Tigers roar back to down Hitmen
Jason Pirie/hitmenhockey.com
Photo: Candice Ward
It was simply a tale of one team being more desperate than the other.
A Matthew Bradley tally with 8:23 to play capped a three-goal third period comeback as a more ravenous Medicine Hat Tigers team downed the Calgary Hitmen 4-3 tonight in front of 8,272 at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Zach Fischer, Mason Shaw and David Quenneville also found the back of the net for the Tigers, who, for the time being, moved into a tie with the Edmonton Oil Kings for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Travis Sanheim, Radel Fazleev and Bryce Platt replied for the Hitmen, who dropped their fourth straight game, and fifth of six, to the Tigers this season.
“It was a game that was in our grasp but we let slip away,” said Hitmen head coach Mark French, whose squad had its three-game winning streak halted. “We feel these games leading into the playoffs are really important for us to find consistency in our game, but I thought there were some blown assignments in the third period. It was a combination of not being able to stop their breakout and making some poor decisions with the puck.”
Tigers goaltender and Calgary Flames prospect Nick Schneider, who came into relieve Mack Shields to start the second period after the former Hitmen puckstopper left the game with an undisclosed injury, made 22 saves for the win.
Calgary’s Nik Amundrud, meanwhile, surrendered four goals on 33 shots.
Medicine Hat went 1 for 4 on the power play and Calgary scored on its lone man advantage opportunity.
“We talked before the third period about how their season was on the line and that they were going to come out with a big push,” said Hitmen forward Beck Malenstyn. “Moving forward, we need to realize teams like that are in desperate situations and that we need to match their intensity. We weren’t able to do that tonight.”
With Twarynski serving a goaltender interference penalty, Medicine Hat’s Fischer took advantage to open the scoring when he redirected a Steven Owre shot on net at 7:08 of the first period.
The Hitmen would respond on a power play of their own, however, when Travis Sanheim blasted a point shot past former teammate Shields with 5:55 to play in the opening period. Radel Fazleev and Jakob Stukel provided the assists.
Just over three minutes into the second period, the Hitmen pulled ahead after a pretty passing play between the top line. Jackson Houck fed a driving-to-the-net Stukel who dropped it to a trailing Fazleev who proceeded to bury it past Tigers goalie Schneider at 3:37.
Rookie winger Platt extended Calgary’s lead to 3-1 just past the midway point of the middle frame when he accepted a behind-the-net pass from a cycling Travis Sanheim before depositing his fourth goal of the campaign.
The pesky Tigers, as they have all season against the Hitmen, weren’t about to go away quietly.
Medicine Hat’s Shaw made it a one-goal game only 1:02 into the third period when he beat Amundrud from the slot for his third goal and ninth point of the season series.
Quenneville, with his 12th marker of the season, then buried the equalizer after accepting a pass from Shaw in the slot at 6:47.
“They wanted it more than us,” said Hitmen winger Jakob Stukel, who extended his point streak to four games with two assists in the setback. “They came out strong in the third period and we got too comfortable and let off the gas pedal. It’s a tough one to lose.”
The Hitmen visit the Red Deer Rebels (43-23-1-2) for a Central Division showdown on Tuesday night. Game time is 7 p.m.
