The host Swift Current Broncos dropped two points back of the Medicine Tigers for sixth in the Eastern Conference playoff race with a 2-1 shootout loss Friday.
Adam Lowry scored the Broncos only goal in regulation and also opened the shootout with a goal before the next three shooters were unable to beat Marek Langhamer.
Eetu Laurikainen made 39 saves for the Broncos before allowing goals to Curtis Valk and Miles Koules in the shootout.
Laurikainen dropped to 22-20-2-4 in the shootout loss, while Langhamer made 28 saves to improve to 12-10-1-1.
Both goals were scored on the powerplay. Lowry netted his 40th of the season 8:56 into the first period and Logan McVeigh tied it for Medicine Hat 4:43 into the middle stanza to close the scoring.
The Broncos dropped to 28-26-3-4 and now trail Medicine Hat (31-28-2-1) by two points with one game in hand.
“We aren’t happy with just coming out with one point,” said Broncos forward Graham Black. “It has been a tough stretch but we needed those two points tonight. We are not happy about just finishing with a shootout loss.”
The Tigers have now won two of the three meetings this season.
“They are a good team,” said Black. “They are small, but they are gritty and they get in there. We just didn’t come out and play to our identity tonight. We are going to go to Med Hat tomorrow and show everything we have got.”
The two teams will renew acquaintances Saturday back in Medicine Hat to close out the season series.
“I think we just need to get a good sleep. We know what they are all about now and we are going to go out and try and hit them. We are going to try and play our game, the game that the Swift Current Broncos promote. We are just going to do everything we can to win,” said Black.
