.
“Getting into the house. I think that’s where a lot of playoff points are kind of made. And I think you got to in the playoffs, the two parts of the house is the most important part. So I think just trying to create some offence in there is important.”
“He brings it every night, he’s the heart and soul of this team,” forward Ryder Ritchie said about Wiesblatt. “That’s why he’s the captain, he’s just been around the net and scoring those dirty goals, he’s been doing it all. He’s been playing good defensively and winning face-offs. He’s just a great leader.”
The Tigers captain will look to continue leading the way with the series shifting to Swift Current, Medicine Hat holding a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven entering play Tuesday. Game 4 is tonight and if needed, Game 5 would return to Medicine Hat and Co-op Place on Friday.
Swift Current’s InnovationPlex is seen as one of the more difficult rinks to play in as an away team, let alone an opponent that has lived under the skin of fans for half a decade.
Is there a challenge to playing in a rink like that for Wiesblatt? It’s less of a challenge for the captain and more of a chance to play off the negative energy and play villain for a night or two.
“It’s probably one of the craziest barns to be part of and play in, it’s going to be just a war zone,” Wiesblatt said. “It’s going to be a war and we’re really looking forward to it. We know it’s going to be really hard, that’s our mindset coming into it.
“They’re yelling at you for a reason and obviously they want you to get off your game. But their fans aren’t a part of the game. And we need to also stay away from the refs and let the refs do their part, just focus on what we have to do.”
