Tigers get set for swing through B.C. Division
With roughly 3,000 kilometres to conquer before returning to the Canalta Centre for their next home game, the Medicine Hat Tigers are ready for their first real road test of the season.
While it’s sure to bring about some sleepless bus rides and even some tired legs, Tigers forward Chad Butcher says the five-game trip is a great chance for the team to build on its already strong sense of camaraderie while establishing their place as one of the WHL’s top teams this season.
“It’s something we’ve talked about a lot. We can turn this into a really big positive,” said Butcher, whose Tigers open the road trip tonight against the Red Deer Rebels at 7 p.m. “There are a lot of guys here who haven’t been on a road trip of quite this magnitude, so it’s going to be a learning experience and there’s going to be a lot of time for team bonding.”
One of those young Tigers is 17-year-old forward Gary Haden, who says his longest road trip came two years ago as a member of the UFA Bisons midget AAA squad.
“We went to Vancouver for the Pacific’s, and actually played Caleb Fantillo’s team to go to the Telus Cup and we beat them,” said Haden. “I’m excited. I get to see all the different rinks and play all these different teams. I’m still really new to the league.”
With five stops on Medicine Hat’s upcoming 10-day trip, the experience is sure to dwarf Haden’s visit to Vancouver, while leaving him with his first real taste of the WHL’s grueling travel demands.
The Tabbies kick things off tonight in Red Deer against the Rebels before entering Edmonton’s brand new Rogers Place Saturday to face the Oil Kings. The action then moves northwest to Prince George will the Tigers will test their mettle against the league-leading Cougars before heading to the Okanagan for a weekend swing against the Kamloops Blazers and Kelowna Rockets. With so many important games on the upcoming docket, Tigers leading scorer Mason Shaw says it’s sure to be their biggest challenge of the year so far. “It’s going to be a huge test for us, but we’re up for it,” said Shaw. “We know that we’re right there with the best teams in the league. Last weekend we were upset with our result against Regina but I think we were right there with them. We proved to ourselves we can be the best in this league.”
Tigers head coach and general manager Shaun Clouston added the Tigers won’t be looking past their next opponent, especially considering Medicine Hat (8-4-1-0) is in a tight race for the top of the Central Division standings with Red Deer (8-3-1-1). While the Rebels lost some key members of last seasons Memorial Cup host squad like Jake DeBrusk and Adam Helewka, Clouston points out there’s still plenty of depth in Red Deer’s system.
“They’ve got a bunch of NHL drafted players, and a lot of times teams that make a run like (Red Deer) did are good for a couple of years,” said Clouston. “They’ve got so many guys who have gone through the grind of the playoffs, they know what it takes to win and they know what a top team looks and feels like. I think when you look at what they’ve done in the last couple of weeks, they’re a dangerous team.”