Medicine Hat Tigers goaltender Zach Zahara reacts to a shot in the first period of a 2-0 loss to the Calgary Hitmen on Sunday afternoon at Co-op Place.--NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers have had a lot of lesson games over the last couple of seasons, some in comeback wins and others in heartbreaking losses. It’s becoming time for those lessons to be learned, not lost in a pile at the bottom of a backpack.
The Tigers pulled out a 7-4 win Friday evening over the Edmonton Oil Kings, in a game they trialed 4-1 after 20 minutes, and rattled off six unanswered goals. Assistant coach Josh Maser said postgame they needed to learn from the slow start and be better in that next game.
That lesson got lost in translation as a flat first period Sunday bled into a two-goal second period with the Calgary Hitmen handing the Tigers their first shutout loss of the season.
Head coach Willie Desjardins wouldn’t classify Sunday’s loss as a lesson, he says they’ve had a lot of lesson games like that and haven’t taken anything from them.
“I don’t know what’s going to make this one different,” Desjardins said. “Somewhere along the line we have to play like it’s playoffs. It’s going to be hard in payoffs, playoffs are going to be really tough. and that just wasn’t playoff hockey.
“If we play that way, we’re not going to get the results we want.”
Zach Zahara made 24 saves in Sunday’s loss, a bounce-back from Friday when he was pulled after allowing three goals on nine shots. Prospect Jordan Switzer took over in that game and made 24 saves for his first WHL win in his debut.
On Sunday, the Tigers had the opportunity to capitalize on a reeling Hitmen team coming off a late 2-1 loss Saturday to the Red Deer Rebels. Desjardins says with a quick start, they could have jumped on a team on the outside of the playoff bubble, fighting to make it to the dance.
“We gave them some life and they took advantage of it.”
The Hitmen did help the Tigers however, as their regulation defeat to the Rebels – who “mutually parted ways” with head coach Derrick Walser the night prior – clinched Medicine Hat’s spot in the WHL playoffs for the second straight season.
Desjardins says clinching a postseason berth is always a positive, but says they have to be better if they want to make it count.
“It’s a tough league, we had a young group and we’ve had lots of guys banged up, so to get that is pretty exceptional,” Desjardins said. “But we have to decide if we just want to make the playoffs, or if we want to do something in the playoffs. Those are two different things.”
The Tigers are 13-10-3-2 since Christmas and hold onto first place in the Central division with a 34-19-5-2 record. They remain three points ahead of Swift Current, a club they face two more times, and the Broncos have a game in hand.
Their busy week continues as they host the Brandon Wheat Kings tonight before heading to Lethbridge on Wednesday to face the Hurricanes. Heading into the week, the messaging is simple from Desjardins.
“We just have to be better. It takes everybody, these games are all 65-minute games and we need everybody.”
