Tigers defeat Hurricanes 10-1 setting the stage for ‘winner-take-all’ game Sunday in Calgary

Lethbridge would show some life to begin the second period, needing just 34 seconds to cut the deficit to a pair.

Former Seattle Thunderbird Jordan Gustafson capitalized on a 3-on-1 rush, sniping a wrist shot five-hole on Tigers netminder Harrison Meneghin, making the score 3-1.

This would be as close as the Hurricanes would come, as the Tigers would turn it on, scoring the game’s next seven goals to end the hockey game.

The scoring spree began 3:29 later when Tigers overage forward Mathew Ward lifted a wrist shot above the glove of Cleaver to restore the Tiger three-goal lead.

Just over ninety seconds later, the Tigers would extend their lead to four when a loose puck in the Lethbridge zone found Veeti Vaisanen who one-timed it past a sprawling Cleaver, quickly getting Medicine Hat in front 5-1.

Medicine Hat would add one more before the halfway mark of the game, with Mathew Ward tapping home his second of the period, and 19th of the season to get the Tabbies ahead 6-1.

Late in the frame, Liam Ruck added his second goal of the night when a seeing-eye wrist shot floated by a screened Koen Cleaver to extend the Tiger lead to six.

The goal was Ruck’s 25th of the season, giving him sole possession of most amongst rookies in the WHL.

To begin the third, the Tigers would pick up right where they left off.

On a short-handed break, Gavin McKenna found the back of the net for his second of the night after a nifty move on Hurricanes defenseman Tristan Doyle.

McKenna went right to left, twisting up Doyle, then finished the play by wiring a shot past a statuesque Cleaver to get the Tigers ahead by seven.

The game would go ten minutes without a goal for the first time all night, until the 12:54 mark of the third period when a Ryder Ritchie shot pinballed along the ice and past Cleaver to make it 9-1 Tigers.

Seventeen seconds later the Tigers scored their tenth and final goal of the night.

Hunter St. Martin was sprung on a shorthanded break and tucked the puck between the legs of Cleaver for his league-leading seventh shorthanded goal of the season and got Medicine Hat ahead 10-1.

The Tigers would cruise from there on out, sending the sellout crowd home happy, with the Tigers securing their third ten-goal game of the season.

With the win, the Medicine Hat Tigers extend their win streak to nine games and turn the page to a winner-take-all game tomorrow evening in Calgary.

For the Tigers, it all comes down to the final day of the WHL regular season to determine if they will be the number one or three seed in the Eastern Conference.

The winner of tomorrow night’s game will get the top seed in the Eastern Conference and face the eighth-seeded Swift Current Broncos, while the loser will be the three-seed and face the sixth-seeded Saskatoon Blades.

Puck drop is set for 5:00 pm tomorrow in Calgary from the Scotiabank Saddledome.

You can hear the action live on WILD 94.5 with the pre-game show getting started at 4:45.

by Will Bryant

Tigers defeat Hurricanes 10-1 setting the stage for ‘winner-take-all’ game Sunday in Calgary

This Week in Flyers

This Week in Flyers

Our Community