NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Markus Ruck joins younger twin brother Liam on the ice for a celebration of Liam's goal in the first period of a 4-1 win Tuesday at Co-op Place over the Saskatoon Blades.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
All wins count the same in the standings, with the Medicine Hat Tigers getting an important one on the board Tuesday.
The Tigers held onto a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes, tallying an empty netter late, for a 4-1 win at Co-op Place over the Saskatoon Blades. It’s a victory that got the Tigers back in the win column after a pair of weekend losses on the road, one a 3-2 shootout loss to Saskatoon on Jan. 23.
Head coach Willie Desjardins was happy with the team’s effort in the win.
“We had a huge kill at the end of the game and everybody contributed,” Desjardins said. “It was just a game we didn’t give up an awful lot, but when we did, (Jordan) Switzer made some big saves. Overall, it’s just a real good team performance.
“The guys are good, they worked hard tonight. Saskatoon has a good team, they’re really hard to play against, so I was happy with our effort tonight.”
Tuesday’s win gives the Tigers a second W in their last five games, a rebound from the multi-loss weekend.
The Tigers’ top line combined for six points, with both Markus and Liam Ruck tallying a goal and an assist, Andrew Basha adding a pair of assists.
“We’re starting to gel more as we get to know each other’s play styles,” Markus said. “Basha brings a lot of speed to our line, which helps a lot flying the O-zone. Once we get the puck back in the O-zone, we’ve been pretty good.”
Switzer made 15 saves for his league-leading 22nd win of the season. After being outshot in three straight games, the Tigers poured on 40 shots while Saskatoon fired just 16.
“Ever since I’ve been a Tiger, that’s kind been of our mindset, out-shoot the other team to give us momentum,” Switzer said. “That’s a huge key for us. We’ve been off our game, that’s why that happened, but we found it tonight.”
The Tigers were without captain Bryce Pickford (day to day, upper-body injury) and forward Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll (week to week, upper-body injury). Desjardins had no firm update on if Pickford would be available Saturday when the Tigers host the Lethbridge Hurricanes.
Defenceman Jonas Woo left the game after 20 minutes and did not return, he’s also considered day to day.
They were also without blue liner Veeti Väisänen for a stretch in the second period after he was hit in the neck with a puck. Being able to hold on with just the four defencemen was the turning point in the win, according to Desjardins.
“We had a pretty good stretch there, even when we were at four, I thought that helped us,” Desjardins said. “The forwards worked back tonight and made a difference for us. The group of five defencemen did a good job.”
The Tigers have a lighter week, not playing again until Saturday when they host the Hurricanes. It’s a welcomed slate.
“We need a little breather here for sure, we’re beat up a little bit and we have to get back on our games,” Desjardins said.
