NEWS PHOTO James Tubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers swarm forward Liam Ruck after he scored the opening goal in Saturday's 5-1 win over the Wenatchee Wild, sending teddy bears flying in the Medicine Hat News Teddy Bear game.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers are flying almost as high as teddy bears did Saturday night at Co-op Place.
The Tigers tallied a pair of wins over the weekend, coming back to beat the Moose Jaw Warriors 4-3 in overtime Friday before Bryce Pickford’s first career hat trick propelled them 5-1 over the Wenatchee Wild in the Medicine Hat News Teddy Bear Toss game at Co-op Place.
Pickford had seven goals and an assist in three games over the week, counting the 7-1 win over the Prince Albert Raiders on Dec. 3. His efforts earned him WHL player of the week honours.
“He’s had lots of opportunities, too,” head coach Willie Desjardins said about Pickford’s efforts Saturday. “It’s not like he had three chances, he probably had six or seven chances, so he’s getting in a good spot. (Jonas) Woo has been great with him, they have created an awful lot offensively together. But Pickford’s been great.”
The Montreal Canadiens prospect has notched eight goals and four points over a five-game point streak, leading all CHL defenceman in goals with 20 and putting him just one back of JP Hurlbert who leads all WHL skaters. Pickford is tied with Woo for most points among WHL defenceman with 36.
“It feels good but we’re still a long ways away from the championship and that’s the real goal, that’s what matters,” Pickford said.
The 19-year-old is the first WHL defenceman to record back-to-back 20-goal seasons since former Tiger David Quenneville scored a combined 49 goals from 2016-18. He’s on pace for 47 on the season, which would smash the franchise’s single-season defencman record of 32 set by Kris Russell in 2006-07.
Saturday’s win saw teddy bears fly early as Liam Ruck scored 4:17 into the game, recording the ‘Teddy Bear Toss’ goal for a second year in a row.
“It’s fun for sure,” Ruck said. “There’s a little more excitement when you score it but it’s just another goal, just another play out there.”
The teddy bears and winter items thrown onto the ice will be donated to four local charities. All donations will be split between the Medicine Hat News Santa Claus Fund, Medicine Hat & District Health Foundation, the Salvation Army and the Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter.
Kadon McCann scored on a Tigers’ power play in the win Saturday, giving him three goals in his past three games for 11 on the year, tying a career high. Markus Ruck had three assists and Woo had a pair of helpers.
Jordan Switzer started the game against Wenatchee, making 28 saves for his 12th win on the year. He picked up the win Friday in relief for Carter Casey, giving him wins in four straight games, a bounce-back for the 18-year-old after taking a loss in each of his three previous appearances.
“It’s just the process, obviously it wasn’t going my way, but I knew that it would kind of come back if I kept working hard,” Switzer said. “Nothing, really, process-wise has changed. So I think it just goes to show the team in front of me is playing better.”
The weekend sweep gives them seven straight victories, two points back of the Edmonton Oil Kings for first in the Central division and Eastern conference.
“We’ve had a couple pieces back from injuries and sicknesses, but I think it’s just the character,” Liam Ruck said on the success. “We’re coming together as a group and that’s the bigger reason we’ve been playing better.”
The Tigers have two home games this weekend, part of three straight at home to head into the holidays. They host Moose Jaw on Friday before the Swift Current Broncos come to Co-op Place on Saturday, their first visit on the year. They’ll wrap up the unofficial first half on Dec. 17, hosting the Brandon Wheat Kings.
“One game at a time, every game is a hard game,” Desjardins said. “Moose Jaw was a tough game, we could have lost that one, (Saturday) was a way tighter game than it shows. So every game’s hard, we just have to stay with it.”
