WARRIORS NO MATCH FOR TIGERS

WHL GAME SUMMARY – TIGERS WEBTV HILITES

Medicine Hat, AB – One thing was made clear during Saturday night’s game against the Moose Jaw Warriors. These teams don’t like each other. The game featured 3 fights, 88 minutes in penalties and number of intense confrontations. The game was incredibly valuable to each team as they are battling for home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Medicine Hat was able to hold off the Warriors for a 4-1. With the win the Tigers move 5 points ahead of the Warriors for fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

The Tigers’ power play has been red hot as of lately and the Tigers were able to capitalize on this momentum in the first period. Emerson Etem scored his 29th of the season on the power play at 13:20 of the first. Etem finished a beautiful tic tac toe play between him, Linden Vey and Wacey Hamilton. The goal was the only in the period and gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead entering the intermission.

The second period is where the rough play really got started. Four minutes into the period Kale Kessy laid a crushing hit on a Moose Jaw player. Joel Edmundson quickly came to the defense of his teammate and squared off with Kessy. The fight had the crowd energized and in the game. The fight must have also lit a fire under the Tigers as Curtis Valk rifled home his 4th of the season only a few minutes later. The rough play would continue throughout the period. Nearing the end of play in the second Moose Jaw was able to finally get on the board. Dylan Hood scored his 24th of the season off a fed from Quinton Howden. The goal made it a 2-1 lead for the Tigers entering the final period of play.

The Tigers began the third on the man advantage and once again were able to capitalize.  Wacey Hamilton put home a shot with the assists going to Emerson Etem and Tyler Pitlick. Each team received a number of offsetting penalties in the third as the teams continued to jar with each other. Down two goals late in the game, Moose Jaw decided to pull their goalie and hope the extra man would help get them back in the game. Cole Grbavac made sure that this wasn’t an option by scoring into the empty cage. The goal gave the Tigers a 4-1 lead and ensured that they would win their second in a row.

Goaltender Tyler Bunz (26-11-2-0) played a great game and saved 36 of 37 shots for the win.

Three Stars of the Game:

1)  Tyler Bunz – Medicine Hat Tigers

2)  Quinton Howden – Moose Jaw Warriors

3)  Emerson Etem – Medicine Hat Tigers

The Tigers (34-16-2-0) now face the Red Deer Rebels on Tuesday, February 8th.  Game time is 7:00 PM (MST) and can be heard live on CHAT 94.5 FM at tigershockey.com or watched via webcast at livestream.whl.ca.