NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forwards Dayton Reschny and Luke Ruptash turn towards the puck in the Regina Pats' zone in the first period of a 5-2 win Sept. 20 at Co-op Place.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers get into the full-swing of the WHL season this weekend.
After a 5-2 season-opening win over the Regina Pats at Co-op Place on Sept. 20, the Tigers get their first two-game weekend with a road game tonight in Swift Current against the Broncos. They’ll host the Saskatoon Blades on Saturday.
“It’s good challenge this weekend,” associate coach Joe Frazer said. “Swift’s always a tough place to play, look back at the last five years and it’s been a really tough, tough place to get two points out of. Saskatoon is always good. They’re well coached, great structure, they don’t give up a whole lot. I get teams. So Saturday night will be another great challenge.”
In the season-opening win against Regina the Tigers controlled the game for the first 40 minutes, stepping back in the third period before closing out the game. Frazer says that type of win early in the season gives them a learning opportunity to build off.
“It’s great to contrast the things we did well in the first 40 and then when we got away in the third, you know, just see the contrast,’ Frazer said.
Saturday’s win was the first WHL game for six Tigers, with 19-year-old forward Dayton Reschny the oldest of the group to make his debut. The Macklin, Sask. product was a training camp invite who propelled himself into a roster spot, officially signing before the season opener.
It was the largest crowd he’s played in front of, all part of the experience he’s been looking forward to in the WHL.
“It was a lot of anticipation but it’s nice to get it out of the way and I’m excited to get going this weekend,” Reschny said.
He’s been in Medicine Hat almost a month, with four preseason games and one regular season contest under his belt. Reschny says each day and practice is getting easier and he’s enjoyed getting to know the group around him and seeing how much the city embraces the team.
“The guys love each other and outside of the rink, we’re always hanging out, getting to know each other,” Reschny said. “I’m starting to get to know other guys well, so I’m just excited to be here.”
Saturday’s contest against Saskatoon will see three former Tigers on the Blades roster, with forward Hayden Harsanyi, defenceman Jack Kachkowski and goaltender Ethan McCallum all playing roles for the Blades. Harsanyi and Kachkowski were the main features going the other way in the Tigers’ deadline deal to acquire defenceman Tanner Molendyk and forward Misha Volotovskii from the Blades.
Tigers’ froward Kadon McCann had played alongside Kachkowski and Harsanyi for years before they were all drafted to Medicine Hat. He’s looking forward to facing off against them and the Blades.
“I don’t think there’ll be much talking before the game, we know it’s going to be a big game and they’re going to be good this year,” McCann said. “With (Evan) Gardner back and a couple bigger guys like Cooper Williams, we’re gonna get ready for that and we’re going to be excited. Harsanyi comes back for the first time, McCallum has come back here a couple times, but we’re super excited to have those guys here and hopefully come up with another win.”
McCann made it into the Tigers’ lineup on Sept. 20 with less than an hour to spare, driving back from Calgary after being cut from Flames camp early in the afternoon. He called up the Tigers’ staff and asked to play, making it to Co-op Place around an hour before the game.
“It’s just something I wanted to do, I always want to play in the home opener especially with Pickford’s first game as captain and raising the banner as well,” McCann said. “It’s something I was thinking of for a long time and it’s something I wanted to do. I want to be there for the boys and be someone that they can rely on.”
The Tigers will see another return to the lineup this weekend, defenceman Veeti Väisänen was returned to the club from the Utah Mammoth and is expected to play starting tonight according to Frazer. He’ll be joined by fellow Finnish blue liner Niilopekka Muhonen who also returned from Dallas Stars’ training camp this week.
Even with Josh Van Mulligen out with injury and Luke Warrener missing practice this week due to illness, the Tigers have seven defenceman for the weekend. Frazer says they’ll make the decisions game by game.
“You’re always evaluating and you know you need to give guys an opportunity to show what they can do,” Frazer said. “So it’ll be a day-to-day kind of evaluation.”
