PHOTO COURTESY
Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders
Medicine Hat Tigers defenceman Josh Van Mulligen holds onto the puck in the first period of WHL action Saturday at Prince Albert against the Raiders.
Medicine Hat News
The Medicine Hat Tigers couldn’t contain the Prince Albert Raiders power play Saturday night.
The Eastern conference leaders tallied three power play goals at the Art Hauser Centre, beating the Tigers 5-1 for their second win over Medicine Hat in the last week. Prince Albert won 8-5 Jan. 17 at Co-op Place to snap the Tigers 19-game win streak.
Prince Albert worked 3-5 on the power play, Medicine Hat was 1-3.
The Tigers, already missing captain Bryce Pickford and defenceman Niilopekka Muhonen in the contest, also saw forward Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll leave the game in the second period. Forward Gavin Kor slotted in for Muhonen who was a late scratch from the game. Medicine Hat came into the contest off a 3-2 shootout loss Friday in Saskatoon to the Baldes.
Prince Albert, capping off a three-in-three weekend with Saturday’s game, beat Swift Current 6-1 on Friday after topping the Moose Jaw Warriors 3-2 in a shootout on Thursday.
The Raiders opened the scoring with a pair of goals in the first period.
A shot from Justice Christensen was tipped by Owen Corkish before Brandon Gorzynski got a final touch of the flying puck, knocking it past starter Jordan Switzer for a 1-0 Raider lead halfway through the first.
A little under four minutes later, Gorzynski struck again.
The Raiders carried the puck up ice on a power play and raced into the Tiger end on a two-on-one. Braedon Cootes fed Gorzynski with a cross-ice pass for a knock-in at the front of the crease for his second of the night and the 2-0 lead.
The Tigers had some frustrations on the goal with Cam Parr hit by a cross check in the neutral zone ahead of the goal. Parr was called for a roughing minor after starting a scrum following the goal.
Following a slow start to the middle frame, the Tigers generated some momentum. They weren’t about to mount any tally on a pair of power plays but the Tabbies were able to get more pucks on net as the second period wore on, outshooting Prince Albert 22-16 through 40 minutes.
Medicine Hat looked primed to draw within one on a three-on-one to start the final frame but couldn’t score before Prince Albert opened the period with a goal.
Overage forward Aiden Oiring was at the side of the net and he missed on a one-time attempt, seeing the puck bounce straight up. He batted it out of the air and into the net for a 3-0 lead 3:17 into the frame. Gorzynski had the primary assist on the play for his third point of the night.
The Tigers got on the board on a power play under 90 seconds later.
Andrew Basha fed Liam Ruck at the front of the net and the younger Ruck brother tipped it past starter Michal Orsulak to make it a two-goal game. Markus Ruck had the second assist on Liam’s 27th of the season.
The Raiders regained the two-goal lead with a power play marker. Brock Cripps fired a shot from the point that ricocheted off a Tiger’ defenders stick and past Switzer to make it a 4-1 game 6:57 into the final period.
Oiring scored his second of the night, blasting a one-timer on a power play, for a 5-1 lead with 3:09 left in the game. Cootes had the second assist, giving him a pair of helpers on the night. Daxon Rudolph also had two assists for the Raiders.
Switzer finished with 26 saves in the loss, Orsulak stopped 27 shots with Prince Albert outshooting the Tigers 31-28.
The Tigers (32-8-3-3) host the Saskatoon Blades at Co-op Place on Tuesday for the first of a three-game home stand.
