TIGERS DROP 5-2 DECISION TO HURRICANES
Lethbridge, AB – The Medicine Hat Tigers took on their division rivals the Lethbridge Hurricanes for their fifth preseason game of the year. With Lethbridge having previously won against the Calgary Hitmen and posting a shootout loss against Red Deer, the Hurricanes were looking to go one game above .500 with a win. The Tigers had played four games and were 2-2 in the pre-season.
The Tigers took an early penalty just two minutes into the first period (Scott Allen) 2:21. Capitalizing on their first powerplay of the game is the starting lineup of Sam McKechnie (Bryton Sayers, Adam Henry). The quick pace of the first period saw both Brady Ramsay and Blake Penner get back to back breakaway opportunities halfway through the first, neither able to take advantage of on the opportunities. The ‘Canes however did get on the board again at 10:25 with the starting line of Reid Duke scoring (Sam Mckechnie). Near the end of the period a Spencer Galbraith shot tipped by Yakubowski ended up in the back of the net (McKechnie with the other assist). At the end of the period Sam McKechnie had three points on three goals (1G, 2A). Both teams had 12 SOG apiece to close out the first period.
After taking back-to-back penalties in the second period, the ‘Canes gave up the first goal of the second. A barrage of shots against Chris Tai and many missed opportunities for the Tigers led to Logan McVeigh scoring at 11:00 minutes. Only 29 seconds later the Tigers scored again, this time the goal coming from Chad Labelle. After calling a timeout, the ‘Canes were able to settle back into their game plan and score one more goal to close out the second period. This time the goal was a top-shelf shot from Jamal Watson (Joel Topping, Giorgio Estephan) at 18:00 minutes.
A scrum at the end of the second period sends three ‘Canes players and two Tigers to the Penalty box, giving the Tigers a 4-on-3 power play opportunity. However, the ‘Canes were successfully able to kill the penalty. The end to end action continued in the third period as well, with several opportunities for both teams yet neither being able to capitalize on any of the chances. The game got heated again at 15:34 into the third period when a fight broke out between Alex Mowbray and Kade Jensen. Mowbray got two minutes for instigating the fight and a game misconduct for fighting. At 18:26 into the third, Gavin Broadhead charged Chris Tai going hard to the net, resulting in another on-ice scuffle and Broadhead being charged with a game misconduct for charging the goalie. The ‘Canes were unable to score on either powerplay chances to close out the third period. Final shots on goal were 38 for Lethbridge and 45 for the Tigers with Chris Tai making 43 saves on the night. Medicine Hat finished the night 1/6 on the powerplay while the Hurricanes were 1/5.
—
