Overtime win sends Tigers to the brink
Calgary juniors lead WHL semifinal series 3- 1, can wrap it up on home ice
Thanks to an overtime goal by Jordy Stallard on Wednesday, the Calgary Hitmen can finish off the Medicine Hat Tigers at home on Friday night.
Stallard snapped a shot to the short side past Tigers goalie Marek Langhamer at 7: 22 of the extra session to lead the Hitmen to a 2- 1 win at The Arena in Medicine Hat.
Jake Virtanen, on a penalty shot in the second period, also scored, while goalie Mack Shields made 35 saves to record his third straight win.
The two teams will now return to Calgary for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Friday night ( 6 p. m., Sportsnet. ca/ 960).
Medicine Hat captain Tyler Lewington scored the lone goal of the game for the Tigers on a power play with 19 seconds remaining in the first period, while Langhamer finished with 19 saves.
Stallard has extra motivation to help the Hitmen advance to the next round in the Western Hockey League playoffs. The rookie forward would like nothing more than to help Calgary advance to the Eastern Conference final and what would make it even better for him is if the Hitmen face the Brandon Wheat Kings in Round 3.
“That would be unbelievable,” said Stallard, who was born and raised in Brandon and played for the Midget AAA Wheat Kings for the past two years before cracking the Hitmen lineup this season. “It would be such a great experience, being able to play in front of family and friends and ultimately the whole town and plus the intensity, it would be outstanding.”
After a 3- 2 OT win in Regina on Wednesday night, the Wheaties also hold a 3- 1 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
“It’ll be exciting if we meet,” Stallard said. “They’ve got lots of skill. They’ve got a lot of good young guys too, so it’s kind of a good battle.”
Stallard also had an assist on a first- period goal by Adam Tambellini during Calgary’s 5- 4 win over the Tigers in Game 3 at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Monday.
“He’s scored some timely goals for us,” said Hitmen coach Mark French, referring to the fact that Stallard has chipped in with three goals in the post- season so far. “As a first- year player, he’s been thrust into some situations where you wouldn’t expect a first- year player to be. I think he’s handled it very well.
Stallard grew up cheering for the Wheaties, but that all changed when the Hitmen selected him in the fourth round, 83rd overall, in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft.
“I was a Wheat Kings’ fan my whole life, pretty much the whole way until I got drafted,” said Stallard, who was hoping to earn a spot on the Hitmen roster prior to the 2013- 14 campaign. “I came to the camp as a 16- year- old and they sent me home early. Obviously at the time I was upset, but that was probably the best thing that could have happened for me.”
In his second year of midget with the Wheat Kings, Stallard racked up 28 goals and 48 assists in 44 regular season games before scoring four times and setting up nine others in eight playoff contests.
“Being able to play a leadership role in midget there and then having the good year that I did helped me a lot with confidence coming to camp,” said the six- foot- two, 176- pound right winger, who not only cracked Calgary’s lineup but went on to score six goals and 20 assists in 58 games during his rookie season.
ICE CHIPS: WHL playoff leading scorer Adam Tambellini was a surprise scratch before Game 4 in Medicine Hat with an undisclosed injury, while fellow Hitmen forward Chase Lang missed his second straight game with a leg injury ... Heading into Wednesday’s game, the Hitmen had won three of their previous four games at The Arena dating back to the regular season ... Fans are invited to remain in their seats after Friday’s game to watch Game 2 of the Calgary Flames/ Vancouver Canucks series on the jumbotron.