Ruck N’ Roll: Tigers Cut Down Blades
The opening 20 minutes at Co-op Place featured a fast-paced, physical battle between the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Saskatoon Blades. Both teams traded chances early, with Medicine Hat doing an excellent job limiting Saskatoon’s quality opportunities despite the Blades’ pressure.
The breakthrough came late in the period. With under two minutes remaining, Andrew Basha carried the puck across the Saskatoon blue line and spotted Ryder Ritchie streaking down the opposite side. Basha’s pass was right on the mark as Ritchie promptly ripped a shot top shelf over Evan Gardner’s glove. The goal, Ritchie’s sixth of the season, gave the Tigers a 1-0 advantage.
By the end of the frame, the Tigers held the lead on the scoreboard and on the shot clock, outshooting the Blades 17-9 through the first 20 minutes.
The middle frame was a see-saw battle with both teams exchanging goals and testing each other’s special teams. Just over two minutes in, Ethan Neutens took a holding penalty preventing a Blades chance in tight, the Tigers’ penalty kill unit responded with a confident kill.
Shortly after returning to even strength, Saskatoon’s Jordan Martin found space on the outside, driving into the Tigers’ zone and flipping a backhand shot over Jordan Switzer’s blocker to tie the game at 1-1.
Midway through the period, the Tigers capitalized on their first power play of the night. With Saskatoon’s Ben Saunderson off for hooking, Markus Ruck unleashed a sharp-angle snipe from the bottom of the circle, restoring the Tigers’ lead at 2-1. Liam Ruck and Oasiz Weisblatt collected assists on the play.
The lead was short-lived as less than a minute later, Andrew Basha was called for goaltender interference after being pushed into Gardner. With 30 seconds left on the ensuing power play, Lukas Hansen fanned on a shot from the slot, but the puck trickled to Zach Olsen at the side of the net, beating a sprawling Switzer, knotting the score at 2-2.
The Tigers found another surge late in the period when Olsen took a hooking penalty. Medicine Hat’s power play clicked again as Liam Ruck tapped in his ninth of the season off a perfectly placed slap-pass from Bryce Pickford, putting the Tigers back in front at 3-2. Another Blades penalty followed moments later, but the Tigers couldn’t extend their lead further.
Medicine Hat carried a one-goal advantage into what would be an exciting third period, outshooting Saskatoon 23-14 through 40 minutes.
The final frame was as wild as the first two periods combined, with momentum swings and big moments shaping the outcome. Just 20 seconds in, Oasiz Weisblatt drew an interference penalty, sending the Tigers’ power play back to work. Medicine Hat once again delivered, as Liam Ruck scored his second of the game with help from his brother Markus, pushing the Tigers’ lead to 4-2.
With under seven minutes to play, Bryce Pickford’s stick got caught up in Ben Riche, resulting in a penalty shot for Saskatoon. Jordan Switzer made the initial stop, but the puck slid just inside the post and over the goal line, cutting Medicine Hat’s lead to 4-3.
Immediately following the penalty shot call, Weisblatt was taken down, putting the Tigers on another power play following the goal. Midway through the advantage, Weisblatt was punched, leading to offsetting minors. Seconds later, the Blades penalty expired, and Brandon Lisowski emerged from the box, creating a 2-on-1 break. Saskatoon capitalized with a cross-ice pass that beat Switzer, tying the game 4-4 late in the third.
Right after the tying goal, Lisowski took an interference penalty, giving the Tigers a crucial power play. Although they didn’t score before the penalty ended, Markus Ruck stepped up seconds after, ripping a shot from the top of the circles past Evan Gardner to restore the Tigers’ lead at 5-4.
Saskatoon pulled their goalie with just over a minute remaining, pushing for the equalizer. Instead, Andrew Basha sealed the deal with an empty-net goal, capping a thrilling 6-4 victory for the Tigers.
Special Teams:
- PP: 3/6 – 50%
- PK: 1/2 – 50%
Stringam Law Three Stars:
- Markus Ruck – Medicine Hat
- Liam Ruck – Medicine Hat
- Oasiz Weisblatt – Medicine Hat
Supplement King Hardest Working Player: Bryce Pickford
The Tigers are back in action Friday in Moose Jaw. Game time is 6:00PM (MST) You can listen live on Wild 94.5 FM with the voice of the Tigers, Will Bryant. You can also watch on watch.chl.ca.
