Thursday, December 27, 2012

Jayden Hart

Shocking News

Chat TV's facebook page has just reported that Jayden Hart has decided not to rejoin the Tigers, and is at home awaiting a trade.

Hart has 10 points in 18 games, and is first time draft eligible this year.

Sean Rooney's twitter Feed says that Hart's Agent told the Tigers he wouldn't be back on December 22nd.
The Tigers have a limited window to Move Hart as the Trade Deadline is January 10th.

A gutsy move doing this in your draft year. I wonder what the reasoning behind it is.

Edit: Sean Rooney  Sports Editor at the Medicine hat News did a phone interview with him today and Jayden Hart told him he was leaving due to "personal reasons"

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Tigers Defeat Blazers 7-6 OT

I thought the Tigers played very well tonight. They kept up their physical play and for once I thought they actually outhit the other team.

 The Tigers changed up their line combos and it looked like Hunter Shinkaruk was playing through some sort of injury. Tyler Lewington was also out with an injury.

 Ty Stanton
Ty Stanton really stepped up for the Tigers tonight. He was making crisp passes and doing all the little things right in his own end, and it led to a big 4 point night.

I thought the Tigers deserved to win this in regulation, and Kamloops was lucky that Marek Langhamer had a bad night in goal.

 I am very excited about the game they played tonight. I saw a lot of positive signs. They kept up their physical play and their penalty kill looked a lot better. I hope they can continue to play that way after they come back from the Christmas Break.



 5 Minute Major
Kamloops Blazer forward Aspen Sterzer could see a suspension after Hitting Trevor Cox in the head on a nasty hit. Luckily Cox wasn't injured on the play.

Kamloops was without the leagues 2nd leading scorer in J.C Lipon who made the world junior team.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Kelowna Defeats Tigers 5-2

 First Period

I thought the Tigers played really well in the first period despite getting outshot 14-4. They were hitting and they were being aggressive. The only thing not going for them was the zebra's. A different ref and it could have been the Tigers with the powerplay advantage in the first period.

The only bad thing in the first period was when the Tigers got caught with bad positioning on their Penalty Kill for the first Kelowna Powerplay Goal, as well as their inability to get zone time on their powerplay.


I thought after the first period the Tigers stopped hitting on their forecheck, and Kelowna upped their game another notch, and started spending more time in the Tigers zone.They eventually broke away in the third period

I think Trevor Cox needs to pick up his play. He looks like he is a bit intimidated on the ice at times, and watches away from the play. A guy like Blake Penner outplayed him badly tonight.

TigerTurf's Players of the Night
I thought Dylan Bredo, Ty Stanton, Jacob Doty, Blake Penner, Kyle Becker,  all had really good games for the Tigers.


Fights
Jake Doty had a highlight reel marathon fight against Colton Heffley of the rockets.  Both players did some damage.

Curtis Valk showed signs of being frustrated against Kelowna as he got mugged by Madison Bowey and threw down his gloves. Bowey threw a few extra shots after valk was on the ice. Bowey had 5 inches and 30 pounds on Valk.

 Thoughts on Kelowna
I loved kelowna's Penalty Kill. They were aggressive, forced the Tigers to the outside, and gave them all sorts of trouble stacking up at the blueline and making it impossible for the Tigers to carry the puck in.

I also liked Kelowna's play in their own end. A guy like Curtis Valk who likes to get fancy was nailed multiple times. Hunter Shinkaruk was also targeted early and besides the first couple of shifts, Kelowna's team Defense was able to neutralize him. Kelowna had very strong efforts in the second and third period.

Doty Vs Heffley

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Shinkaruk Cut from Team Canada

Cuts are done

Team Canada Final Cuts
Frank Corrado - Defenceman (Sudbury Wolves OHL)
Laurent Brossoit - Goaltender (Edmonton WHL)
Daniel Catenacci - Forward (Owen Sound Attack OHL)
Mark Mcneill  - Forward (Prince Albert WHL)
Ryan Sproul - Defenceman (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds OHL)
Tom Wilson - Forward  (Plymouth Whalers OHL)
Hunter Shinkaruk - Forward (Medicine Hat WHL)
Matt Dumba - Defenceman (Red Deer Rebels WHl)

Darn Shinkaruk was the last forward to be cut.. He should be a shoo-in next season.


Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Selection Camp Update Day 1

Team Canada held their intra-squad game last night.

Hunter Shinkaruk scored the lone goal for team white as they lost 3-1 to team red.
Shinkaruk's goal came off of a rebound.

I didn't watch the game but multiple fan reports from Calgary are saying that Shinkaruk stood out for team white. You can watch the game highlights at tsn.

Apparently http://www2.fasthockey.com/login.php broadcasted the intrasquad game and will also be broadcasting the next 2 games against the Alberta Golden Bears
(Wednesday at 4pm eastern, Thursday at 2 pm eastern)
The site requires an email for signup.

Shinkaruk Survives First Round of Cuts
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2012/12/12/sp-hockey-canada-world-junior-camp-cuts-121212.html

Estimated 5 forward cuts left to be made. The Final Roster Will be announced Tonight.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Tigers Defeat Hurricanes 8-7 SO

What A Game!
First Period
The Tigers get some bad calls go against them early. Elgin Pearce received a feed in the slot with a shot on net and then got hit into the goalie Ty Rimmer.  Pearce would get called for Goaltender Interference.

The Tigers would kill the penalty off, but soon after Blake Penner would get called for boarding after finishing his check near the Hurricanes Bench on another questionable call.

On the Hurricanes Power-play Ty Stanton had a couple of chances to poke the puck off off Russell Maxwell's stick near the blue-line but missed both chances.  Russell Maxwell was then able to burn a flat footed Stanton to the outside. He shoved a shot low blocker side which beat Lanigan.
 1-0 Hurricanes

The Hurricanes would score again 5 minutes later shorthanded. Elgin Pearce overskated the puck in the slot, I'm not sure where the other Tigers defenceman was but it led to a Hurricanes 2-1 rush down the ice.   Jaimen Yakubowski would hold on to the puck, hesitate to get some space, then ripped a shot past Lanigan glove side.
2-0 Hurricanes

2:12 left in the 1st period some Hard Work by the Hurricanes would create a turnover in the tigers end. The puck would come out front amid a massive scramble and Jaimen Yakubowski would fire the rebound past Lanigan who was sprawled out trying to cover the puck.
3-0 Hurricanes

The tigers should seriously consider pulling lanigan here to shake it up. Lanigan is not getting much help but he is not sharp either.


2nd Period...yikes
The Tigers would break up a 2 on 1, Dylan Bredo would hustle his butt down the ice to get a step on the defender Lenny Hackman. Jake Doty fired a perfect hard pass over to Bredo who redirected it  past an outstretched Ty Rimmer. 3-1 Hurricanes

Lethbridge would get their 3 goal lead back almost immediately. The Tigers created a couple turnovers in the offensive zone, but Trevor Cox made a dumb decision to cross check a surprised defenceman from behind...

On the powerplay Joel Topping would fire a shot from the high half wall. Amid a mad scramble in front the first rebound shot would squeak past Lanigan's pad. Then Sam Mckechnie would pot in the second rebound. 4-1 Hurricanes

 The Tigers Ty Stanton would take a high stick by 16 year old Tyler Wong. Wong receives a 4 minutes high sticking penalty.

On the powerplay Miles Koules fed Curtis Valk in front. Valk would take a second and make a pass over to Shinkaruk. Shinkaruk took a second to coral the puck and fired it past a diving Ty Rimmer

4-2 Hurricanes

Just after the Hurricanes killed off the rest of the penalty Elgin pearce would thread a small pass over to Shinkaruk who threaded another nice pass over to Valk who buried it Past Ty Rimmer.
 4-3 Hurricanes

2 Minutes later Kyle Becker would fire a flip shot out of his zone over everyone's head. The Tigers would scoop up the puck. Shinkaruk went to the net and Elgin Pearce passed over to Curtis Valk who one-timed it past an outstretched Ty Rimmer. 4-4 TIE

Unfortuntely the momentum would drastically change again.


Cam Lanigan would stop a point shot but was unable to cover the puck up. Jamien Yakubowski would get his 3rd goal of the game off the rebound. 5-4 Hurricanes

The Hurricanes would strike again with 1 second left in the period. Axel Blomqvist would put a harmless shot on net but Lanigan couldn't cover up the rebound and Jamien Yakubowski would poke the puck in past Lanigan for his 4th of the game. 6-4 Hurricanes

Lanigan is having trouble covering up any rebounds.....Yakubowski has scored 3 goals off of rebounds.

3rd Period

The Tigers would pull within one. Jake Doty fired a shot on net. Rimmer would save the shot then knock away the rebound, however he put the puck right on Miles Koules stick. Koules went top Shelf. 6-5 Hurricanes

Hurricanes would get their 2 goal lead back on a controversial play. Lanigan saved the initial shot but the puck squirted loose of his hold. Recognizing this he spread out as far as he could, however the puck was still open in the blue paint. Jamien Yakubowski would frantically whack away at the loose puck 3-4-5 times and would score his 5th goal of the game.
 7-5 Hurricanes

5 minutes left in the game Miles Koules would find Hunter Shinkaruk behind the net.Shinkaruk quickly wrapped the puck around beating Ty Rimmer. 7-6 Hurricanes

TIE GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAME

Dylan Busenius undressed a Hurricane defenceman at the blueline, he would loose the puck trying to get past the 2nd Dman, but Elgin Pearce picked the puck up and Wristed one past Rimmer blocker side. 7-7 TIE


Overtime
Boston Leier would get a goalie interference penalty. Leier tried to jump out of the way but the Hurricanes Dman was right their guiding him into the goalie.

The Tigers would get the best chance as Kyle Becker and Dylan Bredo had a 2 on 1. Becker kept the puck but fired wide.

Shootout
The Tigers ended this one early. Lanigan stopped both Russell Maxwell and Jamien Yakubowski
Both Hunter Shinkaruk and Curtis Valk scored for the Tigers.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Shinkaruk Named to Canada's Selection Camp

Hunter Shinkaruk was named to Team Canada's Selection camp this morning.

You can find the whole list here

Shinkaruk is one of 5 forwards that haven't been drafted to the NHL as of yet in the selection camp. With the NHL lockout and the quality of forwards available is pretty high, Shinkaruk will be in tough to make the roster.

The Camp beings on December 10th, and The Full Team will be named on December 13th.
Good Luck Hunter!

Sunday, December 2, 2012

TIgers Defeat Wheaties 2-1 SO

 The Arena was a bit empty tonight. Officially it was a sellout but It looked a little over half full.

Brandon was without their top blueliner Ryan Pulock out with an upper body injury.

 Quick Summary
The Tigers Dylan Busenius scored on the powerplay with a rocket of a shot top corner to give the Tigers a 1-0 Lead late in the second period.

The lead would stick until 52 seconds left in the game with the goalie pulled, Brandon's Eric Roy would let a high shot go from the point. Amid the bodies in front, the puck beat Langhamer and forced the game into overtime. Neither team managed to score.

In the shootout Hunter Shinkaruk, and Curtis Valk beat Corbin Boes, while Elgin Pearce's shot rang iron. Nick Buonassisi had Langhamer beat but hit the post, Alessio Bertaggia scored stick side, and Jayce Hawryluk shot was stopped by Marek Langhamer's glove...and with the Victory Marek Langhamer pulled out a Teemu Selanne....throw your glove in the air and shoot it with the stick type celebration.

Thoughts
It was a bit of a dull game.

I thought the Tigers forwards did a real good job back-checking. The Tigers probably should have won the game outright as they developed quite a few good scoring chances in the third period, but were getting a little too fancy trying to score on perfect plays.

The Victory leapfrogs the Tigers over Saskatoon into 8th place.

The Tigers have 4 games left before the christmas break, with the only road game in Lethbridge which comes this Friday.

World Juniors
The Players for the Selection Camp will be named on Monday.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Tigers Defeat Canes 2-1 SO

Tigers snap their 8 game winless streak. They look liked they won a 7 game series by their celebrations after winning the shootout.

Thoughts
Goaltenders battle tonight. Both 'Tenders played really well.

 The Teddy Bear Toss goal came courtesy of Dylan Busenius with his half court shot from center ice. The puck took a wicked hop over Ty Rimmer to tie the game 1-1.

The Tigers sure missed Jayden Hart when he was out of the lineup. He brings so much poise and makes his line-mates better.

I liked the physicality Curtis Valk showed tonight. I wish more of their forwards would finish their checks instead of taking  half-assed swipes at the puck.

Their was one shift where Ty Stanton knocked the puck out of mid-air 3 times in the same shift, I thought that was impressive.

 I was impressed with Lethbridge Overage Defenceman Daniel Johnston. He was a physical force and knocked a dozen tigers off their skates. He also made 4 rushes up the ice(including 1 in overtime) and each rush was a scoring chance.

Next Up
Brandon comes to town. Brandon has plunged in the standings and has lost 5 straight games.

Friday, November 30, 2012

Rebels Defeat Tigers 6-5

Hunter Shinkaruk back in the lineup.
Jayden Hart back in the lineup
Ty Stanton back in the lineup

1st Period

The first period was a snooze fest. Lots of neutral zone play and not a whole lot of offensive chances.

Red Deer's Brandon Underwood would slap a knuckle puck on net near his blueline. Lanigan would whiff with his glove. 1-0 Rebels

A minute and a half later some bad positioning would cost them as Cory Millet would pick up the puck near the boards cutting in front of 2 Tigers. He would find Connor Bleakly who managed to get his stick on the pass and put a shot towards the goal which beat Lanigan in the butterfly. 2-0 Rebels

I thought the rebels were the better team in the first period even though the Tigers outshot them. 13-10

2nd Period
3:34 in Hunter Shinkaruk would gain an inch and drive to the net. He would throw the puck out front and it bounced in off of Curtis Valk's shin-pads and into the net. 2-1 Rebels.

Midway through the 2nd the Tigers turned the puck over and the Rebels would create a 3 on 2 Rush. They couldn't have played the 3 on 2 any better. 1 guy rushed the net, Rhyse Dieno would hesitate find the Trailer in the slot and Cory Millete put one past Cam Lanigan 3-1 Rebels

Late in the period the Tigers started pressing hard and would score a couple quick goals.

Shinkaruk off the rush would go behind the net and find Busenius at the point. Bus did a good job at hesitating to get a clear shot at the net which beat a screened Bartosak 3-2 Rebels.

Boston Leier would get dumped by Brandon Underwood and it led to a Tigers powerplay.

Elgin Pearce won a faceoff back to Spenser Jensen who fired a shot on net. Curtis Valk would get his stick on it and the re-direction would fool Patrik Bartosak 3-3 TIE

3rd Period
A horrible start to the 3rd period as the rebels score twice in just over a minute of play. Spenser Jensen tripped himself up going to smash a forward behind the boards. This left the crease open where Brooks Maxwell found Turner Elson for a bang bang play. 4-3 Rebels

The rebels would add to their lead off a bad goal from Lanigan. Wyatt Johnson would float a wrister on net and Lanigan would whiff with his glove for the 2nd time tonight. 5-3 Rebels.

That would mark the end of Lanigan's night in favor of Marek Langhamer.

7:18 in Trevor Cox would receive a gift from some Hard Work by Boston Leier. Leier fired a bad angle shot on net got his own rebound went behind the Rebel net and threaded a pass out front to Trevor Cox who had a partial open net  5-4 Rebels.

Then the nail-breaker. The Tigers were all over the rebels with multiple scoring chances. The next Rebel rush up the ice saw Brooks Maxwell go top shelf short side on a perfect shot over Langhamer's shoulder. 6-4 Rebels.

With the goalie pulled Curtis Valk would walk off the halfwall and thread a pass over to Elgin Pearce at the far side. Pearce fired a quick low shot on net that beat Bartosak 6-5 Rebels.

With 30 seconds left the Tigers couldn't generate anything after the puck hit the linesman and forced the Tigers offside...They took 2 tries to clear and the Buzzer sounded, handing the Tigers their 8th straight loss.


Thoughts
Rhyse Dieno played on the Rebels top line and was quite a factor. 3 assists on his former team giving him 7 points in 6 games with his return to the whl.

I thought the Tigers didn't play that well in the first period but showed strong character battling back from 2 goal deficits multiple times. Lanigan made some big saves but also let in a couple weak goals.

The Tigers had more offensive punch with Hart, and SHinkaruk back in the lineup. One positive was that the mistakes they made are fixable instead of totally getting outplayed like they have been the last few games. I would like to see a better team effort on finishing their hits.


The Tigers shook up their line combos  a bit.

Shinkaruk Pearce Valk
Leier Hart Cox
Koules Bredo Doty
Penner Labelle Sanford

Jensen Lewington
Busenius Ryckman
Stanton Becker

Next game: Lethbridge Visits the Arena. The Canes are also struggling a bit as of late

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Curtis Valk Suspended 1 Game

According to the WHL's Official Twitter feed Curtis Valk has been suspended 1 game for his boarding Major Tuesday night against Red Deer.

http://twitter.com/TheWHL

The Tigers play the Calgary Hitmen on Friday in Calgary. The Tigers clobbered the Hitmen 10-1 during their last meeting, and the Hitmen will probably be licking their chops for Friday's game.

Hunter Shinkaruk and Curtis Valk have accounted for 33 of the Tigers 89 goals.

Hunter Shinkaruk Update
Dave Dawson a reporter for Shaw TV tweeted this earlier Wednesday

" Asst Coach Joey Frazer about Shinkaruk injury: "Day to day. We'll keep pushing him at practice and see how he responds"

http://twitter.com/DaveDawson7

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Rebels Defeat Tigers 4-0

  Rebel Connections
Rhyse Dieno made his return to the arena. I thought he played well with 1 assist and a +2 rating for the rebels. He was playing in the rebels top 6.

The rebels also have another Tiger Connection as Joel Hamilton is Wacey Hamilton's Brother.

Rebel Thoughts

I thought the Rebels worked pretty hard throughout the game, they had a few lapses but the Tigers couldn't bury their chances. I thought Patrik Bartosak looked really good in net challenging shooters with his positioning, often coming out of the blue paint and didn't give up many rebounds.

I was impressed by 16 year old defenseman (#4) Haydn Fleury for the Rebels.




Curtis Valk (Possible Suspension)
Curtis Valk was assessed a 5 minute major for boarding and a game misconduct after pushing a falling rebels player into the boards. I know he was frustrated but it was a dumb play. Valk's penalty will be automatically reviewed by the league and I will not be surprised to see him suspended. The player wasn't hurt but the intention of the play will surely get him at least a game or two.

Valk was obviously frustrated as he was mobbed a few times during the game and didn't get any calls from the zebras.

Tiger Thoughts
It was the Tigers 4th game in 5 days.  I thought Gavin Broadhead played really well. I also thought Elgin Pearce played really well. Broadhead's dog like determination and physical presence was excellent to see. I liked how he was put on the penalty kill late in the game. I think that is an area he could excel at.


I thought the young guys played well. I was a little surprised by how well Matt Staples played, he looked like a veteran in the 3rd period.

 Guys like Leier, and Bredo received a lot of ice-time and you could see their legs were toast.

I didn't mind the effort of the Tigers tonight because they were a tired group. Despite being outworked the rebels didn't really create a whole lot of prime opportunities until they split the game open with a couple goals Lanigan normally stops.

At one point the Tigers were buzzing the rebels end with constant pressure for a good 2-3 shifts. Then the rebels next rush up the ice saw 3 players head over to the puck carrier and ignore the guy coming down the middle. That killed any chance of a comeback.

The Tigers did miss Hunter Shinaruk a lot. If Valk does happen to get suspended the next game against calgary could be ugly.


PK
I think their is one element of the Rebels game the Tigers could use on their penalty kill.

Whenever the Tigers "walked the point" on the powerplay 1 rebel forward would stay up high to cover the dman, the other forward would fall back to form a triangle to protect the front of the net and cross ice passes.

 If the defenseman went D to D the 2nd forward would come back up and cross over to cover the points again. Often times we see a large gap in the middle of the ice opposition teams sometimes are able to exploit.


Next Games
Unfortunately I will be unable to recap either weekend game against Calgary or Edmonton.


2 Tigers Make the NHL CSS scouting Lists

NHL central Scouting just released their preliminary lists for this year.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/page.htm?id=84930

2 Tigers made the list.
Hunter Shinkaruk is rated #2
Spenser Jensen is rated #25

This list is basically a top 25 preliminary list for each league. During the midterm rankings they usually expand into 1 big list and include more players.

(When the list expands I think Tyler Lewington, Trevor Cox, and Jayden Hart will have good shots at making the mid-term lists however all players can use this as motivation for not being preliminary listed. I think Hart would have made the preliminary list if he had remained healthy)

Other shots

Edit: I missed Gavin Broadhead as being draft eligible

Ty Stanton, Chad Labelle, Matt Staples, Cole Sanford are all 1st year eligilble for the upcoming NHL draft as well. They are probably not on the radar as of yet

With the Injuries at forward I'd like to see Sanford with an increased role. I think Sanford has potential to suprise given  more icetime. He is on my list as an underutlized player to watch for.

Staples is too raw at this point. I see Labelle as more of a Bretton Cameron style grinder who may be able to score some goals in the whl as he gains more experience.

Stanton had a couple injuries but could be given consideration if he can stay healthy and show consistent improvement.  Pre-season Stanton was seen as a physical guy, but now that a few games has passed I see him as more of a 2 way Dman with some offensive potential, a little raw but not as raw as Staples.

Gavin Broadhead I see as more of a grinder/late bloomer. I dont think he will garner consideration this year but the road is long and if he keeps up that work ethic could be a player who gets a contract at 20 but it is waay to early.

-------------------

Spensen Jensen
I am not suprised that Spenser Jensen made the list.

Their is a poll on the Tigers website about most improved player. IMO the "most improved player" is not on that list which is Spenser Jensen by a mile.

Spenser was a forward last year. I found myself wondering pre-season where exactly he fit on the defensive depth charts. Jensen's ice time the last month has increased, as you'll notice he has been starting the game with Busenius on the back-end.

Jensen is listed as 6'4 191 lbs. For a bigger guy he has incredible acceleration and speed to match the speed of opponent forwards who try and beat him wide. Jensen has shown that he brings a physical presence along the boards, and more often that not wins the small battles.

If Jensen can bring a bit more offense to his game and maintain his strong defensive play he will shoot up the rankings.

Hunter Shinkaruk
I've seen him listed as anywhere from 3rd-15th on overall scouting lists. One interesting note about his 2nd position on the CSS prelim rankings is that he is 6 spots above Curtis Lazar who has been neck and neck with him on other preliminary lists. I think Hunter dropped a bit early in the season but has made a slow incline the past month.

With Hunter being injured for 2 weeks it should give extra opportunities on the powerplay and more icetime to the 16/17 year old rookies. I hope a couple of them can take off with this opportunity. 

I remember when Shinkaruk was 16 it was an early season injury which gave shinkaruk more icetime. He has ran with it and never looked back.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Silvertips Defeat Tigers 2-1

Tigers were without Hunter Shinkaruk, Miles Koules, Jayden Hart, and  Ty Stanton due to injury.

Ridley mentioned on the radio that Hunter Sppeared to have a skate cut injury. He took a hit from Seth Jones 15 seconds into the game against portland and twisted awkwardly to the ice.

Miles Koules mentioned on his twitter feed "Swerving through the mountains on the bus. Only 12 hours 39 minutes left." #carsick #throwup...sounds like the flu.


I wasn't able to watch the game but here is an article and some excerpts from Nick Patterson's HeraldNet.com blog


HeraldNet Article on the game
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20121118/BLOG12/121119825

The game has been over for about an hour-and-a-half, I'm sitting here in the press area at Comcast Arena, and I'm still trying to figure out how Everett won this game.


Frankly, the Tips didn't play a very well tonight. Everett looked sluggish and was not sharp in any aspect of the game. Medicine Hat outworked and outskated the Tips throughout. The final shot discrepancy was 41-18 in favor of the Tigers, and the game was every bit as one-sided as that shot total suggests.

Meanwhile, Medicine Hat seemed to be lacking the cutting edge in front of goal. I think it's safe to say the Tigers missed injured star winger Hunter Shinkaruk tonight.


Tigers outshot Everett 40-18.
Former Tiger Reid Petryk was held pointless and is wearing an "A" for the Silvertips this year.




Saturday, November 17, 2012

WinterHawks Defeat Tigers 5-2


Pre-Game Notes

Boston Leier gets to face off against his cousin Taylor Leier.
 Marek Langhamer gets the start in goal.
Portland Starting their backup goalie Brendan Burke
(Interesting stat with Langhamer in net the Tigers have a 66% Penalty Kill Rate)
Preston Kopeck of the Portland Winterhawks is from Medicine Hat.


Tiger Scratches
Ty Stanton
Jayden Hart
Chad Butcher
Steven Owre

First Period

Tigers get some bad news. 15 seconds in Hunter Shinkaruk attempted to side step Seth Jones and went down as Jones was able to lay into him. Shinkaruk has not returned to the game. The hit didn't look that bad but their was some twisting involved and I'm wondering if its a twisted knee/ankle.

 Cole Sanford is taking his spot on the top line, Koules stepped in at the 10 minute mark after Sanford scored a goal.

Marek Langhamer stopped a breakaway and then a Penalty Shot very early in the period.


Spenser Jensen took an accidental tripping penalty behind the net. On the powerplay Taylor Leier received a pass down low from Nicolas Petan. Taylor Leier did a little spinorama on Tyler Lewington and roofed it in tight on the far side over Langhamer's shoulder, who was closely guarding the near side post. 1-0 Portland.

The Tigers would strike a minute later. Off the rush Curtis Valk cut to the middle then rifled a back-hand shot on net. The shot would hit a charging Cole Sanford's midsection and bounce into the net. 1-1 TIE

Portland Severely outshot the Tigers 21-6 during that period, and got a whole lot more scoring chances.  Langhamer played very well but wasn't positioned right on the Winterhawks PP goal. Portland Won the Period but all 6 Tiger shots were very good chances. Portland hit 2 posts, Tigers hit 1 post.
----------------------
2nd Period

Langhamer with a huge cross ice save 1 minute in.

Portland  cracks Langhamer again. . Winterhawks Brendan leipsic was able to beat a flat footed Spenser Jensen and took a shot on net. Dylan Busenius failed to knock away the rebound, and Ty Rattie was able to shovel it under Langhamer. 2-1 Portland

Boston Leier was called with an accidental high stick
Just after the powerplay expired. Chase De Leo circled down low in the Tigers zone and was able to walk out right in front and Fired a shot over Langhamers Blocker. 3-1 Portland

Portland would score again with 1.1 seconds left on the clock. Portland's Oliver Bjorkstan beat 2 Tigers down low for the puck and put a pass out to Taylor Leier who was unwatched by Kyle Becker in front of the net. Langhamer had no chance. 4-1 Portland

Portland outshot the Tigers 19-7.   With a 2 Period Total 40-13.

Tigers are doing a lot of watching, and not very aggressive. Portland doesn't even look like they are trying that hard, yet are soundly beating the Tigers in all areas of the game. Hunter Shinkaruk has still not returned to the game.

3rd Period

Miles Koules!

Koules Undresses Derek Pouliet with a toe drag, and fires a perfectly placed shot shot past Brendan Burke 4-2 Portland.
Highlight Reel Goal!

Off the faceoff Brendan Leipsic gained control of the puck and skated to his blueline. For Some reason Trevor cox backed way off. Leipsic skated to the halfwall then was able to make a pass over to Ty Rattie as their was a huge gap in the Tigers zone and no one was covering Rattie. Rattie had all day to fire a shot into the open cage. 5-2 Portland 

Portland Outshot the Tigers 53-26.

Thoughts
Very disappointing. Tigers played a little better in the third period but there was a lot of watching, and players away from the puck were standing still.  I haven't seen Miles Koules on the ice for a long time.

Ridley mentioned on the radio that Shinkaruk was out with a skate cut. Tigers haven't played well on this road trip. Hopefully this means they have their legs for the last game against Everett Tomorrow.

Other Notes
Rhyse Dieno didn't take long to make an impact with the Rebels. Dieno scored 27 seconds into the 2nd period 

Friday, November 16, 2012

Seattle Defeats the Tigers 4-3

Tonight is the first game since the offseason trade that Riley Sheen and Jake Doty faceoff against their old teams.



First Period
Seattle starts off the game with good pressure, and manages a quick 8-2 early shot advantage

Fight
2:37 in Seattle's Daniel Wray would crash the net after the whistle knocking Cam Lanigan into the net. Derek Ryckman took offense and engaged Wray in a fight. Wray got the first punch in then fell over. Ryckman had Wray at his mercy when the lineman stepped in.

The Tigers Chad Butcher would draw a Tigers powerplay after getting tripped up. On the powerplay Kyle Becker would draw a Seattle Thunderbird player to the middle of the ice. It left Boston Leier, open and he walked into the slot area. Dylan Busenius did a helluva job screening the goalie in front and Leier's shot easily beat Brandon Glover low blocker side. 1-0 Tigers

2nd Period
Seattle would score twice. With the 4th line out, seattle's rush up the ice had Matt Staples back up pretty far into his own end. Seth Swenson was able to take a screen shot from the high circle that beat Cam Lanigan. 1-1 TIE

On the powerplay the Thunderbirds would strike again after Derek Ryckman would get called for roughing. 4 seconds before the pp expired, Riley sheen was fed a pass at the blueline. He was able to stick-handle through Curtis Valk, and Spenser Jensen, and poke the puck behind Dylan Busenius. Alexander Delnov was able to skate around Busenius pick up the puck and deke out a fallen Cam Lanigan. 2-1 Seattle

3rd Period
On the powerplay Miles Koules walked the blueline dragged the top guy over and passed to valk. Valk in the middle of the ice fed Hunter Shinkaruk at the side of the net who beat a stretching Brandon Glover 2-2 TIE

Just over 2 minutes later off the rush Alexander Delnov undressed Derek Ryckman to the outside, pulled the puck past a Lanigan pokecheck and wrapped it around an outstretched Lanigan.
3-2 Seattle

HUNTER SHINKARUK. He first created a turnover by intercepting a Seattle D to D pass in the Tigers zone. A few seconds later he was able to pick up a loose puck in the high slot and fired a shot past the goalie high glove side. 3-3 TIE

4 Minutes to go in the game Cam Lanigan couldn't handle a soft shot from the point as he left a huge rebound in front. Seattle's Roberts Lipsbergs turned and whipped a quick shot off the far side post and in. 4-3 Seattle
-----------------
 I thought the Tigers shot themselves in the foot with poor defensive positioning on the goals against them. It also looked like they were fighting the puck at time.

WHL On Sportsnet
Rogers Sportsnet had Regina vs Vancouver on TV. It was Alex Theriau's first whl game, facing off against old teammate Kale Kessy. Kale Kessy potted 2 goals including a shorthanded marker.
Alex Theriau saw third line minutes until the 3rd period where he was seeing almost every other shift on the ice.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Dieno Picked up by the Rebels

The La Ronge Ice wolves play by play man Dustin Forbes https://twitter.com/dforbes91  Has tweeted that Rhyse Dieno has been picked up by the Red Deer Rebels.

Some of his La Ronge teammates have also offered him congratulations on twitter.

Around the WHL - Updated

Last Edit: 1:00 PM MTN: Added Red Deer Firing their Head Coach

Hunter Shinkaruk

Sportsnet did a piece on Hunter Shinkaruk
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/juniors/2012/11/14/hunter_shinkaruk_player_feature/

You can Watch Hunter Shinkaruk play for Team WHL tonight as the WHL hosts the Russians for the annual Subway Super Series. Russia has 2 wins and 2 loses splitting both games with the OHL, and QMJHL. Game starts at 8:00 PM mtn time on sportsnet.


Injury Front
The whl weekly report lists both Ty Stanton and Jayden Hart are listed as being out for 1 week with upper Body Injuries. Both players have seen lots of time on the IR early in the season. With the depth the Tigers have I think it would be good to have both players sit out for a few extra days.

Alex Theriau
Edit: Regina confirmed it this morning
http://www.reginapats.com/article/pats-add-overage-defenceman

An nhl player agent http://twitter.com/RickJValette on twitter who has mentioned that Alex Theriau will be joining the Regina pats. 

Alex played 2 games for the basement dwelling Cowichan Valley Capitals, earning a 3rd star in his second game.

"Alex Theriau will be joining the Regina Pats as early as tomorrow, and will be in the lineup Friday night when the Pats play the Giants "

Overage defenseman Colton Jobke recently suffered a serious cut hand injury after a line brawl developed between Regina and Saskatoon. He is listed as out indefinitly.
On a side note during that Regina/Saskatoon line brawl Saskatoon's Jesse Astles also suffered a cut hand injury.


Calgary Hitmen
Victor Rask was returned to Calgary after a prolonged stay with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. Calgary is currently tied with Edmonton for the lead in the Eastern Conference.


Lethbridge Hurricanes
Spencer Galbraith  - The feisty hurricanes defenseman has decided to call it quits. Here are some comments by Lethbride's GM Rich Preston On Pat Siedlecki's blog Hurricane Watch

"It completely came out of the blue after the game on Wednesday. We (coaches) had a long chat with him and told him to sleep on it, but we couldn't talk him out of it.  He cam back the next morning, said bye to the guys, and went home.  I don't what he plans to do.

Red Deer Rebels
The rebels have relieved head coach Jesse Wallin of his duties as head coach. The Rebels have also hired Jeff Truit to be an associate coach, while Brent Sutter will take the reigns as the interim Head Coach.

http://www.reddeerrebels.com/article/rebels-make-major-changes

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Tigers Release Theriau

http://www.tigershockey.com/article/tigers-release-defenceman-alex-theriau
Medicine Hat -- The Medicine Hat Tigers announced today the team has released 20-year-old defenceman Alex Theriau.


Theriau had been activated from the Injured Reserve on Monday. With the move, the Tigers are now in compliance with the Western Hockey League maximum of three 20-year-old players on the roster, with Elgin Pearce, Derek Ryckman and Cam Lanigan remaining.

Lanigan was acquired from the Portland Winterhawks on October 17th in exchange for a 7th round pick in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft, giving the Tigers four overagers. Since he joined the club, the Tigers have posted a 6-2-0-0 record, with Lanigan going 5-2-0-0 alongside a goals against average of 2.36 and a .933 save percentage. Lanigan was also named the Vaughn WHL Goaltender of the Month for September/October.

“We are pleased with the effort and performance of our team over the last eight games,” stated General Manager and Head Coach Shaun Clouston.

“This is a decision to maintain the current active roster.”

Theriau, a native of Duncan, B.C. played in 85 regular season games with the Tigers, totalling 4 goals, 22 assists for 26 points to go along with 69 penalty minutes over that time.

“We would like to thank Alex for his time and contributions to the Tigers,” concluded Clouston.
-----------------
Not sure what to say. I am a little shocked by this.

I think Theriau  is too good of a player to not be playing in this league.  If another whl team were to pick him up they would virtually get a #1 line pairing defenseman for free. Possible 2nd line pairing on a deep team.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Tigers Defeat Kootenay 3-1

 Unfortunately the Injury bug hit Jayden Hart again. He was scratched tonight.


Game Summary

Elgin Pearce was able to exact a little bit of revenge on his former team scoring the games first goal off a rebound. 1-0 Tigers

In the second period The Tigers would add to their lead from a point Shot by Kyle Becker on the powerplay. 2-0 Tigers

Kootenay would get on the board very late in the second period. Their was scramble in front of the Tigers net and I'm not sure if it was deflected or not, but a sharp backhand from Sam Reinhart rang off the far post and into the net.   2-1 Tigers

The third period was quite entertaining high paced gameplay both teams looking to score. Kootenay would pull their goaltender late, however they didn't even have time to setup as Valk and Busenius shoveled the puck up to Hunter Shinkaruk who  put it in the empty net.
3-1 Tigers

Thoughts

I thought the Tigers came out and played very well in the first period. It was a goaltenders battle as both tenders played very well in the nets. I thought the Tigers laid back a little during the first 8 minutes of the second period, but a powerplay goal was able to snag the momentum back.
 
 The Tigers showed a couple new set plays in both zones. I won't describe them here but it led to a few chances.

 Jake Doty covered for a pinching defenseman 3 times, and all 3 times made very nice plays to breakup the Kootenay rush. Doty was also involved in a second period fight with big 6'4 207 lb Mike Simpson.  Doty was able to land a handful of big punches, knocking Simpson to his knees at the end.


I thought Kootenay played a hard working type of hockey game. They get lots of pucks around the net. They have some real big defenceman.

That whole line of players Leier, Bredo, and Doty have been playing really well and have stepped up their game as of late. The 4th line also continues to play well no matter who is dressed. Cam Lanigan another first star.

Game Links
MH News Article

Friday, November 2, 2012

Canes Defeat Tigers 5-2

Tigers 5 game winning streak comes to an end


 Quick Summary
The canes were really fired up at the beginning of the hockey game. They oushot the Tigers by a wide margin early and had sustained periods of pressure in the Tigers end.

The canes scored 2 goals in the last 2 minutes of the first period, as well as 2 goals in the first 5 minutes of the second period to chase Cam Lanigan from the net.

1st goal was a deflected in off the post.
2nd goal Lanigan made a nice save from the high circle, but a pinching Rylan Pilon put the rebound in over a diving Lanigan. PP Goal

3rd Goal was a quick passing play behind the boards out in front.
4th Canes goal was a wider angle shot that Cam left a big rebound right to a Hurricanes player.


After Lanigan was pulled the Tigers started playing a little better. Shinkaruk had a blast from the high slot, and Trevor Cox tipped a point shot by Kyle Becker.

The canes sealed the win with an empty netter after Derek Ryckam bobbled the puck coming out of his own end.

 Thoughts
Tigers couldn't fully match the intensity of the Hurricanes at the start of the game. They gave up a couple big rebounds which the canes capitalized on. Canes outshot the Tigers by a wide margin.

The Tigers had a handful of chances, Rimmer shut the door when he needed to.

For once it didn't seem like this game was as chippy as in games past between the two teams.



Thursday, November 1, 2012

Tigers Defeat Giants 5-1

 Before the game Cam Lanigan was named WHL Goalie of the Month.

Vancouver Trades
Vancouver had a different lineup as they traded away their star defenceman David Musil yesterday, as well as 18 year old Austin Vetterl before the game. In their lineup was former Oil King Mason Geertson.

 The Victory Tonight brings the Tigers winning streak up to 5 games.

Period Thoughts

I thought the Tigers had a really good first period and the score could have been 5-1 after the first, and the giants were lucky to come out down just one goal.

The second period was a different story as the Tigers fell asleep a little. Lanigan made some solid stops to keep the Tigers in the lead.

Jayden Hart, and Trevor Cox put on a highlight 2 on 1 just before the end of the second period to help get that momentum back on the Tigers side.

In the third period the Giants had a goal disallowed after Video Replay determined the puck was knocked in with a high stick.

In the third it was Hunter Shinkaruk scoring twice on a perfectly placed shot on a mini-break and a rebound goal to cement the 5-1 victory.


Goalies
In the second period after Elgin Pearce created a turnover and scored unassisted, Giants Goalie Liam Liston looked to be in a lot of discomfort. It looked like Liston pulled a back or leg muscle as he could not stand up without support, and had to be taken out of the game in favor of Tyler Fuhr.

 I thought Can Lanigan played really well, and even though the Tigers won 5-1 it could have been a very different game if the giants popped one in during that second period. Lanigan leads the league in goals against, and save percentage........Pretty damn good trade for a 7th round pick.

Heard scouting reports say he was prone to giving up bad goals or bad games, but we haven't seen a trace of that as of yet. 

Kale Kessy
 Kale Kessy played well in his return to the arena knocking in the only Giants goal . Both Tiger Defencemen went to take him out, and resulted in a Giants Breakaway. Lanigan stopped the shot but the rebound laid at the side of the net in between a couple Tigers who didn't realize the puck was at their feet. Kessy skated by and swiped it into the net.

I thought the Tigers defenceman played really well in making sure Kessy wasn't barging in on Lanigan. During his Tiger days he would do this quite often and the Tigers Dmen solidly kept tabs on him from doing so.

Kessy and Bredo had a bit of a thing going, as they seemed to be giving it to each other whenever they were close by.

Everyone played fairly well, however I thought Miles Koules was off his game tonight. I thought he lost a lot of the small battles and could have played better.

Jake Doty
With his goal tonight Doty matched his previous seasonal high in points with his 7th point in 18 games.

What's Next
The Tigers take on a surging Lethbridge team Friday Night in Lethbridge. It could be a goaltenders battle as Ty Rimmer is sporting a .921 save percentage through 17 games played.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Curtis Valk Named CHL Player of the Week

Valk collected 10 points, scoring seven goals and three assists to go with a +4 rating, in four games over the past week helping the Tigers to a 4-0-0-0 road record.
http://www.whl.ca/article/valk-named-denny-s-whl-player-of-the-week
--------------------------------

Here are a couple former Tiger stats this year and last.

Manchester Monarchs (AHL)
Linden Vey - 4 points in 6 games, +3. (Last season he had 43 points in 74 games as a first year pro)


Norfolk Admirals (AHL)Emerson Etem - 0 points in 6 games

Oklahoma City (AHL)
Tyler Pitlick 2 points in 7 games (Pitlick had 23 points in 62 games as a first year pro)

Adirondack Phantoms (AHL)
Matt Konan  no games played due to offseason surgery.

Stockton Thunder (ECHL)
Tyler Bunz ((3-1-1) 1.97 G.A.A and a .915 save percentage

Binghamton Senators (AHL)
Wacey Hamilton (first year pro 11 points in 74 games -18 rating, 46 PM)
No data for this season.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Tigers Defeat Warriors 3-2 OT

1st Period

Warriors get a couple lucky bounces. Morgan Rielly missed a shot from the point but the puck bounced off the boards behind the net over to Justin Kirsch. Kirsch would throw a puck on net from behind the goal line which bounced in off of Cam Lanigan's pads. 1-0 Warriors

The Tigers would get the equalizer very late in the period. Curtis Valk made a nice move in his own end and took off down the ice.  Valk would pass the puck over to Elgin Pearce at the Tigers blue-line. Then at the Warriors blueline Pearce threaded a perfect pass back to Valk as he got a step on the Moose Jaw Defender. Valk drove to the net, looked to be going for the far side, then slid the puck short side past Moose Jaw goalie Justin Paulic. 1-1 Tie

2nd period
No Scoring.

 Both teams had some scoring chances. The Tigers generated quite a few prime scoring chances (including a couple short breakaways in close but could not close the deal. Lanigan also made a couple good saves including a breakaway save shorthanded.

I thought the Tigers did a really good job blocking shots.  Off the faceoff warriors big defenceman Joel Edmundson had room to lay into a slapshot from the high slot, and one of the smaller forwards went down and blocked it perfectly.

3rd Period
Just over 5 minutes in the Tigers would strike. Dylan Bredo and Jake Doty were both in a battle for the puck along the boards. Bredo would gain control walk out front, and his second shot found the five hole of Warriors Tender Justin Paulic. 2-1 Tigers

The momentum would change after Derek Ryckman tripped himself up and took out a warrior player causing the Tigers to go down shorthanded. The warriors wouldn't score but kept the play in the Tigers zone for a good chunk of time untill Tyler Lewington got called for roughing a couple minutes later.

On the Warriors powerplay they got another lucky break.  Justin Kirsch deked out Jayden Hart at the point. Walked to the middle and fired a pass through a maze of players. The pass would hit Sam Fioretti's skate and bounce into the net. 2-2 TIE

After this the Tigers picked up their game again.

Overtime
Some really good work by Boston Leier and Dylan Bredo.  Dylan Bredo was able to strip the puck off of Moose Jaw player Sam Fioretti. Bredo then found Derek Ryckman at the far side point.
Ryckman's shot would be blocked but Boston Leier who was in a battle for position in front was able to beat the warrior defenseman to the loose puck, then draw 3 warriors over to him behind the net. Leier threaded a nice pass through feet and sticks, over to a streaking Bredo. Bredo the lifted a high shot past the fallen Justin Paulic to seal the 3-2 Tigers Victory.

I thought Dylan Bredo and Boston Leier had incredible game tonight for the Tigers. Lanigan played very solid once again. 4 Game Winning Streak puts the Tigers back to .500

Next Action: Kale Kessy comes back to town as the Tigers take on the Vancouver Giants on a rare Thursday Night game. The giants have struggled as of late sporting a 3-10-0-0 record. However one of those 3 wins was a 6-1 Giants win over the Tigers.


Saturday, October 27, 2012

Tigers Defeat Regina 5-4

No Recap Tonight.

3 Game winning Streak puts the Tigers back to 1 game below .500.
Cam Lanigan left the game in the 3rd period. The coaches mentioned they took him out as a precaution after getting crashed into by Morgan Klimchuck.

3 Stars
1. Hunter Shinkaruk
2. Curtis Valk
3. Morgan Klimchuck

Friday, October 26, 2012

Tigers Destroy Calgary 10-1

Suprising Note
Kootenay overage Captain Drew Czerwonka decided to retire from hockey and start welding school. Kootenay Traded Elgin Pearce to the Tigers early in the year to cut down on their overagers and are now an overager short. 

Pre-Game

Calgary picked up Brendan Hurley prior to the game and he is in the lineup for Calgary.  The hitmen also have 4 guys out with injuries Brady Brassart,  Calder Brooks, Chase Clayton, Jayden Rissling.

Prior to the game
The Hitmen are 8-2-1-1 this season.
Tigers are 5-8-1-0 this season.



1st Period
Cam Lanigan with a couple good saves on an early Hitmen powerplay after Curtis Valk took a slashing penalty.

Then 5 minutes into the first the Tigers had some good pressure pinning the Hitmen in their zone. The Hitmen  would be forced to call a timeout to ease the pressure.

Hunter Shinkaruk had a breakaway opportunity but was stopped by Chris Driedger

At the 13:20 mark along the boards Jake Doty made a perfect pass over to Boston Leier streaking in from center ice who was able to get a step on the defender. Leier walked in and roofed it high glove side on Chris Driedger 1-0 Tigers

Late in the first period at the 19:25 mark. Dylan Busenius was just able to coral a bouncing puck at the blueline. Busenius would feed Shinkaruk on the half-wall who rifled a shot on net. Not quite sure exactly how the puck went in as the ref initially waved it off. But the hitmen team hesitated not knowing where the puck was, then made a mad dash for it behind the goalie but it was too late.
2-0 Tigers.

2nd Period

The Tigers completely dominate the Hitmen during this period.  They had something like three 5 on 3's during the period, and 5 goals. Keeping the goal summaries brief.

Hunter Shinkaruk went behind the net on an attempted wrap around. The puck would bounce in off Curtis Valk in front. They would go upstairs briefly and count it a goal. 3-0 Tigers

The Hitmen would change their goaltender Chris Driedger giving way to Mack Shields, but it didn't seem to help.

Fight
Boston Leier vs Pavlo Padikin.

After Dylan Bredo fired a shot and 2 rebounds on net Boston Leier would come in and take a swipe at the loose puck.. He was immediately grabbed by Padikan, and a wrestling match ensued.

Padikan would get an extra 2 for roughing.

On the powerplay play Dylan Busenius fed Curtis Valk in the middle who wired a shot top shelf
4-0 Tigers

Five minutes later Ty Stanton would get his first whl goal. The puck came out to him at the point and he fired a wrist shot on net to the far side. Their was a big scrum in front and the goalie couldn't see it in time. 5-0 Tigers

Off a bad Hitmen change Shinkaruk found Curtis Valk on the far side who walked in alone. Valk did a half second toe-drag and fired it over the shoulder of Mack Shields. 6-0 Tigers

Late in the period on a 5 on 3. Dylan Bredo fired a shot from the half-wall who beat Shields high on the short side. 7-0 Tigers 
 (The gamesheet says Valk scored this goal, but I believe thats wrong)


3rd Period
A minute in on the powerplay Tyler Lewington would blast one from the point and Chad Labelle would get a stick on it tipping it past Mack Shields. 8-0 Tigers

Hunter Shinkaruk with a couple dandy moves in the corner shovelled it out to Curtis Valk who rips his 4th of the game top shelf. 9-0 Tigers (Tigers top line was benched after this)

Hitmen would finally break the goose-egg. Cody Sylvester put one past Lanigan on a wrap around with a shot through Cam Lanigan's Five-Hole. 9-1 Tigers

Hitmen Josh Thrower was trying to goad a Tiger into a fight but it would give the Tigers a 3 on 2 rush up the ice. Broadhead shot went through the defenceman's leg putting it past the goalie glove side. 10-1 Tigers.

Didn't expect that.....Hands are tired from typing... Hurley was a -3 on the night for the hitmen.

 Valk with 4 goals. Busenius a +4 rating. Shinkaruk a goal and 4 assists.

Tigers VS Calgary Pre-Game

 Thanks to an anonymous commenter on the last post for picking this up.

Brendan Hurley has been picked up by the Calgary Hitmen. In 12 games for the Dauphin Kings Hurley picked up 18 points(12 goals 6 assists), including 40 penalty minutes. 

Found this on the Hitmen Informant.   


INJURIES:
Calgary:
#14 Brady Brassart, F, upper body, 2 weeks
#19 Calder Brooks, F, upper body, 30 day list
#15 Chase Clayton, F, lower body, 2 weeks
#9 Jayden Rissling, D, upper body, 1 week

It looks like Calgary is nursing a few injuries at forward, and needed some help and that's why they picked up Hurley.

I will be recapping tonight's game vs the Hitmen.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Tigers Defeat Kelowna 4-3 SO


Well I think Cam Lanigan is going to quickly become a fan favorite if he has more in him like he did tonight. Lanigan's Tiger debut at the Arena would turn out to be a game he probably won't forget as he stopped 55 of 58 Kelowna shots, including both shoot-out attempts for the win.

Kelowna scored the tie-ing goal with 24 seconds left in the game, however Lanigan made 2 highlight reel saves before Kelowna's leading scorer Myles Bell was able to roof it over top of him.

Late in the overtime Lanigan was able to stretch out his pad and make an unbelievable stop giving the Tigers a chance to win the game in the shootout.

  I thought the Tigers played the game like they were on the penalty kill. Kelowna likes to shoot from anywhere. Their were a lot of outside shots, but for the most part the defenceman did an incredible job at knocking away loose rebounds with the exception of the last Kelowna goal. I thought Kelowna looked frustrated at the end of the second period.

 I also thought Kelowna started the third period playing rope-a-dope, they weren't sharp, but the Tigers were unable to gain some momentum and it felt like Kelowna was then able to generate some chances because the Tigers laid back too much.


The difference tonight we all can agree on was the goaltending, the tigers were fortunate to come out with 2 points.

Links
Gamesheet
Regan's Rant
MH News - Lanigan Steals a win

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Oil Kings Defeat Tigers 4-2

 Cam Lanigan is the Starter Tonight. He first appeared in the whl with the Edmonton Oil Kings and is facing them in his Tigers Debut.


First Period
Tigers get off to a good start. On their second Shift Curtis Valk and Trevor Cox went down on a 2 on 1. Valk fed Cox a nice pass who tipped a pass five hole passed Edmonton netminder Lauren Brossant. 1- 0 Tigers

FIGHT
Dylan Busenius fed Trevor Cox a bit of a suicide pass and Oil King defender Stephen Shmoorkoff stepped up and leveled Cox with a high hit.

Dereck Ryckman immediately stepped up and engaged Shmoorkoff in a fight. It was a short Fight but it was all Ryckman as he fed Shmoorkoff knuckle sandwiches until the refs stepped in.Shmoorkoff would go the the dressing room leaking.

Shmoiirkoff would get a major for elbowing, and Ryckman would get the instigator. It would still lead to a Tigers Powerplay.

On the powerplay, Miles Koules would feed Curtis Valk at the point. Valk onetimed it past Lauren Brossoit for a 2-0 Tiger Lead.

It looks like the coaches were preaching defense, as the Oil kings only had1 decent opportunity on net.

Second Period
Would belong to the Oil Kings


Steven Owre was would get called for a tripping penalty after over-reaching and knocking an Oil King player over. On the powerplay Dylan Wruck would blast a shot from the point. Curtis Lazar would get his stick on it, tipping it past Cam Lanigan top shelf.   2-1 Tigers.

The Tigers defense would get caught. Keegan Lowe from his blueline would feed a very long pass to Mitch Moroz in behind the Tigers Defense. Morox would have a mini breakaway and beat Lanigan blocker side. 2-2 TIE

The Tigers Defense is playing a lot better, but a PP goal, and a slight hiccup by Busenius and Ryckman would leave the game tied heading into the third period.

Third Period
Controversial play. Off the rush Keegan Lowe ran into Cam Lanigan knocking off his glove and stick. The puck would bounce into the corner where Oil King Edgars Kulda would immediately throw the puck on net. The puck would bounce off Lanigan's pad into the net from a bad angle.
 The refs would go upstairs and take while but ruled it a goal. 3-2 Oil Kings.

Some bad puck luck. A tip in, a controversial goal, and a goal where an Oil King player was cherry picking led to another loss.

Cam Lanigan couldn't be faulted for any of the goals, and played well in his Tiger Debut. It just seems like whenever the Tigers are playing good, they fall victim to some bad luck, or a bad goal. Overall the game was pretty boring, as their wasn't a whole lot of offensive chances, but the Tigers had a couple chances late in the game to tie.

Next Action: Wednesday Night Kelowna Rockets Come to town.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Tigers Re-assign Dawson MacAuley

MacAuley has been sent down to the Yorkton Terriers of the SJHL

Prospects
Also 7 Tiger prospects have been named to teams for the 2012 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup.

Jordan Xavier - Calgary Northstars (5th round pick) Team Alberta
Ty Schultz - Vancouver Candians (1st round pick) Team British Columbia

Mitchell Dyck - Pembina Valley Hawks (6th round pick) Team Manitoba
Bradley Forrest - Calgary Buffaloes (8th round pick) Team Alberta
Jake Fletcher - Valley West Hawks (9th round pick) Team British Columbia

Mathew Bradley - Valley West Hawks ( 2nd round pick) Team British Columbia

Late Edit (Found another one, Not sure if he is still on their ppl or not)
Justin Szeto -  Vancouver Canadians   Team British Columbia

Tigers website just updated their article, and only mentioned the 6 guys mentioned above. Not sure if Szeto is on their PPL or not.



Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Tigers Aquire Overage Goaltender

Medicine Hat, AB – Medicine Hat Tigers announced this afternoon the acquisition of 20-year-old goaltender Cam Lanigan from the Portland Winterhawks. The Tigers will send Portland a seventh round pick in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft.

The native of Calgary, AB is off to a terrific start in his fifth WHL season, posting a 1.00 goals against average in his first three games including one shutout. He also sports a very impressive .960 save percentage and leads all WHL goaltenders in both categories.

Lanigan helped the Kamloops Blazers take the Portland Winterhawks to a seven-game series in last year's Western Conference final.

“We are pleased with the overall effort of our team and are especially excited about the development of our younger players. At this time, we believe it is necessary to bring in a veteran goaltender. We look forward to Cam joining our organization,” said Tigers’ general manager/head coach Shaun Clouston.

The move gives the Tigers four overage players with Lanigan joining Elgin Pearce, Derek Ryckman and Alex Theriau, who is currently on the injured reserved list.

“We will continue to evaluate our overage situation as we move forward,” stated Clouston


http://www.tigershockey.com/article/tigers-deal-for-veteran-cam-lanigan 
-------------------


Just when you think the over-ager situation is  solved..... I think a 7th round pick is pretty cheap as the Tigers were probably the only team on the market looking for overage goaltender. (Lethbridge gave up a 2nd and 3rd for their overage goalie for reference)

  I think with the goaltenders that Dawson MacAuley might be the odd man out ,although the Tigers have some room to be flexible and see what exactly Lanigan Brings to the table.

 When Alex Theriau comes back it will give the Tigers two weeks (Edit Originally had one, that was incorect) to make their decision on who to keep. With the impact that Pearce has made in the lineup, and knowing what Theriau brings to the table I find it difficult to see either one of those 2 players leaving.

The scouting report on Lanigan says that he shows a lot of athleticism, and has the ability to make a key save but sometimes his mental focus isn't their. He played great for Kamloops down the stretch run last year, and some portland fans are wishing they had kept him.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Brandon Defeats Tigers 7-6

Frustrating Loss. The Tigers blew 3 two goal leads.

 Positives
 I thought in the first half of the second period the Tigers were playing pretty good defense. Brandon had a slight territorial edge during this time but the Tigers never really gave up any good scoring chances, and it led to Curtis Valk putting the Tigers up 4-2 at that point. If they are looking for video of what they did right, that is the part of the game they did well on.

 I thought the best players on the ice for the Tigers was the 4th line, Elgin Pearce, and Tyler Lewington. Ryckman played good as well. The Tigers coaches were throwing the 4th line out almost double shifting them in the third period, because they seemed to be the only line that was playing in Brandon's end consistently.

 I was impressed with Cole Sanford I thought it has been a couple games in a row where he has played really well.

The powerplay was 2/3 with both goals coming off shots from the half-wall.

 Now for the Negatives
I thought the Tigers defenseman got caught too many times trying to skate the puck out of their own end and turning the puck over when their were passing options open, (more-so directed towards Busenius, and Becker)

 Dylan Busenius has a tendency to hesitate with the puck instead of head-manning the puck, and whenever he does this I cringe a little because his % of making a decent play drops like a batter on an 0-2 count. I counted 3 plays tonight where he didn't headman the puck and put himself in a low percentage spot which resulted in Brandon turning the puck over and scoring.

Its hard to fault a goalie when a team gives up 42 shots on net, but I thought MacAuley didn't look very good in the net against Brandon. He wasn't very good fighting or controlling his rebounds and his reaction time was slow.

A little concerned as Jayden Hart wasn't dressed tonight. I Hope he didn't get sick again?  

Thoughts/Ideas

 This may sound funny to you but despite the Loss I thought the bottom 3 forward lines took a baby step forward in their defensive play. The top line however a combined -11 is unacceptable. (-16 if you count Bus)

 What do you guys think of breaking up Shinkaruk and Koules? Perhaps testing out Pearce on 1st line right wing, and dropping Koules to the 2nd? I think it may be an idea worth exploring if Pearce can play right wing.

This team is 4-7-1-0 but I think with some better play in their own zone the record could have been reversed.  Now that Bunz isn't here mistakes in the D Zone will be magnified.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Blades Defeat Tigers 6-3

4th Game in 5 nights and I thought it showed on the ice. I thought the Tigers weren't very sharp and it was a bit of a sloppy game from the Tigers perspective. I thought this was a game the Tigers could have won if they had brought a better work ethic, but they didn't deserve the 2 points tonight.

 A major factor in tonight's game was the powerplay/penalty kill. The blades were 3 for 4. The Tigers were 0 for 6.


Jake Doty had another highlight reel fight this time with Saskatoon's Jessey Astles. Doty served his penalty played a shift and then wasn't seen back on the ice afterwards. The coaches mentioned on the radio that he sprained a finger and couldn't grip the stick afterwards.

 I thought the rookie line showed a lot of spark


Update on Former Tigers
Rhyse Dieno (SJHL La Ronge Ice Wolves) - 15 points in 9 games
 (1st in league scoring)
Brendan Hurley (Dauphin Kings MJHL) - 14 points in 9 games
(3rd in league scoring)
Kenny Cameron (Spruce Grove Saints AJHL)  - 5 Wins 2 losses  2.38 GAA  .886 save percentage

Riley Sheen (Seattle WHL) - 8 points in 7 games
Reid Petryk (Everett WHL) - 5 points in 9 games.

It's good to see these guys not only doing well but excelling with their new teams.


Doty Vs Astles Fight




Saturday, October 13, 2012

Tigers Clobber PG 7-2

 Brief Thoughts

Tigers had a bit of a rough start but I thought Marek Langhamer made a couple really good saves and If it wasn't for his early stops the Tigers could have been down a few quick goals early. I also thought Langhamer showed a lot more confidence playing the puck behind his net.

Jayden Hart was back after his unknown illness and looked really good scoring a pair of goals.
 I thought his line of Boston Leier, and Jake Doty played really well together. Doty scored his first goal as a Tiger and also just missed an open net chance.

Boson Leier also had a helluva game with 4 assists on the night. He is finding his game like he did at the end of last season.

The Tigers  put Kyle Becker back on the first PP unit and whaddya know their powerplay scored 2 goals, including a goal by Becker. Becker didn't have his best game tonight but as of right now I think he should be a staple on the first PP unit until proven otherwise.

Chad Butcher also scored his first goal as a Tiger.

Elgin Pearce had a 2 point night and is looking like a very good pickup. Getting him for a 5th rounder will make up for the deal when the Tigers gave up a 3rd for Hurley.


I thought PG's forwards got caught up in the rush way too often and their goal-tending wasn't very good. They fumbled the puck around lots and it just wasn't their night.


With the big lead by the second period the Tigers were able to give a lot of ice time to the 4th line, and that should help out fatigue-wise as tomorrow is their 4th game in 5 nights.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Tigers Trade Kessy to Vancouver

Medicine Hat, AB – The Medicine Hat Tigers announced this afternoon they have traded 20-year-old forward Kale Kessy to the Vancouver Giants. The Tigers will receive a conditional 5th round pick in the 2015 WHL bantam draft.

“We would like to thank Kale for the time, effort and contribution he made over the last three seasons to our organization,” stated Tigers’ GM  Head Coach Shaun Clouston. “We wish Kale great success with the Giants.”

The move of Kessy to Vancouver brings the Tigers into line with the WHL’s 20-year-old limit of three players. The three 20-year-olds will be recently acquired Derek Ryckman and Elgin Pearce along with defenseman Alex Theriau who is now back in Medicine Hat finishing up rehab after off season surgery.

The Tigers embark on a busy weekend with three games in three nights beginning in Red Deer tonight prior to hosting Prince George tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.and Saskatoon on Sunday at 6:00 p.m.

http://tigershockey.com/article/tigers-deal-kessy-to-giants

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I think their is a strong chance Kessy will be sent back to the whl from Portland Pirates (ahl)
With all of his suspensions it looked like Kessy wore out his welcome with the coaches. I think he is a player that fans either loved or hated. I thought that Kale improved a lot towards the end of last season and the playoffs before his concussion. Even at the start of this season he showed improvement untill the elbow that took out Ryan Pilon deflated everything. (Pilon is still out with an injury)

I think Kessy has November 1st circled on his calendar when the Giants next visit Medicine Hat. The giants focus a lot on their cycle down low and work ethic and I think Kessy will be able to play a big role within the giants system if he can keep his nose clean.

Also I wont be able to recap tonights game in Red Deer due to other commitments.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Oil Kings Defeat Tigers 4-2


Their were a bazillion scouts in the stands, watching Hunter Shinkaruk go head to head with the Oil King's Curtis Lazar. Both players are expected to be high first round picks in next years NHL Draft.

Shinkaruk had an extra jump in his step and played really well despite only getting 1 powerplay assist, and a -1 rating.
 

Tigers out-shot Edmonton 36-21, the Oil Kings also took 9 penalties, yet it was the Oil Kings who jumped out to a commanding 4-0 lead. I thought the Tigers started the game off well, but the Oil Kings had the Tigers on the ropes after they killed their first of two 5 on 3's. When Boston Leier took the slashing penalty 6:16 into the first, the momentum changed in favor of Edmonton, and it stayed that way till the middle of the second period.

 I thought the Tigers could have weathered the storm a lot better. To me it seemed like mentally they zoned out for a bit. The small things like not throwing any hits, putting passes just out of reach, and not sticking with their man got them in some hot water. Towards the end of the first they started playing a little better but still gave up a couple high quality scoring chances. They need to find a way to limit these defensive lapses as a couple shifts in their own zone tends to knock em out for a while.

Halfway though the game the momentum changed a complete 180. Highlighted by 2 goals, 2 minutes apart and Jacob Doty getting into his first fight this season laying a beatdown on  6'4-203 lb Mason Geertson.(Doty got a standing ovation from both the fans and his teammates)  For the rest of the game the Oil Kings were in trouble as the Tigers were swarming the Oil Kings zone, but it was their goaltender Laurent Brossoit bailing them out.
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I really liked Dylan Bredo's play tonight. I usually don't mention him because he always plays solid, but he made quite a few really smart plays. I also thought Ty Stanton took some steps being a lot more comfortable on the ice back from injury. We got our first look at Elgin Pearce and he didn't disappoint.  Gavin Broadhead also layed out a couple good hits, although the last one was a borderline penalty.

Edmonton is ranked #9 in the country and the Tigers severely outplayed them for half the game.  Even though this was a loss in the standings I hope they take away some confidence from this game and use it on the weekend.

Next Up: Tigers play all 3 nights this weekend, starting Friday in Red Deer then back home Saturday/Sunday against P.G and Saskatoon.

Doty vs Geertsen Fight

Friday, October 5, 2012

Giants Drop the Tigers 6-1

 Edit: Tyler Bunz was sent down to Stockton of the ECHL Saturday morning. He had an excellent AHL camp, but the plan was for him to see a lot of games in the echl this year.


 1st Period

Last night the Tigers got out to a quick 3-0 lead. Tonight it was the other way around and a bit uglier.

48 seconds into the game the Giants rushed down the Ice on 3 on 2. The puck would get passed to the trailer and he fired a shot on net. Langhamer stopped it but left a rebound, in which Riley Kieser smoked it in. 1-0 Giants

Cain Franson would carry the puck into the zone, circle back and draw Derek Ryckman over to him. Franson fired a high shot on net.  Langhamer would give up another rebound right onto the stick of Brett Kulak who pinched in from the point and buried it. 2-0 Giants

The Tigers would call a Timeout, but it didn't seem to help as right off the next draw Tyler Lewington would get called for tripping.

On the ensuing poweplay Cain Franson would walk off the half-wall and take a shot through traffic. The puck somehow found its way passed Marek Langhamer, and trickled in. 3-0 Giants

That would end Marek Langhamer's night, giving way to Dawson MacAuley. MacAuley was tested immediately stopping a breakaway chance.

Late in the period on a mini 2 on 2. Marek Tvrdon would make a nice move but ran out of real-estate as he crashed into Dawson MacAuley. The puck would lay at the side of the net with MacAuley down and Jackson Houck would get his first of the season. 4-0 Giants

2nd Period

 Dawson MacAuley comes with up two awesome saves early in the period.
About 6 minutes into the period the Tigers switched up their line combos, and it has seemed to give them a spark.

On the powerplay. Well officially it was not credited as a PP goal, but Kyle Becker threw a shot from the point on net. Curtis Valk would get his stick on it for a tip and put the Tigers on the board
4-1 Giants.

The giants still managed too many scoring chances for my liking, but the Tigers looked a lot better after they switched up their lines. Trevor Cox was robbed with an open net on a rebound by Vancouver Goaltender Tyler Fuhr.

3rd Period

 Giants would strike a couple more times in rapid succession early. David Musil would fire a shot from the point and it would bounce off the back of Tristan Sieben and into the net. 5-1 Giants

14 seconds later the Giants would strike again. Elgin Pearce's breakout pass would get intercepted and the giants would generate a 2 on 1 down low.  Marek Tvrdon would give a perfect cross ice pass over to Nathan Burns, who tipped it in the open net.. MacAuley had no chance on it. 6-1 Giants

Game Over

 Thoughts
Marek Langhamer had some troubles with his rebounds early, and that quick 3-0 giants lead seemed to deflate the Tigers. This game could have been uglier, Dawson MacAuley made some high quality stops in relief. I thought the Vets didn't show up tonight, and it was a disappointing effort all around. Changing up the lines in the second period created a small spark but the Tigers couldn't establish a consistent fore-check.

I thought these past 5 periods the second and third efforts in the Tigers game has dissipated. I wasn't happy with the efforts of some of the veteran players. Perhaps its getting used to the road again, but I wanna see the "pop" back in their game before it turns into a bad habit.


One player that stood out for the right reasons in both road games was defenceman Spenser Jensen. Jensen looked really good and was a big physical presence on the ice.

Note: I will be unable to recap Saturdays game against Kamloops.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Victoria Defeats Tigers 4-3 OT

Elgin Pearce is wearing #15

Ridley Mentioned Alex Theriau skated with the Tigers last night at practice, and his Time-Frame to return is late October, early November.
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1st Period

Tigers get off to another good start. It seems to be a common theme early in the season so far, and I like it!

The Tigers would score on their first shot of the game. Boston Leier fed a pass to Trevor Cox who would cross into the zone and let a shot rip from the high circle area. It beat Victoria Goaltender Patrik Polivka glove side. 1- 0 Tigers

A little past the halfway point Victoria's Austin Carroll would get penalized for knocking the stick out of Miles Koules hands.

On the Power-play Trevor Cox fed a pinching Spenser Jensen in the high slot area. Jensen's first shot would be stopped, however Cox was Johnny on the spot for the rebound to score his 2nd of the game. 2-0 Tigers.

The first period saw the Tigers completely roll all 4 lines. I wouldn't have been surprised to see the rookie line earn more Ice-Time than the Tigers top line.
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2nd Period

The Royals would come to play in the second period.  But despite this the Tigers would increase their lead to three.


13:44 into the second period, the forwards were on a partial line change. Kyle Becker made a nice pass up the boards to Hunter Shinkaruk streaking to the opposite side of the bench. He managed a nice little give and go with Elgin Pearce.  This gave Shinkaruk lots of room in the slot and Fired a bullet in off the post. 3-0 Tigers.

With 5 minutes to go in the period the Royals got a lucky bounce on a 2 on 1. Jamie Crooks tried to make a cross ice pass but a fallen Tyler Lewington would block the pass after he fell over backwards. Tthe momentum would squirt the puck right back to Crooks who slid it along the ice past Langhamer who had Tyler Lewington crashing right into him. 3-1 Tigers

Late in the period the Royals had an extended shift in the Tigers zone. The group of 5 were worn out after a long shift, and Elgin Pearce would get called for tripping.

With 7 seconds left in the period former Hitmen Alex Gogolev found Defenseman Tyler Stahl at the point. Stahl would fire a slapper at the net, and amid the scramble in front Brandon Magee would get a stick on the puck for a deflection and the puck would squirt between the pads of Marek Langhamer. 3-2 Tigers

The royals were the slightly better team in that period. The Tigers didn't get too many prime scoring chances, whereas the Royals had a few extended shifts in the Tigers zone.

3rd Period

Watching was a bundle of nerves. The Royals were all over the Tigers, Marek Langhamer made a number of very good saves, as it felt like the Tigers were gripping their sticks tight with nervous hands. They only managed 1 shot the whole period. It seemed like a matter of time before......

Very Late in the period with the goalie pulled, the Tigers forgot about the man on the far side of the net. Ben Walker threw a pass across the crease over to Alex Gogolev. Gogolev had some time to roof it past a fallen Langhamer. 3-3 TIE

Overtime
Hunter Shinkaruk would attempt to drive the net wide and pass it back to the point. The puck was picked of by Royal Forward Logan Nelson. Nelson would then shove a bank pass off the boards to get a step on Derek Ryckman. Nelson would attempt a wrap around, he missed the wrap around but the puck came squirting right into the slot area. During the wrap-around somehow Marek Langhamer's stick and glove would come off.  Royals Defenceman Brett Cote would fire a shot, and it bounced off of Lewington's shin pads passed Langhamer stick side who was missing both his stick and glove. 4-3 Royals Win
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 Marek Langhamer was phenomenal in net and a big reason why the Tigers managed to get a point. At one point in the third he stopped a side to side to side shot barrage, and then a mini-breakaway right after.  Langhamer was also run over about 5 or 6 times through the game by both teams. I thought he had a stellar night.  Their were some missed defensive assignments late in the third period that I'm sure the coaches will be looking at to fix.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Tigers Trade Prospect

MEDICINE HAT, AB - The Medicine Hat Tigers announced this morning they have traded 17-year-old prospect Devon McAndrews to the Tri-City Americans. In return, the Tigers will receive a conditional 6th round pick in the 2014 Bantam Draft.

"EDIT: The WHL website lists the pick as a 6th round pick in the 2014 Bantam Draft."
(Tigers site says 2013)

McAndrews is currently playing with Spruce Grove Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.

"The Tigers appreciate the time and effort Devon has put into his game since being put on our protected list," stated Tigers' gm/head coach Shaun Clouston. "We wish Devon all the best in his future hockey endeavours."

The Tigers will embark on a three game road trip into the BC division beginning on Wednesday in Victoria before heading to Vancouver on Friday and rounding out the trip in Kamloops on Friday.

http://www.tigershockey.com/article/tigers-deal-prospect-mcandrews-to-tri-city

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Bob Tory the Tri-City GM comments on the trade

"Devon is a big power forward with a huge upside," stated Tory. "We hope that, after conversations with Devon and his family, he decides to join our program."


http://www.kapptv.com/article/2012/oct/01/americans-deal-forward-prospect/

Hunter Shinkaruk Named WHL Player of the Week

CALGARY, AB. - The Western Hockey League announced today that Medicine Hat Tigers’ forward Hunter Shinkaruk is the Denny’s WHL Player of the Week.

Shinkaruk collected six points, scoring one goal and five assists to go with a +2 rating, in two games over the past week helping the Tigers to a 2-0-0-0 record.

On Friday, September 28, the Tigers were in Red Deer to face the Rebels at the Enmax Centrium. Shinkaruk picked up two assists in Tigers 5-4 win over the Rebels. The next night, Saturday, September 29, the Tigers were back at the Arena in Medicine Hat hosting the Regina Pats. Shinkaruk scored one goal, added three assists and was named the game’s 1st Star in the Tigers 5-1 victory over the Pats.

http://www.whl.ca/article/shinkaruk-denny-s-whl-player-of-the-week

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Shinkaruk racked up quite a few points on special teams last week. The Tigers have already scored 10 powerplay goals in just 4 games.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Tigers Defeat Regina 5-1


Before the Game the Tigers Acquired Overager Elgin Pearce from Kootenay for a 5th round 2013 draft pick. He will join the Tigers on their BC road trip starting on Wednesday in Victoria.

Kale Kessy has moved up to Phoenix's Farm Team in preparation for the AHL/ECHL training Camps. Looking at Phoenix's Depth Charts I find it hard to see Kessy sticking in the AHL. More Likely he gets sent to the ECHL or back to the Tigers. 

Jayden Hart and Ty Stanton were scratched with Day-To-Day Injuries. It allowed Cole Sanford, and Matt Staples to see their first game of the season.

 
 Brief Thoughts


Through 2 periods the game seemed a little dry. Lots of neutral zone play and not a whole lot of shots on the net.  Regina's only Goal I'm sure Marek Langhamer would have liked to have back. Lane Scheidl fired a shot from just inside the blue-line which beat him glove side.

In the third period it looked like Regina started to tire out a little. We saw the same thing with Lethbridge during the Home Opener where the Tigers stuck with it and by the third period the other team had no legs left.

Curtis Valk scored another High-Light Reel Goal, undressing half of the guys on the ice and the goalie, which gave the Tigers a 2-1 Lead at that point.

We saw Jacob Doty get a little more ice-time. He was used on the powerplay standing in front.

The more I Watch Kyle Becker the more I'm wondering how the hell he wasn't on this roster full time earlier.  He scored the Tigers first Goal with a rocket top corner on the powerplay, and continued his steady defensive play.

I see improvements from Trevor Cox on the ice. He looks more shifty/ able to anticipate the next play better.

 Miles Koules displayed his Hand-Eye coordination, and play-making skills knocking a couple pucks out of mid-air, and scored his 2nd goal in as many games.

Derek Ryckman looked to be fighting the puck a little, but Ryckman and Lewington are proving to be strong steady presences on the back-end.

I thought Shinkaruk looked a bit snake-bit, even though he managed a 4 point night.

Spenser Jensen has improved. I like how he has been able to turn and match the speed of the smaller forwards who try to beat him to the outside..

Cole Sanford dressed for his first game of the year, and he didn't look out of place. The young guys Labelle, Penner, Butcher, Owre  also looked good.

Matt Staples dressed for his first game of the year. Their is no doubt he shows a lot of mobility and vision on the back-end, his defensive game is something that will need a bit of work.

-----------------
After Two Home Game, and watching 2 road Webcasts I am impressed by the Tigers play so far this season. They have Outshout the opposition by a wide margin, and have limited the opposition team to under 30 shots in 3 of the 4 games. The defense is doing a hell of a lot better than I thought they would be and is actually a strong point 4 games in.

I'm anxious to see how they would fare against Edmonton and Saskatoon.

Tigers Aquire Another Overager

Cranbrook, BC – Jeff Chynoweth, General Manager of the Kootenay ICE Hockey Club, today announced the club has traded 20-year-old Forward Elgin Pearce to the Medicine Hat Tigers in exchange for a fifth round pick in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft.

“With us having four 20-year-old players we knew we had to get down to the League maximum of three prior to the 20-year-old deadline on October 11th. With numerous 1992 born players eligible to return for their overage season we wanted to ensure Elgin had the opportunity to play his final season in the WHL. We would like to thank Elgin for his three years with our Hockey Club and wish him all the best in Medicine Hat,” added Chynoweth

http://jeffhollick.blogspot.ca/

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A little surprised at the move myself,  This Leaves Kale Kessy, Elgin Pearce, Alex Theriau, and Derek Ryckman fighting for the last 3 spots. With the Recent acquisitions of Ryckman and Pearce I'm wondering if Kale Kessy or Alex Theriau have played their last game as a Tiger.

Edit: It looks like Kale Kessy may be expected to move up to the AHL/ECHL.


 Scouting Report
Pearce scored 21 goals and added 14 assists for 35 points in 69 games last year for Kootenay.

Friday, September 28, 2012

Tigers Defeat Rebels 5-4

First Period

Tigers came out flying. 4 shots within the first 90 seconds of the game. All of a sudden the bad luck train rolled over them.

The rebels second shot on net was deflected, and amid a mad scramble it looked like the Tigers defense and Dawson MacAuley was able to get to the puck and cover it up. The refs went upstairs and after a long discussion it was deemed a goal. 1-0 Rebels  The Commish Ron Robison would say during an interview that the puck looked over the line by 1/100 of an inch.

Jacob Doty would get nailed for a roughing penalty during the scrum after the whistle.

On the penalty Kill, Tiger Derek Ryckman would win the puck then fan on a pass out of the zone, and the puck would squirt straight to Joel Hamilton who roofed it from the slot. 2-0 Rebels

A minute after that Adam Kambeitz won a battle behind the net, and placed a perfect pass in between two tiger defenders near the left faceoff circle, where a streaking Tyson Ness put a low shot on net and somehow found its way past Dawson MacAuley for a very quick
3-0 Rebel Lead.

That would chase Dawson MacAuley from the net, in favor of Marek Langhamer.

The Tigers would respond with a shorthanded goal. Hunter Shinkaruk would get some room to wheel, and managed to squeak by Rebel Kayle Doetzel on the outside. He would cut to the middle just as Rebels Goaltender Patrik Bartosak came out to challenge him. Shinkaruk would leap over the goalie and get knocked into the net by the other Rebel defender as the puck lay loose in the slot. Dylan Bredo would fire a shot into the net just as Shinkaruk would knock the net off. Refs went upstairs to review and deemed it a goal. 3-1 Rebels.
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2nd Period
 Early in the second period the Rebels Captain Adam Kambeitz would get called for tripping up Hunter Shinkaruk.

On the powerplay Kyle Becker would have his shooting lane blocked so he walked the line and fired a low pass/shot over towards the side of the net.  Trevor Cox was able to get a back-handed deflection and the puck went over the shoulder of Patrik Bartosak. 3-2 Rebels

On the powerplay the Tigers would even up the game.  Off the Half-Wall Hunter Shinkaruk made a perfect cross ice pass over to Miles Koules. Koules first shot was stopped, however he got his own rebound and somehow found a tiny sliver of space on the short side to tie the game 3-3 TIE.

The Tigers would get quite a few good scoring opportunities. Their #1 line of Shinkaruk, Valk, and Koules is causing the rebels all sorts of troubles. 

 and Marek Langhamer stood tall when he was called upon. Shots were 33-26 in favor of the Tigers at this point.


3rd Period

Rebels Charles Inglis would trip up Trevor Cox on a rush up the ice, giving the Tigers a powerplay.

Kyle Becker would walk the blue-line, pass over to Leier who one-timed it. Leier half fanned on the shot, and Trevor Cox would pick up the loose puck and bury it at the side of the net. 4-3 Tigers

The Rebels would tie up the game on the powerplay, after Chad Labelle fired it up and over the glass for a Rebels Powerplay.

Charles Inglis from the point walked in down the boards, and cut in front, past a sprawling Kyle Becker. Langhamer was positioned a bit awkward as he was halfway into his net, and Inglis stuffed it in. 4-4 TIE

Ty Stanton would make  nice pass to Trevor Cox who relayed another nice pass to a streaking Jayden Hart. Hart had a bit of space and fired a low shot from the high slot and it beat Patrik Bartosak.
 5-4 Tigers.

Thoughts


I thought the Tigers speed created lots of trouble for the Rebels. It caused the rebels veterans to take quite a few penalties and the tigers made them pay.

The Tigers had a rough start as 3 goals beat Dawson MacAuley on the first 6 rebel shots. Marek Langhamer was able to come and play a very solid game to get the Tigers the Victory.

Next Game: Saturday Night at the Arena against the Regina Pats.