FOUR GOAL THIRD PERIOD GIVES TIGERS A 6-4 COMEBACK WIN OVER PATS
Regina, SK – A four goal third period saw the Medicine Hat Tigers win their 19th game of the season, vaulting themselves into a playoff spot after a 6-4 triumph over the Regina Pats Sunday afternoon.
Medicine Hat found themselves down 2-0 early thanks to a pair of goals from Pats Star and the projected number 1 pick in the upcoming NHL Draft Connor Bedard, first on the power play at 9:15, then at even strength at 13:30, but the Tigers would cut into the Pats lead thanks to Pasha Bocharov (Escondido, CA) with his 3rd goal in four games at 15:43 from Andrew Basha (Calgary, AB) & Oasiz Wiesblatt (Calgary, AB) with all three of them riding a 3 or more game point streak. But the Pats would respond in the final minute of the first frame as Zane Rowan would beat Tigers starter Beckett Langkow (Vegreville, AB) at 19:21 and giving the Pats a two goal cushion after one.
In the second both teams would exchange goals in the back half of the period starting with the hometown Pats as Bedard would re-direct his hat-trick goal at 13:47 and make 4-1 Regina, but back came the Tigers almost immediately follow the three goal deficit as Andrew Basha would answer with his 11th of the season and team leading 40th point to make it another two goal deficit head to the third period.
This season the Tigers had been 2-14-2-1 when trailing after 40 against a Pats team that had never surrendered a two goal lead in 19 games, but that streak ending in a big Latvian way. Defenceman Bogdans Hodass (Jelgava, LAT) opened the scoring in the third period with his 8th of the year at 6:28 off a face-off win by Cayden Lindstrom (Chetwynd, BC) in the Pats zone. But the two-time World Junior wasn’t done there as off another offensive zone face-off win by Oasiz Wiesblatt, the Tiger d-man would snatch his 9th of the campaign to put things dead even at 4-4 at 16:41.
The Tigers comeback would be complete just 2:07 later as Tomas Mrsic (Surrey, BC) would make it 5-4 on a great feed from Brayden Boehm (Nanaimo, BC) and returning Tiger Tyler MacKenzie (Red Deer, AB) at 16:41. Despite the lead and the pressure, the Tigers would go down a man late giving Regina a power play and an eventual 6-4 situation, but timely defending and goaltending proved to be enough as Boehm would cap off the matinee with his 18th of the year on an empty net with just 1 second left on the clock at the Brandt Centre insuring the 6-4 victory for the Tigers over the Pats. Taking the first game of the season series.
Beckett Langkow made 21 saves for win number 17 on the season while Bogdans Hodass finished with a career high four points with two goals and two assists along with a +5 rating, propelling the Tigers to a 19-21-7-1 record good enough for 45 points in the Eastern Conference standings and just one point back of Swift Current for 7th.
Medicine Hat outshot Regina 39-25 including a period high 23 shots in the third, while the power was not able to cash in going 0/2 and the penalty kill went 2/3.
Next up for the Tigers, a pair of home games as the Orange and Black host the Lethbridge Hurricanes Saturday night at 7 PM and the Regina Pats Sunday afternoon at 4 PM at Co-op Place. You can get your tickets for this weekend’s games HERE.
