NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers goaltender Zach Zahara directs a puck up into the netting in the second period of a 4-1 loss Sunday at Lethbridge to the Hurricanes.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers enter their holiday break on a three-quarter positive note.
The Tigers ride a 6-3-1 record in their last 10 games into the holidays, having won three games this week to propel them into first place in the Eastern conference with a 19-14-1 record.
They beat the Saskatoon Blades 6-4 on Tuesday, beating Moose Jaw 5-1 on Friday before topping the Lethbridge Hurricanes 3-2 on Saturday. The Tigers dropped the final game of the first half, falling 4-1 Sunday at Lethbridge.
Saturday night they jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second period, with goals from Mat Ward and Hunter St. Martin. Oasiz Wiesblatt scored in the third period, notching the eventual game winner as Lethbridge made a comeback bid with a pair of power play markers.
The determination and grit they showed in the first three wins of the week was blown away in Alberta’s Windy City as the Hurricanes had early control of the game Sunday.
“You have to give them credit, they outplayed us,” associate coach Joe Frazer said. “Right from the start, their first period was better than ours. We got better as the game went on, but it was too late.”
Ethan Neutens scored the Tigers’ lone goal Sunday, his first in a Medicine Hat jersey. His line, alongside Kadon McCann and Carter Cunningham, was the lone bright spot in the evening.
“They were great (Saturday) night and were good tonight again,” Frazer said. “Three big boys that were getting in on the forecheck and just working hard.”
Jordan Switzer started Saturday’s win, making 32 saves in his 10th start in a row with 20-year-old Harrison Meneghin out with injury. In that span, the 17-year-old went 6-3-1 with a 3.58 GAA and .879 SV%. He got the ninth off Sunday with Zach Zahara making his first start with the Tigers since being reacquired from the Wenatchee Wild on Dec. 12.
Zahara made 27 saves in the loss.
“It’s great to get him back in,” Frazer said. “He did a really good job playing the puck and helping our defence out.”
The Tigers enter the holiday break atop the conference and Central division, one point ahead of the Saskatoon Blades (17-10-2-2) for top spot in the East and three points ahead of the Hurricanes (17-11-1-1) for the division.
They’ll get some time off before returning to Medicine Hat and Co-op Place for a practice Dec. 27 ahead of the Hurricanes coming to town on Dec. 28. That Saturday contest is the first of a three in three days for the Tigers, they’ll head to Calgary on Sunday to face the Hitmen (16-9-3-1) for a 2 p.m. contest before hosting them on Dec. 30.
Heading into a much-needed holiday break, Frazer hopes both the time off and the loss Sunday have influence on the players’ time away.
“The week as a whole was pretty good, you end with a bitter taste in your mouth because it was the last one,” Frazer said. “I just hope guys get healed up here and make sure they take care of themselves over the breaks so we’re ready to go for the second half.”
