WHL Medicine Hat Tigers

Game Day Preview December 16 vs Red Deer

Published on December 16, 2022 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Medicine Hat Tigers News Release


LAST GAME: 3-2 W @ Prince Albert Raiders: For the final time in the 2022-23 WHL Season the Medicine Hat Tigers would finally notch a victory over the Raiders at the Art Hauser Centre Wednesday Night. Thanks to goals 27 seconds apart in the 1st period from Tomas Mrsic & Dallon Melin, the Tigers would eventual come away with a 3-2 win over the Raiders with Shane Smith scoring the eventual game winner with less than five minutes to go. Beckett Langkow made 25 saves in the win as he's been the goaltender of record for all of Medicine Hat's victories this season.

VS RED DEER: This is the 4th of six meetings between the Rebels and Tigers with Red Deer having an early advantage of 2-1 in the first three games including 4-2 win in Medicine Hat October 21, while the Tigers responded with a 4-3 shootout win at the Peavy Mart Centrium on November 25 with Oasiz Wiesblatt getting the eventual shootout winner.

In the most previous match-up in Red Deer on December 7, it was the Rebels scoring five straight to take care of the Tigers in an eventual 5-2 win on home ice.

Overall in the Head to Head match-up against the Rebels the Tigers are 86-72-5-4 with 4 ties while at home the Tigers 48-30-3-2 with 3 ties.

HEAD TO HEAD

2021-22 2022-23

Oct 8 @ RD (4-2 L) Oct 21 @ MH (4-2 L)

Dec 11 @ RD (4-3 SOW) Nov 25 @ RD (3-2 SOW)

Jan 16 @ MH (5-2 L) Dec 7 @ RD (5-2)

Jan 30 @ MH (3-2 W) Dec 16 @ MH

Mar 1 @ MH (11-1 W) Feb 18 @ MH

Mar 11 @ RD (6-3 L) Feb 20 @ RD

Mar 12 @ MH (6-2 L)

Mar 25 @ RD (3-0 L)

TALE OF THE TAPE

MEDICINE HAT TIGERS (10-13-4-1) 25pts

4TH in Central Division

8TH in Eastern Conference

PP - Overall 31/149 - 20.8% - Home 15/71 - 21.1%

PK - Overall 112/148 -75.7% - Home 53/69 - 76.8%

Vs RD - 4/5 - 80% @ RD 8/10 - 80.0%

RED DEER REBELS (21-5-1) 46pts

1st in Central Division

2nd in Eastern Conference

PP - Overall 37/143 - 25.9% - Away 20/73 - 27.4%

Vs MH - 2/10 - 20.0% @MH - 1/4 - 25%

PK - Overall 122/145 - 84.1% - Away 59/79 -82.3%

Vs MH - 9/11 - 81.8% @MH - 5/5 - 100%

2022-23 REGULAR SEASON STAT LEADERS

Goals - Lee (18) Assists - Basha (24)

Points - Lee (33) +/- Parsons (+11)

PIMS - St.Martin (47) Wins - Langkow (12)

Shutouts - N/A Save % - Langkow .887%

GAA - Langkow (3.20)

PLAYERS TO WATCH

- Andrew Basha 32 GP: 7-24-31 PTS - Oasiz Wiesblatt 33 GP: 13-13-26 PTS

- Brenden Lee 33 GP: 18-15-33 PTS (12 PPG) - Brayden Boehm 33 GP: 12-9-21 PTS

- Tyler MacKenzie 33 GP: 10-11-21 PTS - Dru Krebs 32 GP: 3-15-18 PTS

- Reid Andresen 33 GP: 5-13-18 PTS - Cayden Lindstrom 28 GP: 7-7-14 PTS

(06 Born)

MILESTONE WATCH

Beckett Langkow - 3 GP from 60 Career GP

Hunter St. Martin - 4 GP from 50 career GP

Owen MacNeil - 1 point from 50 in his career

NEWS & NOTES

Mr. 400: Tigers Head Coach & Willie Desjardins notched his 400th win as a Head Coach with the Medicine Hat Tigers December 10th in a 6-3 win at home against the Moose Jaw Warriors. Desjardins record in his 11 seasons coaching in the WHL has his record at 783: 410-310-64. Desjardins first win as Tigers Head Coach was a 4-3 win on September 24, 2002 agains the Saskatoon Blades.

Busy Beckett:Tigers Goaltender Beckett Langkow leads the WHL in minutes played with 1516 including a stretch of ten straight starts from September 24 to October 2.

Latvian Leap: Second year defenceman Bogdans Hodass will represent Team Lativa at the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the second straight year. In 24 GP this season, Hodass has 4 goals and 11 assists for 15 points. At this summer's World Juniors in Edmonton, Hodass had 1 goal and 1 assist in 5 games making it to the Quarter Finals.

Defenders Attacking: The Tigers defence core of Rhett Parsons, Bogdans Hodass, Dru Krebs, Pasha Bocharov, Josh Van Mulligen & Reid Andresen have contributed to 83 points (20 goals, 63 assists)

Silver Lining: Tigers forward Tomas Mrsic returns to the Tigers after taking home a silver medal at the World U17s in Langley, BC. Mrsic had one goal and one assists for Team Canada Red. Cayden Lindstrom also participated in the U17s as a member of Team White scoring two goals and two assists in the tournament.

The Lindstrom Lightning: Tigers Centre Cayden Lindstrom is in the Top 15 in WHL Rookie scoring with 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) in 28 games played.

From Cessford with Love: Tigers Rookie Forward Shane Smith is 3rd in Rookie goal scoring with 11 goals.

Go Shorty: Going into tonight's game in Red Deer, the Tigers are 9th in shorthanded goals for in the WHL with 4, (Smith, St. Martin, Bocharov, Boehm)

Lee's Laser: Coming into action tonight, Tigers forward Brenden Lee is 2nd in the Western Hockey League with 12 power play goals but also 2nd in the entire Canadian Hockey League.

MacNeil's Navy: The Tigers announced their leadership group for the 2022-23 WHL Season, Owen MacNeil was named the 39th Captain in Tigers history, while Rhett Parsons, Dru Krebs, Tyler MacKenzie & Dallon Melin will all wear alternate captain's A's on their jerseys this season.

HOW THE TIGERS WERE BUILT

WHL Draft (9): Andresen, Parsons, Wiesblatt, MacKenzie, Krebs, St. Martin, Boehm, Van Mulligen, Mrsic, Lindstrom, Basha, McKenna

Trade (5): Bocharov, Lee, MacNeil, Smythe & May

CHL Import Draft (1): Hodass

Listed/Signed (2): Langkow, Hanas

Waivers (1): Melin

ROSTER AGE BREAKDOWN (* indicates rookie):

Alberta - 11 -Parsons, Wiesblatt, MacKenzie, Krebs, Langkow, St. Martin *, Smith *, Melin, Van Mulligen *, MacNeil, Basha

BC - 5 - Smythe, Lindstrom *, Mrsic *, Boehm & May

Saskatchewan- 1 - Andresen

Yukon-1-McKenna*

USA - 3 - Lee, Hanas & Bocharov Latvia - 1 - Hodass

PREVIOUS THREE GAMES NEXT THREE GAMES (all times MT/SD

Fri Dec 10 Vs Moose Jaw Warriors (6-3 W) Fri Dec 16 Vs Red Deer Rebels (7pm)

Tue Dec 13 @ Saskatoon Blades (8-3 L) Sat Dec 17 Vs Kelowna Rockets (7pm)

Wed Dec 14 @ Prince Albert Raiders (3-2 W) Tue Dec 27 @ Lethbridge Hurricanes (7pm)

Check out the Medicine Hat Tigers Statistics

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Western Hockey League Stories from December 16, 2022


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