Honours Even in the Battle of the Big Cats

The Dundee Tigers took on the high flying Aberdeen Lynx at Dundee Ice Arena on Saturday night. Both teams entered the match unbeaten this season and it was clear from the start that nether had the intention of giving up that record.

The home team looked to have the better of the early play before a soft interference call against Scott Marr dampened the momentum. Tigers killed this penalty deftly and the period continued with end to end action exciting both sets of fans. The hosts again killed a 2 minute penalty after Mark McLeod was assessed a hooking minor as he thwarted a Lynx attack. It was soon Tigers chance with the man advantage as first Aaron Thomson, then Callum Smith were assessed minor penalties, but despite a period of 5 on 3 play the session came to an end with the teams tied goalless.

The second period got underway with the Tigers still on the powerplay but as the Lynx got back to full strength it was the visitor who took control. Wave after wave of attack came towards the Tigers net but Mark McGill justified his reputation as one of the league’s top shot-stoppers by turning away all 23 of the visitors shots. Tigers on the otherhand were restricted to just 12 shots on Craig Chalmers in the Lynx net. Another scoreless period concluded, disguising an action-packed 20 minutes of hockey.

The final session saw the Tigers get back on the prowl and an end to end period ensued. Both netminders were tested early but it was Chalmers who relented first to allow Callum Turnbull to finish off a play started by Andy Henderson and give the hosts the lead. Further opportunities for both teams were turned away before Paul Guilcher was sent to the penalty box for a hooking infringement. Tigers absorbed the pressure well until Iain Malcolm pounced on a loose puck in the crease to poke the puck home and tie the game at 1 goal apiece with less than 4 minutes remaining. Both teams pressed for the win in the final minutes and an ill-timed penalty to Andy Henderson with 25 seconds remaining put pressure on the Tigers as the period came to a close. A solid penalty kill unit and some selfless shot-blocking by Grant Reekie saw the period out though and the spoils were shared.

Final Score: Tigers 1 – Lynx 1

Period Scores: 0-0 0-0 1-1

SOG: On Tigers – 51 On Lynx - 38

MoM: Tigers – Mark McGill, Lynx – Lewis McIntosh