Medicine Hat Tigers win-streak snapped in shootout thriller in Seattle

A big loss for the Tigers who lost Pickford, a key cog of their powerplay who also leads the WHL in goals by defenseman.

The loss weighed even heavier granted the Tigers were without Tanner Molendyk who was a late scratch after he was injured blocking a shot the night before in Portland.

The remainder of the period would see the Tigers get three breakaways on Seattle goaltender Scott Ratzlaf who would save all three, to keep the game scoreless through a period.

To begin the second, the physical play would continue with several scrums and penalties in the first five minutes of the period.

At the six minute mark, Tigers defenseman Tyson Moss would get called for a slash and send the Tigers shorthanded.

Seattle would waste little time getting the game’s opening goal.

A Radim Mrtka point shot would generate a rebound that would be put home to give Seattle a 1-0 lead.

Minutes later Mathew Ward would get a breakaway for the Tigers but yet again Ratzlaf made the save for Seattle, keeping them in front 1-0.

With just under six minutes left, the Tigers would turn a puck over at their blueline and Matej Pekar would fan on a wrist shot that fluttered past the glove of Tiger goalie Jordan Switzer to get the T-birds in front 2-0.

Shortly after a scramble for a loose puck occurred in the Medicine Hat zone and Switzer got injured on the play.

Switzer would finish the period, but Harrison Meneghin would come in to start the third period in net for Medicine Hat.

With three minutes left in the second, the Tigers would get on the board.

Hunter St. Martin snapped a shot past Ratzlaf’s blocker to shrink the deficit to one, entering the third.

The ‘comeback cats’ would need to live up to their name to extend their win streak, and they would.

Eight and a half minutes into the third, Medicine Hat would head to their sixth powerplay of the night, having been held scoreless on their previous five.

This time they would breakthrough.

Hunter St. Martin would snipe his second of the night and 32nd of the season into the top corner to tie the game at two.

Gavin McKenna would add an assist to extend his point-streak to 26 games, but McKenna would not stop there.

Three minutes after tying the game McKenna would deke to the slot of the Seattle zone and fire a puck past Ratzlaf to give the Tigers their first lead of the night, 3-2.

The lead would only last 90 seconds.

After a scramble for a loose puck in front, T-birds forward Hayden Pakkala would tuck home the loose puck to tie the game at three with just over five minutes left.

There would be chances on both sides throughout the rest of regulation, but neither team would capitalize and the game would need overtime.

In the extra frame, Tigers defenseman Jonas Woo would cut behind his own goal to breakout and be blatantly tripped, but the play would go uncalled.

Seconds later, Hunter St. Martin would get called for a slash, sending the Tigers to the penalty kill in overtime.

Harrison Meneghin would make a series of key saves and the Tigers would kill the penalty off, but it derailed any momentum the Tigers had built.

No other chances would happen in overtime and the game would head to a shootout.

The shootout would take 11(!!!!) rounds to determine a winner.

The Tigers faced elimination 3 times in the shootout, but kept extending it each time.

That would be until round 11 when Radim Mrtka scored for the T-birds.

Ethan Neutens would head out for the Tigers but was saved by Scott Ratzlaf, winning the game for Seattle and snapping the Tigers win streak at 12.

Medicine Hat (33-15-2-1), will head back home and be off until Friday when they take on the Swift Current Broncos (25-20-1-1) for the final time in the regular season.

by Will Bryant

Medicine Hat Tigers win-streak snapped in shootout thriller in Seattle

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