NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
Medicine Hat Tigers forward Kadon McCann watches a Bryce Pickford point shot beat Brandon Wheat Kings goaltender Filip Ruzicka for a power play goal in the second period of a 7-4 loss Nov. 8 at Co-op Place.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Medicine Hat Tigers have their toughest test yet before they can enjoy the holidays.
The Tigers, ranked No. 9 by the CHL on Tuesday, enter tonight as the hottest team in the WHL with a nine-game win streak. They’ve collected points in 13 straight games and in 15 of their last 16.
They have a chance to head into the Holiday break with a 10-game win streak, with the second hottest team in their path. The Tigers host the Brandon Wheat Kings tonight, winners of 15 of their last 20 games, carrying a seven-game win streak into the game after beating the Brandon Wheat Kings 2-1 Tuesday.
“They had a great game in Edmonton on Sunday, they beat a really good Oil Kings team,” associate coach Joe Frazer said. “We’ve played the twice, they have a lot of skill, a lot of talent up front and they come in waves. So it’s going to be a good test.”
The Wheat Kings have won the first two matchups between the clubs, beating the Tigers 7-4 on Nov. 8 and winning 6-5 in overtime a week later in Brandon. They’ll look to get their first win against the Wheat Kings and head into the holidays on a high note.
“We’ve had a great couple days of practice, now it’s just making sure we stay focused on the task at hand, making sure we play our best Wednesday night,” Frazer said.
The Tigers will be without defenceman Veeti Väisänen who left Sunday to play for Finland at the World Junior Championship in Minnesota.
Regardless of result Wednesday, the Tigers will head into the Holiday Season with a better record than last year when they carried a 19-14-1 record through 34 games. Frazer says they’ve seen growth from the start of camp to the middle of December, steps forward they’ll have to continue.
“When you come in in August you’re at a starting point and it’s really a race to see how can get as good as they can,” Frazer said. “When you look at everything, whether it’s team play our individuals, lots of guys have gotten better and better and we have to continue that.”
On top of continuing to build chemistry, Frazer says they have to continue focusing on the details that were so prevalent in their championship run last year.
“Every game is so close in the second half and playoffs, it’s those tiny little details, stick positioning, execution, you just have to play a full 60 minutes every game,” Frazer said. “That’ll be the focal point of the second half, just making sure we’re dialled in every day at practice and then making sure every day we’re getting better.”
