Calgary Hitmen vs Medicine Hat Tigers
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CALGARY, AB. – It wasn’t the way they wanted to end their season, but the Calgary Hitmen fought until the final buzzer in a 2-0 loss to the Medicine Hat Tigers on Sunday afternoon. The Hitmen (20-47-3-2) dominated the majority of the early goings against the Tigers, but were unable to find a way to get a puck past Medicine Hat goalie Deven Dubyk, who made 40 stops for his second straight shutout in as many days against Calgary. “Guys played well in front of me,” said Dubyk, who was named the game’s first star. “They let me see the puck from the point a lot. They’re a strong team and a fast young team. They put a lot of rubber on me tonight, but mostly from the point.” Emerson Etem scored the lone goal of the first period for the Tigers (46-18-4-4) and then added an empty netter. Calgary defenceman Spencer Humphries led all players with six shots on net, while forwards Misha Fisenko and Trevor Cheek both finished with five. “We worked pretty hard tonight,” said Calgary coach Mike Williamson. “I thought we got some good chances around the net. I thought we could have done a better job of sticking around and digging for a bounce or find a way to push one in or get a lucky bounce. For the most part there was pretty good effort. There were a few lapses but overall the guys played pretty hard.” Goalie Mike Snider played well in the Calgary net as he stopped 24 shots in a losing cause. “It’s tough to go out on a losing way,” Snider said. “We wanted to get a couple wins against these guys and maybe enjoy another win before the season was over. I’m happy with the way I played in the last two games and I thought I did well.” For 20-year-old forwards Tyler Fiddler, Kris Foucault and Fisenko, it marked the last time the veterans would suit up for the Hitmen in their WHL careers. “It all came to an end tonight,” Fiddler said. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet but a lot of thinking in the next couple days and you’ll look back and this will be the last game you’ll play in the WHL. It’s tough, their goalie played well. I don’t think we got enough traffic in front of him, not enough scoring chances.” Despite the loss, Foucault will look back fondly on his years with the Hitmen. “For sure not the way I wanted to go out, but I had a couple good seasons here and I’m happy with my career, how it went,” said Foucault who played on a line with John Lawrence and 15-year-old Hitmen prospect Greg Chase. “I think he’s a very skilled player. He’s going to definitely be a good player in this league. Next year he’ll be an impact player on the team and should put up some points.” Chase played for the Sherwood Park Kings of the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey League this season until they were eliminated from playoffs earlier this week. Heading into his rookie campaign with the Hitmen next year, he already has five games of WHL experience under his belt. “Overall it was a good experience,” Chase said. “It’s a whole different level of hockey. Everything happens so quick out there that you can’t be making any mistakes. Hopefully I can contribute to maybe the playoffs next year. I look forward to it though.” THREE STARS TIGERS 2 at HITMEN 0 Third period |
