Game Day Preview March 18 vs Calgary
March 18, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Medicine Hat Tigers News Release
LAST GAME 7-2 W @ Edmonton Oil Kings: Dru Krebs scored his first WHL Hat-Trick with all marks coming in the third period of the Tigers 7-2 win in Edmonton Friday night. Brenden Lee, Hunter St. Martin, Dallon Melin & Cayden Lindstrom would all cash in while Evan May made 20 saves for his 5th win of the season and the Tigers 5th straight against Edmonton this season.
Vs CALGARY: This is the 5th of six meetings between the Tigers and Hitmen, with the season series dead even at 2-2, with the Tigers winning two straight including the most recent tilt between these two clubs on January 21. Pasha Bocharov, Shane Smith x2, Hunter St. Martin, Cayden Lindstrom, Kurtis Smythe & Josh Van Mulligen all scored in the win while Beckett Langkow made 29 saves in the win.
Shane Smith, Cayden Lindstrom, Dru Krebs & Dallon Melin all lead the Tigers in scoring against the Hitmen with four points. While goaltender Beckett Langkow is 2-1 in three starts, posing as .913 save percentage & 3.00 GAA.
Head to Head since the 1996-97 season has the Tigers sporting a 80-77-9-5 record with 3 ties, while at home Medicine Hat is 45-34-4-3 with a tie.
HEAD TO HEAD
Nov 4 @ CGY (5-1 L)
Nov 23 @ MH (5-2 L)
Dec 2 @ CGY (4-3 W)
Jan 21 @ MH (7-1 W)
Mar 18 @ MH
Mar 19 @ CGY
TALE OF THE TAPE
MEDICINE HAT TIGERS (28-26-8-1) 65pts CALGARY HITMEN (27-28-5-3) 62pts
3RD in Central Division
7TH in Eastern Conference
PP - Overall 51/265 - 19.3% - Home 25/125 - 20.0%
Vs CGY - 1/11 - 9.1% @ CGY - 1/12 - 8.3%
PK -Overall 203/277 -73.3% - Home 100/135 - 74.1%
Vs CGY - 9/12 - 75.0% @ CGY - 10/12 - 83.3%
CALGARY HITMEN (27-28-5-3) 62pts
4TH in Central Division
8TH in Eastern Conference
PP - Overall 51/270 - 18.9% - Away 23/134- 17.2%
Vs MH - 2/12 16.6% @MH - 3/12 - 25.0%
PK - Overall 234/281 -83.3% - Away 106/126 -84.1%
Vs MH - 11/12 -91.6% @MH - 10/11 -90.9%
2022-23 REGULAR SEASON STAT LEADERS
Goals - Lee (28) Wins - Langkow (23)
Assists - Basha (36) Shutouts - Langkow (1)
Points - Wiesblatt (58) Save % - May (.888)
+/- Basha (+26) GAA - Langkow (3.10)
PIMS - Wiesblatt (105)
PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Andrew Basha 62 GP: 19-36-55 PTS - Oasiz Wiesblatt 63 GP: 24-34-58 PTS
- Brenden Lee 52 GP: 28-25-53 PTS - Cayden Lindstrom 56 GP: 18-21-39 PTS
- Dallon Melin 62 GP: 14-25-39 PTS - Bogdans Hodass 51 GP: 10-22-32 PTS
- Dru Krebs 62 GP: 8-32-40 PTS - Reid Andresen 63 GP: 7-27-36 PTS
MILESTONE WATCH
- Owen MacNeil: 8 GP away from 200 GP - Rhett Parsons: 6 GP from 150 career GP
- Oasiz Wiesblatt: 150 career GP - Reid Andresen: 13 GP from 150 career GP
- Dallon Melin: 250 career GP
HOW THE TIGERS WERE BUILT
WHL Draft (13): Andresen, Parsons, Wiesblatt, MacKenzie, Krebs, Smith, 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 BREAKD OWN (* indicates rookie):
Alberta - 12 - Parsons, Wiesblatt, MacKenzie, Krebs, Langkow, St. Martin *, Smith *, Melin, Van Mulligen *, MacNeil, Basha,
BC - 5 - Smythe, Lindstrom *, Mrsic *, Boehm, & May
Saskatchewan- 1 - Andresen Manitoba - McCallum Yukon-1-McKenna*
USA - 3 - Lee, Hanas & Bocharov Latvia - 1 - Hodass
PREVIOUS THREE GAMES NEXT THREE GAMES (all times MT/SD
Wed Mar 8 @ Brandon Wheat Kings (2-0 L) Sat Mar 18 Vs Calgary Hitmen (7pm)
Sat Mar 11 Vs Regina Pats (7-0 W) Sun Mar 19 @ Calgary Hitmen (4pm) Fri Mar 17 @ Edmonton Oil Kings (7-2 W) Wed Mar 22 Vs Edmonton Oil Kings (7pm)
NEWS & NOTES
Slip On Down To The Oasiz!: Tigers F Oasiz Wiesblatt is currently leading the Tigers in points with 58. (24 goals, 34 assists) and has suited up in every single game this season.
Defenders Attack: The Tigers defence core of Kurtis Smythe, Rhett Parsons, Bogdans Hodass, Dru Krebs, Pasha Bocharov, Josh Van Mulligen & Reid Andresen have contributed to 167 points (44 goals, 123) assists)
Bend It Like Beckett: Tigers goaltender Beckett Langkow is 15th among WHL goaltenders, while he's 3rd amongst WHL goaltenders with minutes played, 2789, as well as he's 2nd in games played with 48. Langkow is also tied for the league lead with shootout wins with 3.
Young Bucks: Tigers Rookie forwards Hunter St. Martin & Shane Smith are tied for first in WHL Rookie Shorthanded scoring with 3 points. While Shane Smith is tied for 4th in WHL Rookie Goal Scoring with 19.
The Chetwynd Kid: Tigers Centre Cayden Lindstrom is 8th in WHL Rookie scoring with 39 points (18 goals, 21 assists) in 56 games played.
Man Down, No Problem: Going into tonight's game against Swift Current, the Tigers are tied for 5th in shorthanded goals for in the WHL with 11, (Smith x2, St. Martin, Bocharov, Boehm x2, MacNeil, Lee, Melin, MacKenzie, Krebs)
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 13 seasons coaching in the WHL. Desjardins first win as Tigers Head Coach was a 4-3 win on September 24, 2002 against the Saskatoon Blades.
Latvian Leap: Second year defenceman Bogdans Hodass represented Team Lativa at the completed 2023 World Junior Hockey Championships in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the second straight year. Hodass had 4 points (2 goals, 2 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.
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.
Western Hockey League Stories from March 18, 2023
- Broncos Down Rebels 3-1 in Hard-Hitting Game - Swift Current Broncos
- Ams Dominate in 8-2 Victory Over Chiefs - Tri-City Americans
- Warriors Battle Hard, But Fall to Pats on Saturday - Moose Jaw Warriors
- Hitmen Blank Tigers 2-0 - Medicine Hat Tigers
- Giants Split Home-and-Home with Everett - Vancouver Giants
- ICE Top Prince Albert, 4-1 - Winnipeg Ice
- Hawks Fight Back But Fall Late on Saturday - Portland Winterhawks
- Chiefs Drop Second in a Row to Rival Americans Saturday - Spokane Chiefs
- Pats Punch Ticket To Playoffs With 7-3 Win Over Warriors - Regina Pats
- Blades Play Spoiler At Home Against The Wheat Kings - Saskatoon Blades
- Oil Kings Fall to 'Canes - Edmonton Oil Kings
- Hawks' Comeback Bid Comes Up Short - Portland Winterhawks
- Hitmen Blank Tigers, 2-0 - Calgary Hitmen
- Wheat Kings Lose 4th Straight; Comeback Falls Short Again - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Raiders Fall 4-1 in Winnipeg - Prince Albert Raiders
- Thomas Mortlock 1938-2023 - Medicine Hat Tigers
- Chiefs Seek Revenge over Rival Americans Saturday Night - Spokane Chiefs
- Ams Host Chiefs at the Toyota Center, Wrapping up Home-And-Home Set - Tri-City Americans
- Chase Wheatcroft Signs Entry Level Contract with Dallas Stars - Prince George Cougars
- Game Day Preview March 18 vs Calgary - Medicine Hat Tigers
- Gameday: Blades vs Wheat Kings at 7:00pm CST - Saskatoon Blades
- Pats Head to Moose Jaw for Rebound Performance - Regina Pats
- Cats Clinch Home Ice with 7-1 Win over Royals - Prince George Cougars
- GAME HUB: Wheat Kings Face Blades in Must Win Game - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Game Day Hub: March 18 vs Seattle - Portland Winterhawks
- Americans Earn 3-1 Victory in Spokane - Tri-City Americans
- T-Birds Approach the Record Book - Seattle Thunderbirds
- Power Play Comes up Short, Chiefs Fall 3-1 in St. Paddy's Battle - Spokane Chiefs
- Broncos Blanked by Rebels 2-0 - Swift Current Broncos
- Krebs' Hat-Trick Third Period Helps Drive Tigers 7-2 Win in Edmonton - Medicine Hat Tigers
- Warriors Score Six Straight, Roll Over Regina On Friday - Moose Jaw Warriors
- Giants Shut Out Silvertips Friday Night At Home - Vancouver Giants
- Royals Open Weekend with Loss to Cougars - Victoria Royals
- Giants Catch Luck of the Irish, Down Tips 3-0 in Langley - Everett Silvertips
- Birds Top Hawks 5-2, Rematch in Portland Tomorrow - Portland Winterhawks
- Rockets Downed by Blazers - Kelowna Rockets
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