Regina's #1 goaltender Tyler Brown is out day to day with an injury. They called up 16yr old Max Paddock and gave him his 3rd career whl start.
First Period
Tigers start this game on fire....They had some good pressure to start the game in the pats zone.
Steven Owre gets the Tigers on the board on the PP with a top shelf shot.
Off a broken play James Hamblin flips the puck to the net and it rolls off the young Paddock's blocker. Mark Rassall somehow gets a stick on the rebound. Maybe a bit of luck off a young goaltender.
The next goal was a beauty by Mark Rassall. Rassall completely undressed a recent acquisition for Regina in Dawson Davidson(from kamloops) in front of the net and poked the puck in five-hole passed Paddock.
The Tigers jumped out to a very quick 3-0 Lead.
Pats Comeback
Honestly the pats were really lucky here. Both goals were PP goals. Both penalties the Tigers took were accidental calls.
The one call was a high stick but they took the wrong player to the box. Kirichenko high sticked a pat player on a back-hand follow through(which shouldn't be called) They took the wrong player Matt Bradley to the box.
It was Connor Hobbs with a one-timed blast from the point with traffic in front that beat Schneider. Schneider just missed this one. It hit his blocker but the shot was hard enough that it was a glancing stop and deflected into the net.
Pats Second Goal
Macpherson accidentally tripped a pats player in the corner, Going for a pokecheck that hit the skate.
Here Sam steel walked the perimeter and passed over to Adam Brooks. The Tigers here resorted to some bad habits. Brooks was at the far boards, but none of the Tigers had their heads on a swivel, and Schneider didn't go post to post properly.
Brooks scored on a shot where he didn't get good wood on the shot from the boards. It could have been prevented.
Score: 3-2 Tigers
Final Chances:
I calculated the Tigers out-chanced the Pats 7-6
Second Period
It seems Connor Hobbs is a plus 1000 against the Tigers but he made a mistake on this one. He lazily went into his own end and made an outlet pass that was intercepted.
Some quick passing by the Tigers turned into a rocket shot by John Dahlstrom that the young Max Paddock probably should have corralled.
Sam Steel Show
Moments later Sam Steel would chase Nick Schneider from the net. A puck squirted out from the board and Steel was given an opportunity to fire a wrist shot from the slot.
Schneider lost his crease positioning and steel's shot beat Schneider stick side up high.
The Tigers pulled Schneider after this play
John Dahlstrom Show
The Tigers would reclaim a 2 goal lead. In the high slot off a pass a hard shot Beat Max Paddock Blocker side. A negative of a younger goaltender in net. Dahlstrom's hard shots are proving tough for Paddock to stop.
5-3 Tigers
In this period the pats had a lot of pressure in the Tigers zone. Michael Bullion made a number of high quality saves to keep the Tigers in the game. If not for him this game might be tied. Tigers got away from their strong positioning that they displayed in the first period.
Total Prime Chances: 12-11 Regina.
Third Period
The pats opened up with a lot of pressure.Michael Bullion made a number of highlight reel saves, one which you will likely see in the WHL weekly Top Ten. The Brandt Centre already had their red lights on, a darkened arena, and smoke going off behind the net before they realized Bullion made the save.
Pats Tie the Game
However the Pats kept pressing and would tie the game.
The pats 4th goal was complete luck. Jeff Dewitt was turned around and attempted a pass though his legs. mason Shaw tried to stop the pass with his skates and he re-directed it past Bullion.
5-4 Tigers
Moments later Zach Fischer was a little too slow getting back and left his man an opportunity to receive a pass in the high slot. Dawson Leedahl popped the puck in top shelf 5-5 TIE
Tigers Finish Strong
Another misplay by Connor Hobbs. he was pinching but got caught and no-one was covering for him. Steven Owre made him pay with a hard shot from the top of the circle which beat Max Paddock.
6-5 Tigers
Off a broken play Zach Fischer rang the puck off the post. The puck landed right in front of Paddock. Paddock momentarily put his glove over the puck but lifted it up, and the puck kept it's momentum going into the back of the net. 7-5 Tigers
Fischer also got an empty netter after Regina pulled their goaltender early.
Final Score 8-5 Tigers
Final Chances: 16-19 Regina
Summary
The Tigers started the game very well, perfect positioning but got extremely unlucky with 2 accidental penalties which resulted in Pats PP goals.
The Tigers took advantage of a young goaltender in net with 8 goals. Micheal Bullion came in relief of Nick Schneider and played outstanding hockey.
The pats out-chanced the Tigers in this one but Bullion made some very good saves which kept the Tigers in the game when Regina was pressing. Rassall, Owre, Dahlstrom, James Hamblin had very strong games for the Tigers.
This is likely a good confidence booster for most of the team beating the #1 team in the CHL without 2 of their better defenceman. The Tigers first period was one of their better periods they have played the past 10-15 games.
56 comments:
What is going on with Gerlach? 4 points and only 1 goal since Christmas. Haven't been to any games lately to see him play, but that sure isn't the kind of numbers he was putting up before Christmas.
Also really liked seeing Bullion go in tonight. Sounded like he played well and allowed to Tigers to hang on for a win.
Be interesting to see these two teams play with healthy line-ups. Gotta think that would be some damn fine hockey!!!
My question is Schneider just doesn't seem like the same goalie. Bullion might end up being our go to guy!
How longer is Clouston roll with Schindler? 4 goals on 23 shots so far tonight
That's a pretty standard game for Schneider these days. His GAA and SV% are among the worst in the league. Said it before, this team needs to score 5 goals or more a game to get a win, which before Christmas they were doing. They need to start keeping to puck outta the net or Lethbridge will go whipping by them in no time.
Well after watching the replay it seems the Tigers defensive game was non existent again.
Watching the highlights his positioning looked very strong early in the game. In the later half not so much. Those first 2 goals had big defensive miscues.
The other 2 even though they were PP goals, schneider could have been better on.
Even though he gave up 4 on 23 shots, it looks like his positioning was a bit better in net.
I have been posting all season that Schneider has not been that great. His numbers have not been great all season but the tigers were winning so I dont think a lot of attention was given to it. Bullion seems decent, I think the competition in net is a good thing. And it is clear that the coaches are allowing the competition, they have made a statement that the net is not Schneiders, the net is up for grabs.
Will be nice to get Quenn and Schultz back.
Schneider has some good fundamentals and a great deal of potential but when he plays passive he is a different goaltender.
I agree I think this competition will be healthy, and Quenn, + schultz are dearly missed
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On another note
Duncan Mcgovern has played 3 games for Dauphin Kings(MJHL). Dauphin has a 12-27 record. McGovern is 1-2 with 3GAA and .900 save percentage so that looks decent. He has been getting almost every other start.
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Cameron MacPhee has played in 4 games, and has 1 goal and 21 penalty minutes getting into a fight his last game. He is playing for the Grand Prairie Storm AJHL
Shaw taken to hospital (upper body).Hoping it's nothing serious. I assume Williams's could potentially play when they head to the west.
I have to say I really enjoy the energy and mobility Bullion brings to the game. We joke that the blue line is the start of his crease. It seems the guys play better with Bullion behind them. The fact that the opposition can take a shot on net and not have the first one go in (which Schneider does almost every game) sets a better tone for the team and the guys confidence. Bullion gets my vote as the go to goalie! If you quietly clap in relief that Schneider stopped the first shot on net... he isn't the top goalie.
Where has Gerlach been hiding...He is no where to be seen on the ice...Might be a goal scorer but isn't playing near hard enough to earn my respect...Floater...
Macherson has earned praise...playing lots of minutes and in some pretty tough situation and has been getting better each game...Wished Tigers would have blown up the team last year...Gonna be a pretty tough team to watch next year...So many 19s
Clouston says Shaw could play tomorrow.
Schneider pulled again. Although I think he was left out to dry on a couple of those goals.
Boullion looks pretty good. When Schneider stumbles Boullion does show he can play.
Getting Quen and Schultz back will be a very good thing. Although the defence are stepping up.
Has Schneider lost the starting goaltender position? Have we moved to a tandem pairing? Seems like it in the last 5 games.
Schneider is a good goalie but has lost his stride, lost his confidence. He is playing deep in his net so often. And it is crazy how many teams get a goal on the first shot or two.
Hope Schneider can return to his good play! Too bad, he likely was looking to have a big season in hopes of hook get pro.
It appears the rules for pulling your goalie only apply to one of the two goalies. Bullion caught sleeping on the first goal, out fishing on the second. His aggressiveness bit him in the rear last night. That's a bad loss last night against a team they should clearly beat. Handing them 7 pp chances certainly didn't help.
I'm not one to whine about officiating but in the two games this weekend Tigers short handed 15 times to 1 for the opposition.
I have had the impression all season that the officiating has not been balanced against the Tigers. The WHL website features very little about one of the top teams in the league.... which I find coincidental given the team owners issues securing a lease at the new rink last year. Some sour grapes from the league perhaps?
That tri-city game was interesting. 8 Penalties( 7 plus a double minor) and 0 powerplays. I didn't watch the game but statistically speaking that is an oddity.
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I didn't even realize it till I saw the roster sheet but former Tiger Alex Mowbray is now playing for spokane and got into a fight with Brad Forrest.
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Was looking at the roster, I do not know what Clouston is thinking, we have so many 19's - if you are going to keep them then make a run, acquire guys at the deadline, if you are not making a run then sell some off for future years. I think we will get in a round or two in play offs and then be out, have to give 20s away for free, and have a crap year next year. I am getting sick of Clouston, he treatment of the guys and his crap management of this team. Are the owners just waiting for Willie to be available again? Or why is clown Clouston still around?????
So Far the Henderson acquisition has been dynamite. For a 7th round pick he has 11 pts in 15 games, defensively responsible with a +17 rating.
Can someone please explain why the attendance at the Canalta Centre has been abysmal this season? The Tigers are a first place club for crying out loud.
Because long-time season ticket holders got screwed in the seat placement and said to hell with you.
Anon 1:32, to your question. Most likely the biggest reason for the drop in attendance is the economy but the Tigers themselves do little to nothing to market the team. Quite honestly they have the worst marketing of any team in the league, or chl for that matter. No five, ten, or twenty game packages. No team store ( can't count the coat hanger in the hallway as a store). Same old on ice promotions, what is there, 15 chuck a pucks per season. If you go back in this blog I stated before the Canalta center was completed that because the demand for seats wasn't going to be there anymore that if the Tigers didn't do a better job of promoting they were going to see a big drop in attendance. Well, they haven't and yes they've paid for it. I'll use tonight's matchup with Lethbridge as an example. A game between the top two teams in the division, both teams on very good runs and unless you visit the teams website or Facebook page you'll know nothing about it. Pathetic actually.
WoW. where did that team come from? They just annihilated one of the hottest teams in the league.
Thank god we traded for the Bullion Wall to make the Tigers great again!
Last night's game showed some of the best defensive end play I've seen from this team all season. I was very impressed! I hope they keep this style of play up going forward...the good defensive play provides a solid base for their excellent offensive capabilities!
I missed a few games lately, but my breath was takin out of me when I watched that game. I was completely and utterly impressed with their game. Lethbridge was playing pretty spread out and waiting for the Tigers to over-commit and make a mistake,(like they have in the past) but the Tigers never did. They kept the pressure up and played really well positionally.
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I'm going to eat my words about Henderson not being enough on the back-end. I didn't expect a 5th round draft pick and 17 points in 132 games to be this damn good. Regardless of the points he has, he is showing very good smarts and always talking to players on the ice about the game.
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Getting a starting goaltender, and prime defenceman for a 5th and 7th, is nothing short of genius.
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2 things really stood out for me.
1. Their positioning and not over-committing to the puck, and everybody was cycling into rotation covering anyone who might have made a mistake.
2. If their were no passing options or good plays available, the Tigers were putting pucks into an area that lethbridge couldn't get to and then continuing their attack. I'm not going to mention specifics but they picked up a set play and used it in other areas of their game.
I hope this continues on a consistent basis. The Team we saw last night was very impressive
well finally the Tigers are retiring the jersey of their greatest player ever, Tom Lysiak. It's something that should have been done years ago. Better late than never I guess.
The bullion wall was great again didn't the tigers retire #2 in the 70,s when ernie heineman lost his eye? And I remember Tiger great Bob Bassen wearing number 8 in his time here too?
Where were Henderson and Dahlstrom last night?
Henderson and Dahlstrom have the mumps.
Boullion is outplaying Schneider and I am glad he is getting rewarded for it. He is looking great! Has clearly taken the starter job. I hope Schneider pushes for it back, can only help the team and the two goaltenders. Easier to go deep into playoffs when you have two goalies who can shut down teams.
Why can we not retire Linden?? Home town kid with a glorious NHL career and international career. The Canucks have retired his number but we havent???? Come on!
Joey Frazer said they were both sick.
Totally agree about Linden being an all time great, no reason many #9,s couldn't be in the rafters, many other greats Murray Craven, Ken Holland. Also imho I think on ceremony nights they should start the game earlier?
The Tigers came out this afternoon that those 2 have been diagnosed with mumps.
Another game for Schneider, another yank job. Looking like its Bullion down the stretch. Like the sounds of the Bullion wall anyway!!
Like this Williams kid, look forward to seeing him next year.
Joey Frazer out with the mumps too. How long are all these guys out for?
Strange coaching decision - three goal lead at the time, and whild Schneid's let in a weak one, the first two weren't glaring or anything. Although he still gets the win, yanking him is not exactly going to help his confidence. This is Junior hockey, after all - and unless Nick is going to ride the bench for the rest of the season, I think it's not good in the big picture. And throwing in a cold goalie, two thirds of the way through, when not absolutely necessary.
Was it the middle of December when he started playing average to below average hockey or before that?
Anon 6:50, I whole heartedly agree.
I think Schneider is on a short leash. I think it sends a message. He has to fight for goal, he has let in sooooo many weak shots, goals on first shots, I think the team has dug him out time after time after time. Given that the Tigers were 7 players down I am guessing the coach did not want to gamble with weak goals. The tigers dont have the man power right now to dig themselves out of holes. Boullion has responded to the call, Schenider has not.
Langhamer made his NHL debut tonight after Smith got hurt.
Bullion getting mad at Haden tonight after that one goal doesn't sit well with me. I understand better than anybody that emotions run high sometimes but that can't happen on the ice. The kid is a 17 year old forward who is trying his best on defence. Can't get mad at a guy for that.
Bullion did the same thing in the third period to Kirichenko and Forrest along with slamming his stick on the crossbar. Showing up your team mates won't sit well if it continues.
I really got to give credit to macpherson. He has stepped up in a huge way and he really looks better out there every night. At the start of the year I had my doubts about him and Forrest but they have both improved a lot since the start of the year.
impressed with Hadens skills as a defensemen. coming from being a forward for his entire career to being a defensemen for 2 games and being the only defensemen to come out of Tuesday nights game even is pretty impressive. great 2 dimensional skills
If the boys play like they did tonight, i think we just watched a memorial cup contender! Wow! Bullion! Defensive effort! Jevne! Shaw looked like a new man! Come on playoffs!
That was very likely a preview of a first round playoff matchup.
It is a night and day difference from the middle part of the season. It is amazing to see going to the end of the season they are clicking as a group!
The game against Regina next Friday should be a real dandy!
Million dollar question, come the off season, who do you keep, Schnedier or Boullion? My vote is for Boullion.
Great game bullion is so full of energy!! It would have been awesome to see the tigers play in a throwback jersey, the wheat kings have one this year, They might have actually made money raffling the jerseys for themselves or perhaps a charity like Canadian cancer society!
Hopefully Schnedier isn't back, and is playing pro. As this teams defensive play is so awful, it's a goaltender killer. Schnedier is the stronger goalie, everyone's opinions on who is better makes me cringe. Take Devan Dubnyk for instance, the Oilers ran him out of town only to see him flourish with another team who can actually play a structured game in their own end.
totally Pissed they didn't wear retro jerseys...For all the 19yo we have this year...I wouldn't keep any oa goalie. Rebuild next year for sure....This is our year...
No OA goalie? Then who are you playing? A 16 year old along with a whole team of 16s and 17s? I guess that is one way to get a top 3 pick at the draft.
The OA goalies are not worth much. Why not keep one and let them guide the young netminder coming in? I think playing a young 16 or 17 goalie as a starter is a recipe to wreck the kid. He needs some guidance and help in net.
Bad game tonight. For the most part it looked like the guys did not want to be there playing hockey. Then suddenly it was like they decided to play half way into the third. Terrible game. PA deserved the win. But you take 2 points any way they come. But the team will not win many at all playing that way.
Got Bullion for a 7th rounder....There is plenty of stop gap goalies out there....Save the oa spot for skaters....We wont have jus 16 n 17s...we have a mix of 19s,,,we will have the need for a couple euros too
Great story in Wednesdays Cal Sun about Cole Makar of Brooks Bandits, AJHL MVP. Drafted by Tigs in 2013 in the 8th round. Chris Russell type D man. 10TH IN LEAGUE scoring with 19 goals and 63 pts. so far. Projected as a 1st round NHL draft pick. Slated to play for U of Massachussets next yr. as a 19 year old. NHL team which drafts him would probably like to see him in WHL. COME ON TIGERS GET TO WORK ON THIS!
Yeah, defence against PA looked pretty rough.
It was good to see they pulled it out, but against Regina that kind of game will haunt them...more on them later.
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Interesting read on Cale Makar. I don't think he will change his path though.
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In terms of goalies, the OA situation is very hard to say what will happen. Too many variables. In all my years following the Tigers never have they had so much depth at the overage position.
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Just an update on lethbridge. Lethbridge plays out the season against non-playoff teams. The only team they face that will be in the playoffs is the Tigers at the end of the season. (PA, Sask, EDM, cgy, ktn)
With the Tigers only being 4 points up and playing Regina and MJ in their next 2 games, this could get pretty close by seasons' end.
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On Regina
Since Regina's young 17yr old Jake Leschyshyn got hurt(10 games), Regina's Goals per game have dipped to a paltry 1.8 Goals a game, compared to their 4.9 goals a game for the season. Their offense for the first time this season isn't firing on all cylinders, so hopefully the Tigers can take advantage of that.
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