NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forwards Brendan Lee, Andrew Basha and Oasiz Wiesblatt lead the line to celebrate one of Lee's goals in the Tigers 6-1 win on Nov. 16 against the Brandon Wheat Kings at Co-op Place.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers are among the top teams in the Western Hockey League when it comes to offence. A significant part of that can be attributed to the line of Andrew Basha, Oasiz Wiesblatt and Brendan Lee.
Entering play Friday night in Red Deer, the three Tigers forwards have combined for 28 goals and 37 assists for 65 points, scoring 32 per cent of the Tigers’ overall 85 goals on the year (Basha: 6G, 18A, 24P; Lee: 13G, 9A, 22P; Wiesblatt: 9G, 10A, 19P).
Head coach Willie Desjardins says they’re always finding a way to score.
“They’ve been pretty consistent since we brought them together, their first game they were just OK but since then, they’ve been pretty consistent,” Desjardins said. “Oasis has played really well, his speed has been good and he’s been doing a lot of good things for us. It really hurt when we lost him in P.A. But Lee and Basha both have been good too, providing different parts to that line.
“You have a shooter in Lee, Basha is a pretty good playmaker, pretty good with the puck, O is a pretty good energy guy. They have a little bit of a mix which helps them be successful.”
Basha says as long as their line is helping the team win games, they’ll just keep having fun while scoring.
“With Brendan’s shot, I’ve never had a guy who can just put the puck anywhere he wants,” Basha said. “It just reflects on us and makes all of our games better. Then with Oasiz, we’ve had chemistry for probably about a year now, so it’s really good to see.”
Wiesblatt has previously described Lee’s shot as being at an NHL level. That shot is something Lee says he’s gaining more confidence in after undergoing shoulder surgery to end last season. With an off season of recovery and hard work, Lee says he’s just trying to find the back of the net whenever he can.
“Ever since I was young with my dad I’ve always worked on my shot and especially my one-timer, I’ve always looked up to guys like (Sidney) Crosby or (Alex) Ovechkin,” Lee said. “I’ve gotten a lot of chances on the power play and when the chance has come they’ve found the net and I’ve been lucky for that.”
Those opportunities to start power plays – and often times start the game or period – for the line is something Wiesblatt says he makes sure to soak in and appreciate. He says whenever that opportunity comes they just have to capitalize and take advantage.
Lee is the known trigger man of the trio but Wiesblatt and Basha are no slouches, with six and nine goals respectively. A large part of Basha’s summer workouts were about developing and growing his shot to become a better weapon for himself on the ice.
But when he’s suited up with his two running mates, he doesn’t mind sharing the wealth.
“I’ve always been more of a passer and I just love getting apples (assists),” Basha said. (His favourite kind of actual apples are Granny Smith).
“It’s just a good feeling seeing other guys score, especially with Brendan, it’s a showcase year for him right now being his last year in the league. He deserves a lot more respect in the league with the way he can shoot the puck, so I do love seeing guys put the puck in the back of the net, but I still love to score as well.”
Tigers Win in Red Deer
The Tiger were in Red Deer Friday night taking on the Rebels. They won 3-2 in the shootout , see medicinehatnews.com/sports for a full game story.
They’re back in action Saturday for the second game of their three game, three day set, when they host the Calgary Hitmen for a 7 p.m. contest. The Prince Albert Raiders are at Co-op Place on Sunday for a 4 p.m. game to round out the Tigers weekend.
