SOUTHERN ALBERTA NEWSPAPERS NATHAN REITER
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Kade Stengrim carries the puck into the Lethbridge end in the first period of WHL action Saturday at the VisitLethbridge.comArena against the Hurricanes.
The Medicine Hat Tigers picked up where they left off in the first half.
In the first game back from the holiday break, the Tigers scored four second period goals Saturday in Lethbridge, propelling them to a 5-1 win over the Hurricanes for an 11-straight win.
The Tigers’ special teams were real special Saturday, with the power play running at 3-5 and the penalty kill holding Lethbridge scoreless on seven man advantages. Defenceman Jonas Woo recorded his first career five-point night, tallying a goal and four assists. His defence partner, captain Bryce Pickford, notched his second four-point night of the season with a goal and three assists. His second period goal extended his WHL goals lead to 26.
Just before the first period ended, the Tigers got on the board.
A point shot from Pickford rebounded in the slot where it bounced around before settling to Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll who beat starter Koen Cleaver with a shot with 34 seconds left in the frame. Woo had the second assist on Gordon-Carroll’s eighth of the season.
The Tigers poured it on in the second period, scoring four straight goals.
Just before the seven-minute mark of the frame, Ethan Neutens carried the puck into the Lethbridge end and wired a shot from the top of the circles past Cleaver for the 2-0 lead at 6:57. Pickford and Woo had the assists on Neutens’ sixth of the year, who has scored in a second straight game. He scored in the Tigers’ 7-3 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings on Dec. 17, their last game before the holiday break.
The Tigers rattled off three straight power play goals to end the middle stanza.
On a man advantage, Pickford had the puck near the corner and attempted to centre it before it ricocheted through Cleaver and into the net for his league-leading 26th of the year. Woo and Liam Ruck had the assists. On top of leading the WHL in goals, Pickford leads all CHL defenceman in goals scored. The 19-year-old blue liner signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday.
Just 3:40 later, Woo hammered a one-timer on a tic-tac-toe passing play for the second power play marker of the period, his 17th goal of the year. Markus Ruck and Pickford has the assists.
The last goal of the period came with 3:57 left in the frame, Liam Ruck throwing a puck on net from the point that found twine for the 5-0 lead. Older twin brother Markus and Woo had the assists.
Lethbridge’s lone goal of the game came just before the halfway mark, Andrew Petruk scored on a breakaway to snap starter Jordan Switzer’s shutout bit and make it a 5-1 game. Switzer finished with 15 saves for his 14th win of the year. Across the ice, Cleaver made 30 saves as the Tigers outshot Lethbridge 35-16.
The Tigers (23-6-3-2) host the Red Deer Rebels on Sunday for a 4 p.m. contest at Co-op Place.
