Game Day Preview: October 21 vs Red Deer
October 21, 2022 – Western Hockey League (WHL) – Medicine Hat Tigers News Release
2022-2023 TIGERS RECORD: 3-4-1-0 Home: 1-1-0-0 Road: 2-3-1-0
2021-2022 TIGERS RECORD: 11-53-3-1 Home: 8-25-1-0 Road: 3-28-2-1
LAST GAME: 6-3 L at Spokane Chiefs: The Medicine Hat Tigers closed out their US Division Road trip in a tight affair through 40 minutes in Spokane last Friday, thanks to goals from Brenden Lee & Shane Smith before Oasiz Wiesblatt tied the game 3-3 early in the third but couldn’t make the comeback complete as the Chiefs scored three straight including an empty netter to seal the Tigers fate on the road. Medicine Hat concluded their road trip with a 2-2-1 record.
VS REBELS: The Tigers and Rebels faced each other 8 times in Central Division play last season, Medicine Hat recorded a record of 3-5 against Red Deer with a win at home January 30, 2022 and two road wins January 16, 2022 and December 11, 2021 in 4-3 shootout victory. Head to Head dating back to 1996-97, The Tigers have a record of in 168 GP: 85 wins, 70 losses, 5 overtime losses, 4 shootout losses and 4 ties. With a home record of 48-29-3-2 and 3 ties.
2022-2023 REGULAR SEASON STATS LEADERS:
Goals (5) – Wiesblatt, Basha, Smith, MacKenzie, Lee Assists (9) – Hodass
Points (11) – Bogdans Hodass
PIMS (21) – Oasiz Wiesblatt Plus/Minus (11) – Rhett Parsons
Wins (3) – Beckett Langkow Shutouts (0) – N/A
Save % (.871) – Beckett Langkow Goals Against Average (3.66) – Beckett Langkow
WHO’S HOT
– Bogdans Hodass: 8 GP: 1G 10A – 11 PTS
– Andrew Basha 8 GP: 4G 6A – 10 PTS
– Brenden Lee 8 GP: 5G-4A – 9 PTS (5 PPG)
– Oasiz Wiesblatt 8 GP: 5G-3A – 8 PTS
– Dru Krebs 7 GP: 0G-7A – 7 PTS
MILESTONE WATCH:
Owen MacNeil, playing in Career Game 140
Dallon Melin, 5 games away from 200 career GP
Oasiz Wiesblatt, 4 games away from 100 career GP
Brayden Boehm, 1 game away from 90 career GP
Beckett Langkow, 2 games away from 40 career GP
Willie Desjardins, 8 wins away from 400 as Tigers Head Coach
NEWS & NOTES:
Thru 8: The Medicine Hat Tigers are sporting a 3-4-1 record in the 2022-23 WHL Season so far after winning their season opener against Lethbridge, the Tigers have lost two straight to Lethbridge (5-4 Sept 30) & Winnipeg (5-2 Oct 1). This is the Tigers first US road trip since February 2019. They snapped their two game losing skid with a 6-3 win in Everett (Oct 7) but fell 4-3 in overtime on Saturday in Portland and dropped their second straight game to the Seattle Thunderbirds Tuesday 5-2, but followed up scoring 11 on the Tri City Americans Wednesday night in Kennewick winning 11-3. The trip would end with a 6-3 loss in Spokane last Friday.
Welcome Home: The Tigers haven’t played a home game since October 1st in a 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Ice and will play five straight home games at Co-op Place before their next trip on the road.
Up To The Test: The Tigers have played 3 three undefeated teams in the WHL this season already, sporting a 1-1-1 record with a win against the Everett Silvertips October 7, 2022. This will be the 4th undefeated team the Tigers will play tonight in Red Deer.
Tiger Trades: The Tigers were busy on the trade front this week, acquiring G Evan May (04) & a 5th Round Pick in the 2025 WHL Draft from the Everett Silvertips for Oren Shtrom and 8th Round Pick in 2023 & a 9th Round Pick in 2024. Wille Desjardins wasn’t done there as he made a separate move with the Portland Winterhawks acquiring Kurtis Smythe (02) for another 8th Round Pick in the 2023 WHL Draft.
Langley Bound: Tigers F Tomas Mrsic was selected to Team Canada Red at the upcoming U17 Championship in Langley, BC later this month, Mrsic will leave for the U17’s on October 31st.
From Jelgava With Love: Tigers defenceman Bogdans Hodass leads WHL defencemen in scoring 11 points through 8 games.
Busy Beckett: If he starts Tigers goaltender Beckett Langkow will start his 9th straight game for the Tigers, sporting a 3-4-1 record with a .871 Save Percentage and a 3.66 GAA,
Parsons a Plus!: Tigers defencemen Rhett Parsons improved his +/- rating to 11 through 8 games, including a +5 performance in Tri City October 12th.
Behind the Bench: This is Tigers Head Coach Willie Desjardins’ 11th season coaching the Tigers in two different tenures and is just 8 wins away from 400 while coaching the Orange & Black
HOW THE TIGERS WERE BUILT:
WHL Draft (11): Andresen, Parsons, Shtrom, Wiesblatt, Ekren-Bratton*, MacKenzie, Krebs, St. Martin, Boehm, Van Mulligen, Mrsic, Lindstrom, Basha, McKenna
Trade (5): Bocharov, Lee, MacNeil, Smythe & May
CHL Import Draft (1): Hodass (18)
Listed/Signed (2): Langkow, Hanas
Waivers (1): Melin
GEOGRAPHICAL BREAKDOWN (* indicates rookie):
Alberta – 11 – Parsons, Wiesblatt, MacKenzie, Krebs, Langkow, St. Martin *, Smith *, Melin, Van Mulligen *, MacNeil, Basha
BC – 4 – Lindstrom *, Mrsic *, Boehm & May
Saskatchewan – 2 – Andresen, Ekren-Bratton *
Manitoba – 1 – McCallum *
Yukon – McKenna *
USA – 2 – Hanas, Bocharov Latvia – 1 – Hodass
ROSTER AGE BREAKDOWN (* indicates rookie):
2002 – 3 – (Melin, Lee,Smythe)
2003 – 5 – (Langkow, Parsons, Krebs, Hodass, MacNeil
2004 – 5 – (May, Wiesblatt, MacKenzie, Bocharov, Boehm)
2005 – 7 – (Andresen, Ekren-Bratton *, St. Martin *, Smith *, Hanas *, Van Mulligen *, Basha)
2006 – 2 – (Mrsic *, Lindstrom *)
2007 – 2 – McKenna AP
Previous Three Games Next Three Games (all times MT)
Tues, Oct 11th – at Seattle (5-2 Loss) Fri, Oct. 21st – vs Red Deer Rebels (7:00pm)
Wed, Oct 12th – at Tri City (11-3 Win) Sat, Oct. 22nd – vs Branden Wheat Kings (7:00pm)
Fri, Oct 14th – at Spokane (6-3 Loss) Fri, Oct 28th – vs Saskatoon Blades
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