GAMEDAY PREVIEW – APRIL 1 @ LETHBRIDGE
VS LETHBRIDGE: Tonight will be the seventh of eight meetings between these two Central Division rivals. Lethbridge currently holds the lead in the series with a record of 6-0-0-0 vs the Tigers this season, with the most recent meeting being a 9-2 loss in Lethbridge on February 26th. The Hurricanes are 27-30-3-1 which gives them 58 points and puts them in 8th place with the final playoff spot in the Eastern Division. The Hurricanes are 4-5-1-0 over their past 10 games, including a 6-4 loss to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Wednesday in Swift Current. Justin Hall leads the ‘Canes in scoring with 33 goals and 31 assists this season.
2021-21 WHL RANKINGS:
Record (11-46-3-1)
| Home (8-22-1-0) | Central Division – 6th |
| Away (3-24-2-1) | Eastern Conference – 12th |
VS CENTRAL DIVISION: The Tigers have an 8-29-1-0 record vs Central Division opponents.
VS EAST DIVISION: The Tigers have a 3-17-2-1 record vs East Division opponents.
LAST GAME: Medicine Hat travelled to Calgary on Wednesday to do battle with the Hitmen for the final time this season. The Tigers came out strong, but Calgary was able to get out to an early 2-0 lead on a couple impossible rebounds for netminder Garin Bjorklund. The Tigers drew to within one when rookie Andrew Basha potted his fourth of the campaign in the first period. The Tigers would trail 3-1 heading into the final period, Owen MacNeil again brought the Tabbies back to within one. After some sustained pressure the Tigers were able to beat goaltender Ethan Buenaventura, but not the post as in the end the Hitmen walked away 3-2 winners in Calgary.
MILESTONES: Tigers Forward Logan Barlage notched his 100th career WHL assist against his former team, the Lethbridge Hurricanes on February 26th in Lethbridge, and forward Carter Chorney played in his 200th career WHL Game on the same evening. Captain Daniel Baker played in his 200th career WHL game on January 21st in Saskatoon. Owen MacNeil appeared in his 100th career WHL game vs the Prince Albert Raiders the following night. Garin Bjorklund needs seven appearances to reach his 100th in the WHL and Noah Danielson needs just four games to break the 100 game mark.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Andrew Basha was drafted by the Tigers in the fifth round of the 2020 WHL Prospect Draft. Since appearing for the Tigers as an affiliated player in November, he has earned his way on to the team at 16-year-old and proven himself to be a valuable asset to his teammates and coaches, often being called upon to be on the ice in the games biggest moments. The Calgary, AB native has four goals and eight assists in 41 games this season, to go along with eight penalty minutes. Basha is hard working, highly skilled forward who is always thinking the game two or three steps ahead. Look for this Tigers rookie to make an impact in tonight’s game.
| CLUB LEADERS | LEADING SCORERS: | |||
| · Goals | Logan Barlage (14) | · Logan Barlage | 14G, 16A, 30 PTS | |
| · Assists | Tyler MacKenzie (21) | · Oasiz Wiesblatt | 10G, 17A, 27 PTS | |
| · Points | Logan Barlage (30) | · Daniel Baker | 5G, 20A, 25 PTS | |
| · PIMs | Rhett Parsons (115) | · Owen MacNeil | 9G, 16A, 25 PTS | |
| · Plus/Minus | Tyler MacKenzie (-10) | · Bogdans Hodass | 7G, 17A, 24 PTS | |
| · Wins | Garin Bjorklund (8) | · Tyler MacKenzie | 3G, 21A, 24 PTS | |
| ROOKIE LEADERS | · Noah Danielson | 10G, 12A, 22 PTS | ||
| · Goals | Bogdans Hodass (7) | · Brendan Lee | 10G, 11A, 21 PTS | |
| · Assists | Bogdans Hodass (17) | · Teague Patton | 10G, 11A, 21 PTS | |
| · Points | Bogdans Hodass (24) | · Oren Shtrom | 9G, 10A, 19 PTS | |
| · PIMs | Bogdans Hodass (41) | · Dru Krebs | 4G, 14A, 18 PTS | |
| · Plus/Minus | Steven Arp (-12) | · Ashton Ferster | 8G, 8A, 16 PTS |
SPECIAL TEAMS:
- POWER PLAY: 38 / 210 – 18.1% – 18th
- PENALTY KILL: 189 / 258 – 72.4% – 20th
TIGERS ROSTER MAKEUP: The Tigers have 27 players on the roster – 2 Goaltenders, 8 Defencemen and 17 Forwards
AGE BREAKDOWN: 3 – 20-year-olds, 3 – 19-year-olds, 8 – 18-year-olds, 6 – 17-year-olds, 5 – 16-year-olds, 2 – 15-year-olds
NHL DRAFTED / SIGNED PLAYERS: Garin Bjorklund (Washington Capitals), Dru Krebs (Washington Capitals)
TIGERS SCHEDULE:
| LAST FIVE: | RESULTS: | NEXT FIVE: | TIME: |
| @ Calgary Hitmen | 3-2 Loss | vs Lethbridge Hurricanes, Sat, Apr 2 | 7:00 PM (MDT) |
| vs Calgary Hitmen | 2-0 Loss | vs Saskatoon Blades, Tue, Apr 5 | 7:00 PM (MDT) |
| @ Red Deer Rebels | 3-0 Loss | @ Brandon Wheat Kings, Fri, Apr 8 | 6:00 PM (MDT) |
| vs Swift Current Broncos | 2-0 Loss | @ Winnipeg ICE, Sat, Apr 9 | 6:00 PM (MDT) |
| @ Swift Current Broncos | 5-1 Loss | @ Winnipeg ICE, Sun, Apr 10 | 4:00 PM (MDT) |
