By Scott Roblin

Søgaard stars for Tigers in Game 1 victory over Edmonton

Mar 24, 2019 | 10:13 AM

EDMONTON, AB – Mads Søgaard’s WHL playoff debut was one for the ages on Saturday night, turning in one of his best performances in a Tigers sweater.

Dialed in all night, Søgaard allowed just one puck to get past him on 50 shots against to guide Medicine Hat to a 2-1 victory in Game 1 of their first round series against the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Following a scoreless opening period that saw Medicine Hat outshot 13-9 by Edmonton, the Tigers were able to break the deadlock early in the second frame.

Picking up a loose puck shorthanded, James Hamblin and Tyler Preziuso executed a perfect give-and-go play which was finished off by the Tigers captain to make it a 1-0 game just over four minutes into the second.

Medicine Hat doubled its lead to 2-0 nine minutes later off a turnover at centre ice, with Hayden Ostir toe-dragging the puck in the slot before firing home his first of the playoffs.

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The Oil Kings pressured Søgaard throughout the entire second period with 23 shots on the Dane, but the Tigers rookie turned everything aside to give his team a two-goal lead at the break.

With the goalie pulled and desperate for a goal, the Oil Kings finally beat Søgaard with 2:02 left in the game, as former Tiger Josh Williams tracked down a rebound and beat the screened Medicine Hat netminder.

Even after a timeout and a few more chances with Dylan Myskiw on the bench, Søgaard was able to halt the Oil Kings attack and let the clock wind down for the 2-1 victory.

Saturday’s 49-save performance ties Søgaard’s record for most saves in a game this season, a mark he reached back on December 14 in a 4-1 win over Red Deer.

As for Myskiw, he picked up the loss with two goals allowed on 27 shots against in the Edmonton crease.

Leading the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarter-final series 1-0, the Tigers will try to double their lead on Sunday night for Game 2 at Rogers Place in Edmonton at 6:00 pm.