Game 45: January 20 vs. Victoria
Published on January 20, 2016 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Medicine Hat Tigers News Release
@ ROYALS: Tonight marks second and final meeting between the Royals and Tigers. The two teams met earlier this season on Vancouver Island with the Royals taking home a 3-1 victory. Nick Schneider was solid in between the pipes in that game stopping 35 of 38 shots as the Royals got two third period goals to take the lead. Royals' rookie Matthew Phillips had the game winning goal as Phillips sits 2nd in rookie scoring with 48 points in 46 games.
TONIGHT'S MATCHUP:
Victoria is currently 1 point back of the Everett Silvertips for 2nd place in the Conference and have the 2nd best goals against in the WHL with 116 goals allowed in 46 games
Royals starting goaltender Coleman Vollrath has been out of the lineup the past 6 games as backup Griffen Outhouse has started and has gone 3-1-1-1 in those starts facing 29 shots or more in all 6 games
Medicine Hat has won 3 straight games heading into tonight, two of those via the shootout and are 6-3-1-0 in their past 10 games, Victoria is also unbeaten in 3 games going 2-0-1-0 and 4-3-1-2 in their past 10 games
2015-16 WHL RANKINGS: Record (18-22-3-1). Central Div. - 5th Eastern Con. - 9th Home - (10-11-1-1) Away (8-11-2-0)
TIGERS FAST FACTS:
Royals forward Tyler Soy has 4 goals in his past 3 games and teammate Jack Walker has a mini 3 game point streak as well
Medicine Hat and Victoria sit in the Top 5 in power play opportunities this season, Victoria has drawn 203 while the Tigers have drawn 196 man advantages
Alex Mowbray, Chad Butcher and Mason Shaw all are riding 3 game point streaks heading into tonight, both Mowbray and Shaw have 4 points in that span, while Butcher had 5 points
JANUARY 20TH TEAM HISTORY: On this day in Tigers history the Tigers took on the Kamloops Blazers during the 2006-2007 season. Current Tigers assistant coach Jerrid Sauer scored the game winning goal, a second period marker for his first of two goals on the night and 4th and 5th of the season respectively as Medicine Hat won 7-3. Darren Helm chipped in with 3 assists, Kris Russell and Derek Dorsett had 1 goal and 1 assist and Matt Keetley made 22 stops for the victory. Later that season, the Tigers would eventually win the WHL Championship.
SMALL PACKAGES: Victoria has been fortunate to get great seasons from two players on their roster that are smaller than 5'8 as Dante Hannoun and Matthew Phillips have scored at great paces. Phillips is 2nd in rookie scoring in the WHL with 48 points and is tied for the rookie lead in goals with 23, all while standing in at 5'7. Hannoun on the other hand is even smaller in stature but that hasn't stopped the forward from recording 34 points in 45 games including 17 markers as he stands in at 5'5.
NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING: The Medicine Hat Tigers learned on Tuesday morning that two of their skaters were ranked in the NHL's Central Scouting midterm rankings. Rookie forward and Texas native Max Gerlach, who leads the Tigers with 22 goals, was ranked 78th and defenseman David Quenneville was ranked 201st as he ranks 19th in WHL defenseman scoring.
MAKING STRIDES: Tiger fans will be happy to know that forward Steven Owre and defenseman Clayton Kirichenko have made strides in their recovery from long term injuries. Both have been skating with the Tigers at practice, working on their conditioning and rehabilitation. Owre, has been out since December 1st has 24 points in 24 games and is a key contributor to the Tigers offense.
2015-16 CLUB LEADERS:
Goals (22) Max Gerlach Assists (31) Chad Butcher  Points (45) Chad Butcher
PIM (96) Connor Clouston Plus/Minus (+2) 3 tied   Wins (11) Nick Schneider
SPECIAL TEAMS:
POWER PLAY: 37/196 - 18.9% (ranked 15th in WHL)
AWAY- 12/98 - 12.2% (ranked 22nd in WHL)
PENALTY KILL: 138/181 - 76.2% (ranked 19th in WHL)
AWAY- 82/103 - 78.6% (ranked 13th in WHL)
TIGERS ROSTER MAKEUP: The Tigers currently have 22 players on the roster - 2 Goaltenders, 7 Defenseman, 13 forwards
AGE BREAKDOWN: 3 - 20 year olds, 5 - 19 year olds, 7 - 18 year olds, 5 - 17 year olds, and 2 - 16 year olds
NHL DRAFTED / SIGNED PLAYERS: Matt Bradley (Montreal Canadiens), Nick Schneider (Calgary Flames)
ATB FINANCIAL - TIGERS BROADCAST:Listen to legendary Bob Ridley broadcast all Tigers games on CHAT 94.5 FM. Bob Ridley has called all but one Tigers' Game in Team history since the Medicine Hat Tigers came into the league in 1970.
Western Hockey League Stories from January 20, 2016
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- CHL Announces Coaches for 2016 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game - WHL
- Gord Bamford to Play in WHL's 50th Season Pro Am Alumni Game at Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada - Kamloops Blazers
- Game 45: January 20 vs. Victoria - Medicine Hat Tigers
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- Americans Cut Down Giants 5-1 - Tri-City Americans
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