Photo courtesy of Scott Roblin

By Scott Roblin

Taber's Own

Peters closes the door in homecoming, Hitmen get past Tigers in Taber

Sep 14, 2019 | 10:45 PM

TABER, AB – From early morning skates to tense playoff games, Brayden Peters has called the Taber Community Centre home over much of his minor hockey career.

On Saturday, Peters returned to the community where he fell in love with the game and helped the Calgary Hitmen to a 2-1 pre-season victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers.

Coming into the third period of Saturday’s contest, the 17-year-old Peters made 10 saves on 11 shots to help the Hitmen secure the victory.

“My family is all here, they’re so supportive,” said Peters. “They lead me to be in this spot. Being able to play in my hometown in front of pretty much all my friends and family is just a great experience, and the guys really helped it out too.”

Peters’ Hitmen kicked off the night with the game’s opening goal just 6:23 into the night, as Josh Prokop was sprung on a breakaway and sniped on Tigers goalie Garin Bjorklund.

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Calgary starter Carl Stankowski was rock solid in the first period stopping all 15 shots he faced, while Bjorklund bailed the Tigers out in the second with 16 stops of his own.

Holding into a slim one-goal lead entering the third frame, Calgary head coach Steve Hamilton called on Peters to close out the game for the visitors.

“I wasn’t too nervous to start off,” said Peters. “After they got the goal to get within one the nerves started to set in a bit. We battled for the last five minutes and we were able to stick it out and cling onto the one-goal lead.”

Medicine Hat’s lone goal of the game came just as a 5-on-3 power play was expiring, as Bryan Lockner set up Elijah Brown with a between the legs pass for his first goal of the pre-season.

A goal that Brown had a feeling was coming just seconds beforehand.

“I looked at [media services manager Adam Jones] in the box,” said Brown. “I pointed at him and said, ‘Videotape this one, I’m going to score for you.’ We have a really good power play, this year I think we can be really strong on the power play.”

That goal brought the Tigers to within one after a seeing-eye shot from the point by Jackson van de Leest found the back of the net for Calgary eight minutes prior.

Medicine Hat turned on the offence in the final five minutes of regulation with a flurry of shots including Lockner with a glorious breakaway opportunity, but all were turned aside by Peters.

“That was a big eruption after that save,” said Peters. “I could hear some of my friends and family even within all that.”

Brown said it was a tough loss to take knowing how close they came to tying the game up at multiple points, but added it was a solid effort from everyone who hit the ice.

“It was one shot away but Garin played good, everyone played good,” he said. “We were in their zone for probably 80 percent of the game. So, it’s the way it goes sometimes.”

Bjorklund stopped 34 of 36 on the night to see his record in the pre-season slip to 1-2-0, while the Tigers close out their exhibition schedule with a 2-2-0 record.

As for Peters, a goalie with the Lethbridge Midget AAA Hurricanes last year, he is still continuing his push for a spot on the Hitmen roster with one final pre-season game on Sunday against Red Deer.

But, he added it will be tough to top the emotions and memories made on Saturday night in his home barn.

“On the way here I was thinking about it,” he said. “Just thinking about my family and all the sacrifices they made throughout the years, and the countless hours at the rink. They’ve been at this rink for eight or nine years of my life just sitting here for countless hours watching me play.”

“Being able to come back here in a WHL game and play in front of them and everyone that supported me is just great.”

The regular season now awaits the Tigers, set to open the 2019-20 campaign against their arch rivals from down the road in Lethbridge.

Brown said while the pre-season is a good precursor to the season, he’s ready to get the real games going against the Hurricanes next weekend.

“It’s always exciting playing them,” said Brown. “The energy is going to be high, we got to keep it a little on the medium range. Obviously, it’s an exciting time of the year.”

Medicine Hat’s regular season begins on Friday night with a road game in Lethbridge at 7:00 pm, before returning Saturday for their home opener at the Canalta Centre.