Tigers Clinch Playoff Spot With 5-1 Win Over Lethbridge
The Tigers hosted the Lethbridge Hurricanes on Monday afternoon in a Family Day matinee. It was the sixth of eight meetings between the teams this season. The Tigers were looking to even up the season series with a win in front of a packed home crowd.
The Tigers jumped out to an early lead 1:55 into the first period. A Hurricane skater made a no look back pass that went out to Misha Volotovskii at the left side of the net. He let a wrister go that found the top corner on the short side. The goal was his seventh of the season.
Volotovskii would strike again a few minutes later to give the Tigers a two-goal lead. Ryder Ritchie walked the line and let a wrister go on net. Volotovskii was able to get his stick on the puck in front of the net to redirect it past the netminder.
The Tigers’ power play got an opportunity early in the second and they were able to capitalize. Coming down on an odd man rush, Oasiz Wiesblatt held the puck and decided to take the shot. His decision would prove correct as he let a wrister go that beat the goalie top corner on the glove side. Ritchie would pick up the assist for his second point of the night on Wiesblatt’s 27th.
Medicine Hat’s power play added to the Tigers’ lead again early in the third period. Ritchie finished off a great tic tac toe passing play with a wrister that found the top corner on the blocker side. Gavin McKenna and Tanner Molendyk picked up the assists on Ritchie’s 22nd. McKenna’s assist extended his league leading point scoring streak to 32 games.
The Tigers would add another special team’s goal just over seven minutes later to take a 5-0 lead. Wiesblatt won the faceoff back to Ritchie who moved the puck quickly to McKenna. He let a low wrister go from the slot that found the back of the net through the goalie’s five hole. The goal was McKenna’s 30th of the season.
The Hurricanes would spoil the Tigers’ shutout bid late in the third. While on a power play of their own, Trae Johnson tapped in the puck off a pass from Kooper Gizowski in the slot. Noah Chadwick picked up the secondary assist on Johnson’s fifth.
The Hurricanes goal would end up being their only one as the Tigers came away with a 5-1 victory on home ice. With the victory, the Tigers became the first Eastern Conference team to punch their ticket to the postseason.
Harrison Meneghin got the start in net for the Tigers. He fad a fantastic game stopping 20 of the 21 shots he faced for his 16th win of the season. Jackson Unger was in net for the Hurricanes. He allowed five against on 28 shots.
Shots:
- Medicine Hat – 28
- Lethbridge – 21
Special Teams:
- PP: 3/6 – 50%
- PK: 2/3 – 66.7%
Stringam Law Three Stars:
- Ryder Ritchie – Medicine Hat
- Misha Volotovskii – Medicine Hat
- Gavin McKenna – Medicine Hat
Supplement King Hardest Working Player: Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll
The Tigers are back in action Friday night when they host the Edmonton Oil Kings. Game time is 7:00 PM (MST) and tickets are available at tixx.ca. You can also listen live on Wild 94.5 FM or watch on watch.chl.ca.
