Tigers Show Grit, But Hurricanes Hold On
The Lethbridge Hurricanes came out strong on home ice, taking advantage of early opportunities and special teams play against the Medicine Hat Tigers. Just over a minute into the game, Noah Chadwick capitalized on a turnover and fired a shot from the blue line through a screen, beating Zach Zahara to make it 1-0. Five minutes in, Medicine Hat’s dangerous power play would get a chance to even the score after a high-sticking call on Shane Smith, but Lethbridge effectively disrupted the Tigers’ setup.
Later in the period, offsetting minors to Bryce Pickford and Shane Smith was followed by a penalty to Josh Van Mulligen, leaving the Tigers down two men. Lethbridge seized the 4-on-3 advantage, with Will Sharpe finding a loose puck and ripping it past Zahara to double the Hurricanes’ lead at 2-0.
The Tigers found their spark early in the second when Carter Cunningham carried the puck into the Lethbridge zone and spotted Ethan Neutens streaking toward the net. Neutens fired a shot past Jackson Unger’s glove, netting his first goal as a Tiger and cutting the Hurricanes’ lead to 2-1.
Midway through the period, Cohen Pentney’s holding penalty gave Medicine Hat another power-play opportunity, but Lethbridge’s penalty killers once again kept the Tigers in check.
Minutes later, double minors to Shane Smith and Oasiz Weisblatt led to two minutes of 4-on-4 hockey. Shortly after both teams returned to full strength, the puck bounced off a Tigers defender and into the Medicine Hat net, restoring the Hurricanes’ two-goal advantage at 3-1.
Early in the third, the Tigers had a chance to gain momentum when Jonas Woo was hit from behind, drawing a penalty on Logan Wormald. Although Medicine Hat’s power play generated looks, the Lethbridge penalty kill once again rose to the occasion.
Just over midway through the period, Brayden Edwards set up Kooper Gizowski, who fired a shot over Zach Zahara’s glove to make it 4-1 for Lethbridge. Moments later, a cross-checking call against the Hurricanes gave the Tigers another chance on the man advantage, and while Medicine Hat produced some quality scoring opportunities, Unger stood tall.
As the clock wound down, both teams showed their competitive fire, resulting in some scrums after the whistle. Despite the challenges, the Tigers continued to battle through the final buzzer, showing resilience and determination even as the Hurricanes claimed the win.
Special Teams:
- PP: 0/6 – 0%
- PK: 2/3 – 66.6%
Stringam Law Three Stars:
- Noah Chadwick – Lethbridge
- Shane Smith – Lethbridge
- Brayden Edwards – Lethbridge
Supplement King Hardest Working Player: Kadon McCann
Tigers now step away for the holiday break and next play Lethbridge once again on December 28 at Co-op Place. You can get your tickets at Tixx.ca or the Co-op Place Box Office. You can also listen live with the voice of the Tigers, Will Bryant on Wild 94.5 OR watch on watch.chl.ca
