Tiger Trauma
01-03-2007, 12:15 AM
Bad start for Tigers
By
Tylan Stephens had a dream night, and the result was a nightmare for the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The 17-year-old Kootenay Ice centre doubled his career WHL goal total with a hat trick and added an assist Tuesday in a 5-3 win over Medicine Hat at the Cranbrook Rec Plex.
Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins was not available for comment by press time.
Less than six minutes after Medicine Hat’s Kevin Undershute scored his first goal in 16 games to tie the score at 2-2 in the second period, Stephens put a long shot past Matt Keetley to restore the lead. His third goal eight minutes later held up as the winner.
Ben Maxwell and Trent Fussi also scored for the Ice (25-10-2-2), which moved to within six points of the Central Division-leading Tabbies (29-12-2-0). Medicine Hat has now lost four of its last five, while the Ice — who have four games in hand on the Tigers —are 4-0-1 in their past five.
Chris Stevens and Tyler Ennis had the other goals for the Tigers, who continue their four-game, five-night road trip tonight in Kelowna (8 p.m., CHAT 94.5 FM).
Matt Keetley stopped 25 shots, but gave up five goals in consecutive games for just the first time in his WHL career.
His Kootenay counterpart, Taylor Dakers, turned aside 22 shots for the win.
NOTES — The Tigers have called up a pair of 2005 bantam draft picks to help on their last long road trip of the season. Shayne Neigum, the cousin of acting captain Derek Dorsett, played three games up with the Bengals prior to the Christmas break and has 16 goals, 24 assists and 110 penalty minutes in 23 games with Swift Current’s Legionnaires midget AAA team. Fellow 16-year-old forward Josh Koper is with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. Koper, Medicine Hat’s sixth-round bantam draft pick from 2005, has 11 goals and three assists in 34 games with the Saints (24-10-0-6).
-Medicine Hat News
By
Tylan Stephens had a dream night, and the result was a nightmare for the Medicine Hat Tigers.
The 17-year-old Kootenay Ice centre doubled his career WHL goal total with a hat trick and added an assist Tuesday in a 5-3 win over Medicine Hat at the Cranbrook Rec Plex.
Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins was not available for comment by press time.
Less than six minutes after Medicine Hat’s Kevin Undershute scored his first goal in 16 games to tie the score at 2-2 in the second period, Stephens put a long shot past Matt Keetley to restore the lead. His third goal eight minutes later held up as the winner.
Ben Maxwell and Trent Fussi also scored for the Ice (25-10-2-2), which moved to within six points of the Central Division-leading Tabbies (29-12-2-0). Medicine Hat has now lost four of its last five, while the Ice — who have four games in hand on the Tigers —are 4-0-1 in their past five.
Chris Stevens and Tyler Ennis had the other goals for the Tigers, who continue their four-game, five-night road trip tonight in Kelowna (8 p.m., CHAT 94.5 FM).
Matt Keetley stopped 25 shots, but gave up five goals in consecutive games for just the first time in his WHL career.
His Kootenay counterpart, Taylor Dakers, turned aside 22 shots for the win.
NOTES — The Tigers have called up a pair of 2005 bantam draft picks to help on their last long road trip of the season. Shayne Neigum, the cousin of acting captain Derek Dorsett, played three games up with the Bengals prior to the Christmas break and has 16 goals, 24 assists and 110 penalty minutes in 23 games with Swift Current’s Legionnaires midget AAA team. Fellow 16-year-old forward Josh Koper is with the AJHL’s Spruce Grove Saints. Koper, Medicine Hat’s sixth-round bantam draft pick from 2005, has 11 goals and three assists in 34 games with the Saints (24-10-0-6).
-Medicine Hat News