Photo Credit: Medicine Hat Tigers

By Gino De Paoli

Shane Smith gets second career hat-trick in 9-2 win over Kelowna

Oct 15, 2023 | 8:39 AM

The Medicine Hat Tigers power play was near perfection in an eventual 9-2 route of the Kelowna Rockets Saturday night.

The Tigers came out flying in the first period and it started with a man advantage as Cayden Lindstrom (Chetwynd, BC) would backhand his 6th of the season at 7:41 to make 1-0 Tigers from Tomas Mrsic (Surrey, BC) & Gavin McKenna (Whitehorse, YT).

Medicine Hat would keep up the scoring just 41 seconds later as Hunter St.Martin (Edmonton, AB) scored his second goal in as many games to add to the road side’s lead of 2-0. Shane Smith (Cessford, AB) would extend his point streak to eight games. The Tigers would not let off as Reid Andresen (Saskatoon, AB) would get his first tally of the season at 10:36 beating Rockets goaltender Jari Kykkanen for an increased lead of 3-0. Captain Tyler MacKenzie (Red Deer, AB) & Andrew Basha (Calgary, AB) would add to their point totals on the Andresen goal.

Lastly, Shane Smith would score his team leading 7th goal for his second multi-point game of the year as the Tiger power play would cash in on a 5-on-3 at 16:51.

The Tigers would look to take that four goal cushion to the intermission but Kelowna would counter on a power play of their own as Tij Iginla would score at 18:19 to make it 4-1. Shortly after, just 41 seconds later, Andrew Cristall would sneak in behind the Tiger defence and beat starter Evan May (Nanaimo, BC) to cut the Medicine Hat lead to 4-2.

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In the second period the Tigers and Rockets exchanged plenty of end to end rushes where both clubs would hit the post twice at opportune times. A pivotal moment in that second period came with the Tigers on a 5 on 3 penalty kill and they’d be successful in keeping a two goal lead. It would be a late power play goal for Cayden Lindstrom again, his 4th PPG of the season 7th of the year to make it 5-2 Tigers at 18:19. Both Andrew Basha & Tomas Mrsic would register their second points of the night and Medicine Hat would carry that three goal lead heading to the final frame in Kelowna.

In the 3rd the Tigers would pour on more offence as Gavin McKenna would steal and break-in for his 5th goal of the season at 5:08 and then Shane Smith would score his second career hat-trick with back-to-back goals at 10:20 and 12:31 to give the tabbies are 8-2 lead including another power play goal. Then it would be a pair of milestones on the ninth and final goal of the night for Medicine Hat as Kadon McCann (Cochrane, AB) would slide home his first Western Hockey League goal to make it 9-2 on the power play at 18:32. On the same play Matt Paranych (Edmonton, AB) would notch his first WHL point while Shane Smith would cap off a five point night.

The Tigers power play would finish 5/7 while the penalty kill went 4/5.

Next up for the Orange & Black, a Ferry ride to Victoria and a rendezvous with the Royals on Tuesday night.