Raiders fall 3-1 to Tigers
The Medicine Hat Tigers bent but didn’t break, as they held off the Prince Albert Raiders 3-1 at the Art Hauser Centre on Wednesday Night in the Dub.
The Tigers got on the board first, opening the scoring at the 9:20 mark of the first period on the powerplay. After a pile of bodies were fighting for the puck in the corner to the right of Max Hildebrand, Oasiz Wiesblatt was able to grab it and play it to the high slot for Jonas Woo. Gavin McKenna was calling for a one timer, but Woo kept the puck and sniped a shot bar down for his 11th goal of the season to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Wiesblatt followed up his assist by scoring a goal with 4:57 left in the opening frame, capitalizing on a breakaway chance. Burning down the right wing, Wiesblatt froze Hildebrand with a fake, and he was able to walk around the Raider goalie and tuck home his 26th of the season to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
Prince Albert’s best chance to score in the first period came on the powerplay early in the game, but Ty Meunier couldn’t get all of his power on a shot right in front of the net. Outshooting the Raiders 14-9 after 20 minutes, Medicine Hat took their 2-0 lead into the second period.
Harrison Lodewyk got the Raiders back to within one at the 10:17 mark of the second period. After a shot by Niall Crocker was blockered away by Jordan Switzer, Lodewyk spun around in the slot, finding the rebound and sliding a shot five hole, as the puck trickled over the line before a Tiger could get to it. His eighth goal of the season made it a 2-1 game, and was the only goal of the middle frame.
Prince Albert sent out the extra attacker in the final minutes of the game, desperately trying to find the game’s tying goal late in regulation. Hunter St. Martin tried to be too casual for the Tigers, as he missed a wide open net from the faceoff circles, allowing the Raiders another chance to turn the puck the other way. A mad scramble in front of Switzer had the puck rattling around, but it did not find its way over the goal line. Seconds later, Marcus Pachecho sealed the deal for Medicine Hat, scoring an empty net goal to make it a 3-1 final.
The Raiders split their home and home set with the Tigers, and will look to rebound on Friday night, Valentine’s Day when they host the Swift Current Broncos. Puck drops at 7pm.
