Tigers Open Pre-Season with 7-3 Win in Lethbridge
Lethbridge, AB – The Medicine Hat Tigers opened the 2023 WHL Pre-Season with a 7-3 win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes Tuesday night.
The Tigers were under siege early from the Hurricanes including an early power play but Ethan McCallum gave the roadside an opportunity to respond and they would. Shane Smith (Cessford, AB) would beat Hurricanes goaltender Brady Smith on a Medicine Hat power play to make it 1-0. Bruno Petrovics (Riga, LAT) & Hayden Harsanyi (Calgary, AB) would register their first points of the pre-season at 5:58.
Medicine Hat would continue to pressure the Hurricanes and would cash in on a 2-on-1 at 13:15 as Brayden Boehm (Nanaimo, BC) would get his first of the pre-season. Hunter St. Martin (Edmonton, AB) & Nate Corbet (Calgary, AB) would draw assist 13:15.
Cru Hanas (Highland Village, TX) would add to the Tiger lead late in the 1st as he was able to shelf a shot past Smith on Harsanyi’s second point of the period and Kadon McCann (Cochrane, AB) would get on the scoresheet for the first time.
Tigers goaltender Ethan McCallum in his only period of work would stop all 13 Hurricanes shots faced.
In the middle frame the Tigers would add to their lead of 4-0 thanks to Tyler MacKenzie (Red Deer, AB) taking a feed from Cru Hanas beating Smith at 4:46 but then the Hurricanes would respond quickly after.
Miguel Marques would get Lethbridge on the board at 10:16 and 1:24 later it would Logan Wormald making his way to the front of the Tigers net beating second period starter Jordan Switzer (Edmonton, AB) and the lead would be down to two heading to the final period of play.
Jordan Switzer would make 12 saves on 14 Hurricane shots in his period of work.
In the 3rd period the Hurricanes would cut the lead to one early on in the period as Dustin Renas would re-direct a point shot on the Hurricanes third power play of the night at 1:54 to make it 4-3 Tigers, but the Tigers would respond in a big way and never look back after that.
Shane Smith would get his second of the night from Boehm & St. Martin at 6:48. Late in the period with the net empty for Lethbridge, Kadon McCann would have his ,multi-point game with the empty netter at 18:55. Then not to be out-done, Brayden Boehm would get his second of the night on a breakaway shortly after at 19:32.
Zach Zahara would make five saves on the six shots he faced in the third period.
The Tigers would go 1/4 on the power play and 3/4 on the penalty kill.
Next up for the Tigers is a rematch with Lethbridge on Saturday night at Co-op Place with puck-drop set for 7 PM.
You can get your pre-season tickets at the Tigers Office for $20. The office is open from 9-5 on weekdays.
The Tigers open the 2023-2024 WHL Regular Season on Friday, September 22 against the Calgary Hitmen on the road before the Home-Opener against Calgary on Saturday, September 23.
