Photo Courtesy Randy Feere/ Medicine Hat Tigers

By Chris Brown

Longest losing streak in 20 years

Missed chances and mistakes lead to ninth straight loss for Tigers

Nov 20, 2021 | 11:48 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – It’s a feeling and a result the Medicine Hat Tigers know all too well.

A 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Ice extended the Tigers’ losing streak to nine games, the longest streak for the team since 2001.

Like many of the games during the slide, the Tigers were in this one for the most part, playing against the top junior team in the country.

“I think it’s just the same story as every game,” said forward Lukas Svejkovsky after the game. “We have the teams where we want them and a couple of mistakes and we’re just out of the game just like that.”

SPOOK TRACKER

Here is what's on for Halloween in Medicine Hat, Redcliff and area

Oct 25, 2024

WHAT'S ON

Here is what's on this weekend in Medicine Hat and area: Oct. 25-27

Oct 25, 2024

LIVE UPDATES

Road construction, detours and traffic in Medicine Hat

Oct 25, 2024

A goal by Zach Benson just 26 seconds into the game put the Tigers down early, another common theme of the streak.

A penalty kill and a couple of big saves by Garin Bjorklund allowed the Tigers to keep the first period damage limited to just that one early goal.

The Tigers began the second period on the powerplay and nearly tied it. Corson Hopwo’s wrist shot rang off the crossbar and the scored stayed 1-0 nothing until late in the second period.

The Tigers were buzzing around the opposition net but the Ice quickly turned up ice. On a three-on-two, Benson dropped a pass that Matthew Savoie put past Bjorklund on the glove side to double the Ice lead with 25 seconds left in the second.

Head coach Willie Desjardins pointed to that sequence after the game as a key moment.

“We got the puck in their zone we just miss a chance. We turn it over and they score and that’s kind of the game right there,” he said. “You know we make the play going the other way and it’s a 1-1 game going into the third, it’s totally different. But we’re not making that play and until we do make that play we’re going to lose hockey games.”

The Tigers were unable to score on a power play midway through the third and goals by Jakin Smallwood and Savoie 88 seconds apart gave the Ice all they needed.

Teague Patton and Owen MacNeil responded for the Tigers late to make the final 4-2.

Desjardins took those goals and how the team battled down the stretch as positives.

“For sure after you’ve lost that many games you could quit then. They didn’t quit they stayed in it and wanted to get something,” he said.

Bjorklund stopped 28 of 32 shots between the pipes for the Tigers and made a number of highlight reel saves throughout the game.

The team will have another chance to end the losing streak soon. They host the Regina Pats on Tuesday, puck drop is at 7 p.m.