Tigers best Oil Kings; Win streak sits at 4 for first time this season

More rough stuff would ensue six minutes later when Bryce Pickford took exception to a Marshall Finnie check and went after the Oil King Forward. Pickford would pick up the only penalty minutes out of the scrum and put his team short-handed for four minutes, getting a double-minor for roughing.

The Tigers offense would not be deterred by being under-manned. Halfway through the extended Penalty Kill, Tigers defenseman Veeti Vaisanen would force a neutral zone turnover and spring Hunter St. Martin on a breakaway where he would snipe a shot past the glove of the Oil Kings goalie Alex Worthington and give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. The goal was St. Martin’s fifth shorthanded goal of the year which leads the WHL.

The Cats would kill off the remainder of the double minor and shortly after would double their lead when Liam Ruck tucked home a rebound off an errant Jonas Woo point shot, pushing the puck past the out-stretched pad of Worthington, making it a 2-0 Tiger lead. On the play, Jonas Woo extended his point streak to eight games, picking up the main assist on Liam Rucks 13^th goal of the year.

Late in the period, Edmonton’s Landon Hanson would head to the box for hooking. The Oil Kings would kill the penalty and sprung Hanson on a breakaway as it expired. Hanson barreled in alone on the Tigers goal of Jordan Switzer, and Switzer would stand tall making the key save, keeping it a 2-0 Tiger lead through the opening frame.

The Tigers would control the bulk of play throughout the first half of the second period but would struggle to find the back of the net. Late in the middle frame, the Tigers again found themselves in penalty trouble but would once again create offense from their Penalty Kill.

Medicine Hat captain Oasiz Wiesblatt would strip a puck free at the Tiger blueline off a failed Edmonton zone entry and spring Niilopekka Muhonen on a two-on-one. Muhonen would slow up inside the right point of the Edmonton zone and lob a beautiful pass into the wheelhouse of Kadon McCann who would chip the puck past the shoulder of Worthington to make it a 3-0 Tiger lead, with the Tigers second shorthanded goal of the game

Late in the frame, the Tigers would make it 4-0 themselves with a powerplay goal that deflected off the blade of Ryder Ritchies’ stick, off the crossbar, and in, to give the Tigers a 4-0 lead with Ritchies 12^th of the season.

The Tigers would begin the third period short-handed and quickly found themselves killing a five-on-three when Hunter St. Martin tripped up Oil Kings forward Gracyn Sawchyn 11 seconds into the frame.

The Tigers would kill off the front half of the 5-on-3 but the Oil Kings would strike shortly thereafter as Gavin Hodnett one-timed a shot from the top of the far circle past the shoulder of Jordan Switzer to get Edmonton on the board 1:40 into the frame and make it 4-1.

The Tigers would hold their composure and restore their four-goal lead two and a half minutes later when Marcus Pacheco chopped at a loose puck behind the Edmonton goal, banked it off the netminder and in, to make it 5-1, and secured his fourth goal in his last two games

The Tigers would add a powerplay goal late in the third with Hunter St. Martin potting his second of the night off a pinballing point shot making it a 6-1 final.

With the win, the Tigers secured their first four-game win streak of the season and improved to 25-15-2-0 on the year, now 10 games clear of the .500 mark. The Cats will be off until Friday when they head to Calgary to begin a home-n-home with the Hitmen in a battle for first place in the Central division.

by Will Bryant

Tigers best Oil Kings; Win streak sits at 4 for first time this season

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