Randy Feere/Medicine Hat Tigers

By Will Bryant

Sports

Tigers’ Switzer shuts out Pats for narrow 1-0 victory

Feb 15, 2025 | 11:24 PM

Jordan Switzer stopped all 22 shots he faced Saturday night, backstopping the Medicine Hat Tigers to a 1-0 victory over the Regina Pats.

The shutout is the second of Switzer’s career and second this season.

The first three games of the year between the Pats had Tigers saw the two teams combine for 35 goals, yet on Saturday night they would only combine for one.

The game began with a fast-paced first period that flew by.

Medicine Hat saw an early powerplay go for not with Jace Egland of Regina getting the best chance on a shorthanded breakaway.

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The breakaway would be broken up by the back check of Tigers defenseman Jonas Woo who stole the puck back in front of his own goal.

Otherwise, the first period proved uneventful.

The bulk of Medicine Hat’s chances came from the perimeter of the Pats zone, with Regina netminder Ewan Huet stopping all ten shots he faced in the opening frame.

Late in the first play would be blown down with Pats forward Coehn Klassen laying face down in the Tigers zone.

After being attended to, Klassen would be helped down the tunnel putting no weight on his left leg.

Klassen would not return to the hockey game.

The scoreless game would carry over into the second period, but not for very long.

Fifty-two seconds in, Tigers defenseman Niilopekka Muhonen snuck into the slot and laced a one-timer past the blocker of Huet to get the game’s opening goal.

The tally was Muhonen’s third of the season with Ryder Ritchie and Gavin McKenna picking up assists.

The assist extended McKenna’s point streak to 31 games, the longest in the WHL since Connor Bedard and Logan Stankoven each had 35-game point streaks in the 2022-23 season.

Medicine Hat would see several high-quality chances throughout the remainder of the second period, but each time Ewan Huet would make the save to keep it a one-goal game.

Late in the second period, Tigers defenseman Jonas Woo would drop the gloves with Pats forward Keets Fawcett.

Woo and Fawcett would each head down the tunnel, but Woo would not return to the game.

If the Woo injury proves to be long-term, it would be the third injury this season a Tigers defenseman has suffered in a fight, joining Josh Van Mulligan, and Bryce Pickford, who is still sidelined due to said injury.

The second period would conclude with the Tigers ahead 1-0 and Medicine Hat set to begin the third period with 1:46 of powerplay time.

The third period would begin, and again it would be the Pats with the best chance on the Tiger powerplay.

Regina forward Braxton Whitehead would find himself on a short-handed breakaway and fire a shot from the slot on Switzer who made the blocker save to maintain the Tiger 1-0 lead.

Regina would push but the Medicine Hat defense would not break.

Switzer and Huet would go stop for stop in the third period with each netminder putting on a clinic, but it would be the Tigers who emerged victorious after holding off a late Regina push.

The victory improves Medicine Hat to 20 games above .500 and 4-0-0-0 against Regina this season.

The two teams will face off for a final time this season in Regina on February 28th.

Medicine Hat (36-16-3-1) turns their attention to the division rival Lethbridge Hurricanes (34-17-2-1) for a 2pm Family Day matinee Monday afternoon.

The matchup is the fifth of eight meetings of the year and holds massive playoff implications.

Medicine Hat holds a five-point lead in division over the Hurricanes, however, Lethbridge holds a pair of games in hand.

Tickets for Monday’s game are still available at tixx.ca or can be purchased at the Co-op Place box office.