Tigers remain one point shy of clinching Central after loss to Rebels

The Medicine Hat Tigers will have to wait until Tuesday for another chance to clinch the Central Division banner.

Brandon Hagel potted a hat trick and Kristian Reichel added a pair to lead the Red Deer Rebels to a late 5-2 victory over Medicine Hat on Saturday at the Enmax Centrium, leaving the Tigers one point away from clinching the Central banner for a second consecutive season.

Kristians Rubins put Medicine Hat in front on an early power play with Grayson Pawlenchuk in the box for delay of game, but the Rebels answered back in a hurry.

Just 28 seconds after Rubins ripped a slapshot through traffic to stake a 1-0 lead, Hagel redirected a pass from Hunter Donohoe through Tigers goaltender Michael Bullion to even the score.

While the Tigers were given three power plays in the first, Red Deer still managed to outchance Medicine Hat — but Bullion kept his Tabbies in the contest with 11 saves in the frame, then Bryan Lockner took back the lead in the second.

The 17-year-old Tigers winger notched his 13th of the season and sixth since joining the Hat at the trade deadline when he beat Rebels goaltender Ethan Anders off the rush four minutes into the middle frame. The back-and-forth action continued into the third when Reichel capitalized on a close play at the blue line and beat Bullion over the glove with a well placed wrist shot to knot the game up. Red Deer pushed out in front in the dying minutes of the third after David Quenneville landed in the box for hooking. Hagel was credited with his second of the evening when he picked up a puck on the doorstep and shoveled it past Bullion to ignite the crowd of 6,100, then Quenneville was nabbed for another penalty just over a minute later and Reichel struck again to put the game out of reach.

Hagel completed the hat trick with an empty netter 13 seconds later.

Bullion took the loss on 27 saves, dropping Medicine Hat to 35-26-8-0. Anders stopped 34 to lock up the win and push Red Deer to 26-30-10-3.

The Lethbridge Hurricanes dropped a 5-3 contest to the Regina Pats on Saturday, leaving them eight points back of the Tigers with four games left in their regular season.

Medicine Hat will have another chance to clinch the Central banner Tuesday, with either a point or more against the Calgary Hitmen at the Canalta Centre, or a Hurricanes loss to the Edmonton Oil Kings.