Hitmen defenceman Keagan Slaney carrying the puck in a 4-2 victory over the Medicine Hat Tigers on Saturday night (Photo courtesy of Randy Feere / Medicine Hat Tigers)

By Scott Roblin

Six Straight Losses

Mistakes pile up again for struggling Tigers, doubled up by Hitmen

Nov 13, 2021 | 11:03 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Turnovers and mental mistakes are being called the Achilles heel of the Medicine Hat Tigers, suffering a case of deja vu in a 4-2 loss to the Calgary Hitmen on Saturday.

Like most of their games over the last three weeks, the Tigers played the Hitmen well for the majority of their contest at Co-Op Place but couldn’t find the goals when they needed to suffer their sixth loss in a row.

Despite playing one of their best second periods of the season, Medicine Hat came out with a pedestrian third period and allowed a pair of Calgary goals over the final 17 minutes of play.

Calgary came out quick in the first period showing no rust after falling 5-1 in Swift Current the previous evening, as captain Jackson van de Leest stepped into the high slot and wired his first goal of the season past Garin Bjorklund 3:31 into the contest.

The Hitmen doubled their lead to 2-0 six minutes later off a failed clearing attempt by the Tabbies, with Tristan Zandee finishing the play off for the visitors.

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After a failed 5-on-3 power play, the Tigers were able to get themselves on the board ahead of the final minute of play in the first, as Ashton Ferster cleaned up an Owen MacNeil rebound in the crease for his second goal in as many games.

Medicine Hat controlled play for most of the second period and were rewarded on the power play midway through, as Oasiz Wiesblatt set himself up at the side of the net and perfectly tipped a Tyler MacKenzie shot past Brayden Peters for the equalizer.

Turnovers continued to bite the black and orange in the third frame however, as Calgary’s Zac Funk hopped on a loose puck and scored the go-ahead goal unassisted to regain the lead.

The Tigers were handed a late power play chance to try and force overtime, but Tigers defender Dru Krebs was outmuscled for a puck in his own zone which allowed Hitmen forward Sean Tschigerl to score a shorthanded backbreaker to secure the win for Calgary.

Despite making several big stops on Saturday night, Bjorklund was handed his fourth straight loss with four goals allowed on 28 shots against.

Peters, who had a homecoming of sorts growing up in Taber, meanwhile had 29 saves in the victory for Calgary.

Winless since October 22, the 4-7-2-1 Tigers now hold the worst record in the Eastern Conference and will go for a needed two points on the road Sunday in Calgary.

The back half of the home-and-home series gets underway at 4:00 pm from Scotiabank Saddledome.