By Scott Roblin

Tigers rally for comeback victory over Hurricanes in Taber

Sep 3, 2017 | 11:58 AM

TABER, AB – Make it two straight victories for the Medicine Hat Tigers to open up the 2017 WHL pre-season, as they rallied for a 5-3 victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Saturday night.

The Tigers were looking to to build off a 4-2 win over the Hurricanes on Friday, with Saturday’s game being played at the Community Centre in Taber.

Scoreless past the midway mark of the first period, Lethbridge found the opening goal for the second straight game courtesy of Ryan Vandervlis to take a 1-0 lead.

Just over a minute later however, Tigers rookie defender Daniel Baker found veteran Mark Rassell down low, who sniped his first of the pre-season past Lethbridge’s Bryan Thomson to tie the game at 1-1.

With just over five minutes to go in the first and Medicine Hat on the power play, Rassell threw a beautiful pass cross-crease to rookie sensation Josh Williams for his third goal of the pre-season.

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Despite momentum beginning to shift in the Tigers’ favour, Lethbridge tied the game at 2-2 with 3:17 left in the period, as Dylan Cozens converted on a Jaden Davis one-timer.

Not a lot to talk about offensively in the second period until the midway mark of the frame, when a Tigers clearing attempt from their own zone rebounded in the crease and ended up in the back of their own net.

Vandervlis was credited with the short-handed marker, giving the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead entering the final 20 minutes of regulation.

That goal ended the night of Tigers starter Garin Bjorklund, who allowed three goals on 18 shots against.

In his place came Kaeden Lane making his Tigers debut, after being signed by the team on Friday.

Fast-forward to the early stages of the third period, with Williams scoring his second goal of the game to even up the score at 3-3.

Following that goal a wild scrum ensued, with the main combatants being Medicine Hat’s Dalton Gally and Lethbridge’s Jadon Joseph.

With less than nine minutes to go and a 3-3 score, Rassell capped off his night with the eventual game-winning goal, with Williams picking up an assist.

Both players finished the night with two goals and two assists each, with Williams scoring six points in two pre-season games so far.

Medicine Hat’s Ryan Chyzowski finished things off with an empty netter, as the Tigers exploded in the third period to pick up a 5-3 win.

Coming in relief of Bjorklund, Lane stopped all 18 shots he faced and was credited with his first WHL pre-season victory.

Now 2-0 in pre-season play, the Tigers are off until Friday night when they will face off against the Moose Jaw Warriors in Saskatchewan.