The Kootenay ICE will host Medicine Hat tonight in the 1st half of a home-and-home with the rematch tomorrow in Medicine Hat.
The season series is tied 1-1 with the road team winning each game.
October 26th ICE won 3-2 in Medicine Hat.
December 4th Tigers won 3-2 in overtime in Cranbrook.
The ICE go into the 2nd half of the season in 1st place in the Central Division, 1 point ahead of Medicine Hat and Red Deer. The Tigers have 2 games in hand on both the ICE and Rebels.
ICE defenseman Hayden Rintoul has missed 12 games to a knee injury and is skating this week and his return to the lineup should not be too far away.
Brock Montgomery will sit out game #2 of his 2 game league suspension for the interference major penalty December 17th vs Red Deer.
Tigers are missing Emerson Etem (WJHC USA), Hunter Shinkaruk (U-17 Pacific) and Kale Kessy to game #1 of a 2 game suspension.
Etem is making headlines by posting on his Twitter Page ..
"much needed day off, buffalo is a ghost town!! the worst city ever, it makes medicine hat look like paradise, never thought ide say that"
Listen for the Pre-Game Show at 6:30 on The Drive.
Head to Head
ICE
Matt Fraser 1-2-3
Joe Antilla 2-0-2
Brayden McNabb 2-0-2
Joey Leach 0-2-2
Nathan Lieuwen 2 GP 1-0-1 2.47 .922%
Tigers
Emerson Etem 0-2-2
Dylan Busenius 1-0-1
Wacey Hamilton 1-0-1
Reid Petryk 1-0-1
Curtis Valk 1-0-1
Linden Vey 1-0-1
Tyler Bunz 2 GP 1-1-0 2.48 .912%
Season Leaders
ICE
Goals - 18 Max Reinhart
Assists - 22 Kevin King, Brayden McNabb
Points - 37 King
Defenseman - 27 McNabb
Rookie - 6 Eric Benoit, Adam Rossignol
+/- - +16 King, Joe Antilla
Tigers
Goals - 22 Linden Vey
Assists - 31 Vey
Points - 53 Vey
Defenseman - 21 Jace Coyle
Rookie - 34 Tyler Pitlick
+/- - +19 Emerson Etem
Streaks
Brayden McNabb - 7-games 3-7-10
Drew Czerwonka - 5 games 2-5-7
Max Reinhart - 5 games 3-6-9 and 9 of 10 games 9-7-16
Matt Fraser - 3 games 4-2-6