By Mitch Bach

Butcher nets hat trick, Schultz out 4-6 weeks with broken leg

Jan 16, 2017 | 10:45 AM

It took Chad Butcher 274 career regular season games to net his first hat-trick.

The 20-year-old Kamloops, BC product completed the trifecta late in the second period Friday night, giving his Medicine Hat Tigers a 6-1 lead over the Swift Current Broncos. Butcher finished the game with two helpers as well, leading his team to a 7-3 victory. 

This was Butcher’s 16th multi-point game of the season, who now leads the team with 65 points in 40 games. The line of Butcher, Steven Owre, and Zach Fischer combined for nine points on the night.

But through the celebration of the Tigers’ 30th win of the season, the team lost another huge asset on the back end. Defenceman Ty Schultz broke his leg off a blocked shot in the first period. It’s a similar injury to what David Quenneville is healing up; a broken fibula. Schultz could be out for as long as six weeks.

“We’ve been really good with injuries this year,” said Schultz, dawning crutches and a cast around his right leg. “I think if you said this is all we’d have compared to last year, we’d take it still. Obviously it’s not good, so I’ll just try to rehab it and be back as soon as possible.”

HERE'S WHAT TO KNOW

Summer pool hours extended and discounts applied as Big Marble Go Centre upgrades start

Apr 18, 2024

Medicine Hat company drawing in clients with witty signage

Apr 16, 2024

Medicine Hat College holding event for missing and murdered Indigenous women awareness day

Apr 16, 2024

Tigers fans can expect all six defenceman to serve increased ice-time and responsibility. The top pairing of Kirichenko and Rubins will remain unchanged, but head coach and GM Shaun Clouston says there will be some tweaking to the back two pairings, with several prospects on call.

“(Cameron) MacPhee would be the first guy,” said Clouston. “Cole Clayton would be a guy we’d look into bringing in if we needed to. But we’ll start (Wednesday’s) Saskatoon game splitting the group up. We’ll go Gally with Henderson, and we’ll go Forrest with MacPherson and see how that goes.”

Schultz is amidst a career year with Medicine Hat. He has three goals and 18 assists in 44 games. 

The Tigers get Monday and Tuesday off before heading to Saskatoon on Wednesday to begin a four-game road trip.