(Edmonton, AB) One of the reasons that the Medicine Hat Tigers were up two games to one at one point in their first round series with the Edmonton Oil Kings was their ability to keep WHL Eastern Conference MVP Trey Fix-Wolansky in check.
Through the first three games, he had just one assist in the series.
Fix-Wolansky led his team in scoring by 40 points in the regular season and scored many big goals for them.
Tigers goalie Mads Sogaard had kept him at bay though and despite him netting two assists in Game 4, he still had not found the net.
In Game 5, with the series tied 2-2, he broke through, scoring twice and leading the Central Division champion Oil Kings to a 5-4 win and a 3-2 series lead.
They can now end the series in Medicine Hat on Sunday with a win in Game 6.
“It was huge. I think just getting guys to the net and get pucks at hime has been the way to get by him. Stick to that next game and hope for the same outcome,” Fi-Wolansky told oilkings.ca.
Just 16 seconds into the game, the Edmonton Oil Kings opened the scoring. Andrei Pavlenko drove the zone and looked for a pass before wrapping around and beating Sogaard to the far post.
The Tigers got that one right back though.
After Scott Atkinson took a boarding penalty, Linus Nassen found the net from the point on the power play.
Just 39 seconds into the game it was already 1-1.
A nice set up by the number one pick in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft gave the Oil Kings the lead back 5:08 into the game.
Jake Neighbours looked to shoot from the slot, before flipping a nice feed down low to David Kope. The rangy forward then backhanded a feed to a wide open Andrew Fyten. The overage center tucked the puck around Sogaard’s left pad for his second of the series.
There was no doubt that the next goal in this game would be a pivotal one in the series.
No surprise hen who was able to get that one for Edmonton in order for them to go up 3-1.
Fix-Wolansky got a pass in space and made a nifty move to get around Dylan MacPherson. He then beat Sogaard for his first goal in the series.
To close out the scoring in the first, it was the line that started things in the period that found the net again.
Alistrov drove at the Tigers defense and then dished to an open Atkinson. The 18-year-old center made a slick move and beat Sogaard for his first of the series and a 4-1 Edmonton lead.
Just like the Oil Kings stormed out to a quick goal in the first, the Tigers got a speedy marker in the second.
Trevor Longo drove a shot on Todd Scott, who had been out to play the puck and was not in position. The rebound came out to MacPherson who powered a shot by Scott for his first of the playoffs.
Another key moment in the game and series and another goal by Fix-Wolansky would make this a three-goal game again.
Fix-Wolansky found the rebound of a Quinn Benjafield shot and drove to get the puck around Sogaard’s left pad. He found the net and gave his team a 5-2 advantage.
Sogaard gave up five goals on 39 shots. His counterpart, Scott gave up four on 31 shots.
The Tigers cut that lead down to two off a strong forecheck. Tyler Preziuso put a hit in on an Edmonton defender, found the puck and fed James Hamblin in front. Medicine Hat’s regular season leading scorer potted his third of the series and it was 5-3 Edmonton.
With 8:38 left in regulation, Ryan Chyzowski narrowed that Edmonton lead even further. Longo made a nice play to keep the puck in and got it over to Chyzowski who ripped one by Scott.
The Tigers got one power play with 2:10 left and another with seven seconds remaining. With the extra attacker, they out numbered the Oil Kings 6-to-4, but could not find the net again behind Scott.
