Tiger Trauma
09-10-2007, 12:09 AM
Hamilton a keeper for Tigers
By COLLIN GALLANT, Medicine Hat News
Get out the thank you notes and find the mailing address of the Vancouver Giants. The team that Medicine Hat Tigers fans love to hate may have sent the Gas City a keeper.
Wacey Hamilton, a 17-year-old centreman who was traded from the Memorial Cup champion Giants to the WHL Champion Tigers following their heated post-season showdowns, recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick in his home-ice pre-season debut for the Tigers.
He scored to open the scoring in a 4-1 thumping of the Regina Pats on Sunday night before a sparse crowd at The Arena, then set up a go-ahead goal by linemate Tyler Ennis and later was at the centre of a third period line brawl between the two rookie-laden squads.
“I didn’t appreciate the elbow,” said Hamilton, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 163 pounds but didn’t have a problem taking on Pat Dru Cotterill in a spirited scrap that drew eight other skaters into the fracas.
The same tenacity showed up all night for the 17-year-old Cochrane native.
“I made the Giants (in training camp) as a 16-year-old, but didn’t know what I wanted to do in terms of school,” said Hamilton, who played with the Camrose Kodiaks last season while awaiting scholarship offers from U.S. college programs.
They arrived, but so did news on June 15 that the Giants had shipped his rights to Medicine Hat in exchange for B.C. Junior A player Tyler Pistone.
“I wasn’t sure what going to do,” said Hamilton. “After the trade, I came down and talked with Willie (head coach Desjardins) and just got a really honest vibe.”
On Sunday, he centred Ennis and another trade pick up, Thomas Frazee, and slapped home a loose puck at the side of Pats goaltender Damien Ketlo to open the scoring at 3:39 of the first period.
Regina’s Cody Gross quickly evened the scoring on a shorthanded breakaway, but less than three minutes later, Ennis returned the favour in similar fashion after Hamilton forced a turnover and a crisp pass from rookie defenceman Cody Carlson.
“We had the opportunity to watch (Hamilton) a couple times last year in Camrose, so we knew what he brought to the table,” said Tiger assistant coach Darren Kruger. “But he’s definitely come hard into camp and exhibition.
“He’s a player that plays well at both ends of the rink and ... his fundamentals are so solid. When you have those kind of tools, you’ll be a good player in this league.”
Defensive turnovers by the inexperienced Tigers D-Corps led to a series of gold-plated scoring chances early on by the Pats, but second year goaltender Ryan Holfeld held the fort. He stopped 16 of 17 shots overall
Alongside Hamilton, two first-year Tigers — Sean Ringrose and Zach Sim — scored for the Tigers who vastly out shot the Pats in the final 40 minutes.
Ringrose sunk a crisp cross-ice pass from Mark Isherwood late in the second period, while Sim scored unassisted midway through the third.
Hit of the game went to import forward Mikael Ahle’n who slammed into Regina’s Kent Sauter early in the game. Ahle’n, a 19-year-old Swede, fought Pats vet Levi Lind off the opening face off of the third period.
Ketlo went the distance for the Pats stopping 41 of 45 shots.
OF NOTE — Colton Grant scored twice in the Tigers 6-1 trashing of Kootenay on Saturday. Singles came way of Josh Koper, Killian Hutt, John Stampohar and Brennan Bosch. Ice forward Luke Wiens tallied for Kootenay.
“Guys are still learning the systems,” said Kruger of his team’s 2-0 record in pre-season
“I think we accomplished what we wanted to out of this weekend.”
The Tigers travel on Tuesday to meet the Calgary Hit
-Medicine Hat News
http://www.medicinehatnews.com/article_6893.php
By COLLIN GALLANT, Medicine Hat News
Get out the thank you notes and find the mailing address of the Vancouver Giants. The team that Medicine Hat Tigers fans love to hate may have sent the Gas City a keeper.
Wacey Hamilton, a 17-year-old centreman who was traded from the Memorial Cup champion Giants to the WHL Champion Tigers following their heated post-season showdowns, recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick in his home-ice pre-season debut for the Tigers.
He scored to open the scoring in a 4-1 thumping of the Regina Pats on Sunday night before a sparse crowd at The Arena, then set up a go-ahead goal by linemate Tyler Ennis and later was at the centre of a third period line brawl between the two rookie-laden squads.
“I didn’t appreciate the elbow,” said Hamilton, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 163 pounds but didn’t have a problem taking on Pat Dru Cotterill in a spirited scrap that drew eight other skaters into the fracas.
The same tenacity showed up all night for the 17-year-old Cochrane native.
“I made the Giants (in training camp) as a 16-year-old, but didn’t know what I wanted to do in terms of school,” said Hamilton, who played with the Camrose Kodiaks last season while awaiting scholarship offers from U.S. college programs.
They arrived, but so did news on June 15 that the Giants had shipped his rights to Medicine Hat in exchange for B.C. Junior A player Tyler Pistone.
“I wasn’t sure what going to do,” said Hamilton. “After the trade, I came down and talked with Willie (head coach Desjardins) and just got a really honest vibe.”
On Sunday, he centred Ennis and another trade pick up, Thomas Frazee, and slapped home a loose puck at the side of Pats goaltender Damien Ketlo to open the scoring at 3:39 of the first period.
Regina’s Cody Gross quickly evened the scoring on a shorthanded breakaway, but less than three minutes later, Ennis returned the favour in similar fashion after Hamilton forced a turnover and a crisp pass from rookie defenceman Cody Carlson.
“We had the opportunity to watch (Hamilton) a couple times last year in Camrose, so we knew what he brought to the table,” said Tiger assistant coach Darren Kruger. “But he’s definitely come hard into camp and exhibition.
“He’s a player that plays well at both ends of the rink and ... his fundamentals are so solid. When you have those kind of tools, you’ll be a good player in this league.”
Defensive turnovers by the inexperienced Tigers D-Corps led to a series of gold-plated scoring chances early on by the Pats, but second year goaltender Ryan Holfeld held the fort. He stopped 16 of 17 shots overall
Alongside Hamilton, two first-year Tigers — Sean Ringrose and Zach Sim — scored for the Tigers who vastly out shot the Pats in the final 40 minutes.
Ringrose sunk a crisp cross-ice pass from Mark Isherwood late in the second period, while Sim scored unassisted midway through the third.
Hit of the game went to import forward Mikael Ahle’n who slammed into Regina’s Kent Sauter early in the game. Ahle’n, a 19-year-old Swede, fought Pats vet Levi Lind off the opening face off of the third period.
Ketlo went the distance for the Pats stopping 41 of 45 shots.
OF NOTE — Colton Grant scored twice in the Tigers 6-1 trashing of Kootenay on Saturday. Singles came way of Josh Koper, Killian Hutt, John Stampohar and Brennan Bosch. Ice forward Luke Wiens tallied for Kootenay.
“Guys are still learning the systems,” said Kruger of his team’s 2-0 record in pre-season
“I think we accomplished what we wanted to out of this weekend.”
The Tigers travel on Tuesday to meet the Calgary Hit
-Medicine Hat News
http://www.medicinehatnews.com/article_6893.php