Photo Credit: Medicine Hat Tigers

By Gino De Paoli

Tigers fall in OT

Oct 1, 2023 | 10:13 AM

Medicine Hat, AB – The Medicine Hat Tigers would fall for the first time in the 2023-2024 season with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Saskatoon Blades Saturday night at Co-op Place.

The first period started off with 6 whistles in the first two minutes but soon after that, the Blades would get out to an early advantage when it came to pressure and shots out shooting the Tigers 7-0 at one point. But Tigers starting goaltender Evan May (Nanaimo, BC) would stand tall for his fourth consecutive start.

Medicine Hat would run into penalty trouble and handed an early 5-on-3 but the Tigers would withstand the Saskatoon attack and kill off the infractions.

Despite being outshot 13-10, both teams would remain scoreless after one.

The home side would break the deadlock as Tomas Mrsic (Surrey, BC) would cash in on a breakaway chance set up by Gavin McKenna (Whitehorse, YT) & Josh Van Mulligen (Medicine Hat, AB) at 4:10. Plenty of action and less whistles were in store for almost ten minutes before Brandon Lisowsky would give the Blades the equalizer at 14:34 from Trevor Wong, but Shane Smith Cessford, AB) just 14 seconds later would make it 2-1 at 14:49.

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For the four straight game, the Tigers would take a lead heading into the third period, up 2-1.

The third period would see plenty of opportunities to see the Tigers put things away but couldn’t solve Austin Elliott firing 11 shots at him including a pair of late power plays, but the Blades would get the equalizer late in the third.

Right after another successful penalty kill by the Tigers, Tanner Molendyk would shoot home the game-tying goal at 15:08 which would force overtime.

In the the 3 on 3 affair the Blades would complete their comeback thanks to Egor Sidorov’s 1st of the season, sneaking a shot past Evan May with the puck just trickling over the line to give the Blades their second win of the season and the Tigers first loss of 2023-2024 with just 52 seconds left in extra time.

Medicine Hat would outshoot the Blades 31-29, while the penalty kill picked up their 3rd clean sheet of the season going 8/8. But the power play was unable to formulate a goal going 0/4.

Next up for the Tigers, a road trip to Regina to battle the Pats for the first time this season, on Wednesday, October 4.

(Article courtesy Gino De Paoli and the Medicine Hat Tigers)