Tiger Tales: It's a Great Day for Evan May
July 17, 2023 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Medicine Hat Tigers News Release
Medicine Hat, AB - As the 2023-2024 WHL season draws closer and closer, we continue to look back at the 2022-2023 season for your Medicine Hat Tigers.
Today's Tiger Tale brings us to the City of Edmonton early in the first game of 2023 portion, the Tigers push towards an eventual playoff spot started against the Edmonton Oil Kings, but it didn't feel like a game against a team that would eventually lead to a last-place finish in the entire Western Hockey League.
With an injury to goaltender Beckett Langkow, Tigers back-up Evan May (Nanaimo, BC) got the start looking for his first Western Hockey League win where he had come so close numerous meetings before, and in a spot start situation the stakes couldn't be higher.
The Tigers and Oil Kings skated to a scoreless tie in the first period with May and his counter part starting goaltender Colby Hay both making ten saves.
The second period wouldn't start off the way the Tigers were hoping to as a break-away from Rilen Kovacevic would beat May 30 seconds into the 2nd giving the Oil Kings the first lead of the night. The tabbies would quickly answer though thanks to Dru Krebs walking in and ripping a wrister past Hay at 5:16 to draw everything even between Medicine Hat & Edmonton, but the home side would continue to give the Tigers fits as Nathan Pilling on an Oil King power play would score to make it 2-1 Edmonton at 8:55. The shot filled second frame would the Tigers put up 13 shots to the Oil Kings 15 in the period with both May & Hay putting on a goaltending spectacle at Rogers Place.
Off into the third period where the Tigers relentlessness would shine as another 13 pucks made their way towards the Edmonton net, Hay would continue to stand on his head but Brayden Boehm would get an early mark at 3:18 into the third to tie things up at 2-2. But the Oil Kings would have ample opportunities to take the lead but a pair of breakaways were foiled by the Tigers goaltender and his steadiness would be rewarded with less than three minutes to go as Pasha Bocharov would re-direct a Dru Krebs point shot for his 7th of the season to give the Tigers the lead and they'd secure their 14th win of the season and the first ever victory in the WHL career of Evan May.
May would finish the season with a 5-9-1 record along with a .888 save percentage and a 3.43 goals against average.
Stay tuned for more Tiger Tales as the summer rolls along and check-in on our website and social media channels for the latest happenings with your Medicine Hat Tigers.
Western Hockey League Stories from July 17, 2023
- Riley Armstong Named Flyers' Director of Player Development - Everett Silvertips
- Wenatchee Wild Announce Karina Lahti as New Athletic Trainer - Wenatchee Wild
- Former Wheat Kings Bring the Stanley Cup to Westman - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Blazers Sign Forward Ty Bonkowski to WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement - Kamloops Blazers
- Wheat Kings Sign 72nd Overall Pick Isaac Davies - Brandon Wheat Kings
- Oil Kings Sign Adam Jecho to WHL Scholarship and Development Agreement - Edmonton Oil Kings
- Czech Forward Drancak Signs with Rebels - Red Deer Rebels
- Former Captain Johnny Ludvig Signs Extension with Florida Panthers - Portland Winterhawks
- Tiger Tales: It's a Great Day for Evan May - Medicine Hat Tigers
- Bedard Signs ELC with Blackhawks on his 18th Birthday - Regina Pats
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