Medicine Hat, AB – The Medicine Hat Tigers won their fifth straight game by turning aside the Lethbridge Hurricanes 8-3 on Tuesday night.
Veteran forwards Brett Kemp and Ryan Chyzowski led the way for the Tigers picking up four points each (2G, 2A). Rookie forward Noah Danielson scored his first career WHL goal in the contest and newly acquired defenceman Nick Perna scored his first as a member of the Tigers.
Kemp combined with Cole Sillinger to set up Chyzowski to score the opening goal of the game while on the power play early into the game.
Shortly after Chyzowski’s goal, Chase Wheatcroft responded for the Hurricanes making 1-1.
Late in the frame, Dru Krebs scored his second goal of the season on a play from Chyzowski and Kemp to give the home team a 2-1 lead.
Early into the second stanza, Danielson scored his first career goal. Elijah Brown and Bryan Lockner picked up the assists on the play. Midway through the period, Tyler Preziuso scored his ninth goal of the season from James Hamblin and Krebs.
With less than four minutes remaining in the second period, Dylan Cozens scored for the Hurricanes to cut the Tigers lead to 4-2.
The Tigers started the final frame on the power play where Kemp scored his first of the night 25 seconds into the period, from Brown and Sillinger combined on the play.
Just over a minute later while the Tigers were on the penalty kill, Logan Barlage scored for the Hurricanes.
The Tigers responded by scoring three goals to complete the scoring.
Cole Clayton set up Ryan Chyzowski to score his second of the night and 12th of the season on the power play. Midway through the period, Chyzowski and Sillinger combined to set up Kemp for his second of the night and 10th of the season before Perna scored the Tigers’ final goal of the evening.
After Perna’s goal, Hurricanes goaltender Carl Tetachuk was replaced by Bryan Thomson. Tetachuk stopped 21 of 29 shots faced in the contest. Thomson made five saves on the night.
Rookie goaltender Garin Bjorklund turned aside 20 of 23 shots he faced.
The Tigers have won three of four games in the Highway 3 rivalry against the Hurricanes. Strangely, the ‘Canes record in the four games is 1-1-0-2.
Medicine Hat improved to 19-7-1-0 and has a couple of days off to prepare for the rematch in Lethbridge Friday. The Hurricanes (17-8-0-4) take on the visiting Everett Silvertips (17-6-1) tonight at Enmax Centre.
Around the Central Division
The Edmonton Oil Kings (18-6-4-2) beat the Moose Jaw Warriors, 4-3 Tuesday to stay atop the division standings with 42 points. The Swift Current Broncos (6-16-1-2) dropped a 7-3 decision to the Brandon Wheat Kings.
Tiger Tales…The Tigers lead the WHL with 19 wins…Medicine Hat leapfrogged the Hurricanes in to second place in the central division. The Tigers trail the Oil Kings by three points with three games in hand…Three stars were Chyzowski, Kemp and Krebs…Earlier in the day, team captain James Hamblin was named WHL Player of the Month for November…Hamblin leads the Tigers in scoring with 17 goals and 25 assists in 27 games, followed by Kemp (10-22; 32, 27 games) and Chyzowski (12-16; 28. 26 games)…The tilt against Lethbridge marked the first game the Tigers played with goaltender Mads Sogaard and Jonathan Brinkman. The two import players from Denmark have left Canada for an IIHF event in an effort to help Denmark to qualify for the 2021 World Junior Championship…Attendance at Canalta Centre was 2,678…Next home game is Saturday against Everett. Puck drop is 7:30pm.
(DUBNetwork thanks the Medicine Hat Tigers for its post-game press release.)
