By Mitch Bach

Strong third period lead Tigers to 3-1 win over ICE

Feb 20, 2018 | 9:33 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Bryan Lockner is finding his groove on the Medicine Hat Tigers top line.

The Winnipeg-native, acquired by the Tabbies at the WHL Trade Deadline, scored the game winner and second in as many games, leading the Tigers to a gritty 3-1 victory over the Kootenay ICE Tuesday night.

Medicine Hat’s Central Division lead is now up to three points over Lethbridge, however the ‘Canes hold two games in hand. Kootenay continues to slide in the playoff race, trailing the surging Red Deer Rebels by two points for third in the division — the next closest spot in the post-season.

Tyler Preziuso and Dave Quenneville also scored for the Tigers, who have officially reached the 30-win mark with a 30-24-7-0 record. Michael Bullion made 19 saves for his 14th victory.

Matt Berlin made 29 saves in the ICE’s third straight loss. Kootenay has now lost nine of the last 11 to dawn a 25-34-3-0 clip.

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ICE assistant captain Brett Davis scored the lone tally in the opening period, gunning down a short-handed breakaway opportunity by finding a hole under the blocker of Bullion. Both teams went into the locker room with 11 shots on goal.

The Tigers best chance to score in the first came from just inside the red-line. Dalton Gally’s clearing shot careened off a stanchion and line-drove directly at the net. Berlin had already left his crease to retrieve the puck, but recovered in the nick of time to dive-poke it out of harms way.

Medicine Hat had several opportunities to go beyond a 1-1 tie after 40 minutes. Prior to Preziuso’s marker, Mark Rassell went post-bar-out which fooled much of the crowd as a good goal, and rookie Josh Williams was stopped by Berlin on a partial breakaway crossing the midway mark.

Hamblin nearly caught a breakaway feed after leaving the penalty box, but Berlin was quick to react and jabbed the puck to safety from beyond the hash-marks.

Lockner’s game winner came on a broken two-on-one alongside Rassell, who picked up the assist after finding the lumbering winger gunning down the right side of the ice. Lockner now has 12 goals on the season.

Quenneville strengthened the Tigers lead to 3-1 on an empty netter with 18 seconds to go — his 200th career point. The 19-year-old Islanders prospect recently set a franchise record for most points as a defenceman, and is now the only blue-liner in Tigers history to reach 200.

Medicine Hat can push its win streak to three games on Friday, heading to Cranbrook to wrap up a home-and-home series against Kootenay.