League championship series starts Friday in
Medicine Hat
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| Oasiz Wiesblatt |
Of course, they would both love to make the 2024-25 campaign more memorable by winning the Ed Chynoweth Cup to become WHL Champions.
The two sides will go at it in the best-of-seven WHL Championship Series starting Friday at 7 p.m. at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat. The Tigers finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season standings with a 47-17-3-1 mark. The Chiefs were fourth overall in the regular season with a 45-20-1-2 record.
As for the final CHL Top 10 Rankings that were released back on March 25, the Tigers were ranked third, and the Chiefs were rated sixth.
With all that noted, it is a major accomplishment for both to make the WHL final. It is hard to win in the WHL let alone win it all. That goes for two legacy franchises like the Tigers and Chiefs.
Since first hitting the ice back in 1970, the Tigers have won five WHL titles and claimed the Memorial Cup twice in 1987 and 1988 to become CHL champions. Medicine Hat’s last WHL championship came back in 2007 when the circuit’s championship trophy was still called the President’s Cup.
After last winning the WHL title in 2007, the Tigers continued to pile up wins and accomplishments. They advanced as far as the WHL Eastern Conference Championship Series in 2011 and 2014. A berth in the league final eluded the Tabbies until this year.
The 2010-11 Tigers battled a whole host of injuries finishing fifth overall in the WHL with a 46-18-4-4 mark and still looked poised to go all the way. They were swept in the Eastern Conference final by the Kootenay Ice who went on to win the last WHL title in the team’s history in Cranbrook, B.C.
In 2016-17, the Tigers finished second overall in the WHL with a 51-20-1 mark and looked like they would have a storybook season. That campaign came to a heartbreaking end when the Tigers dropped a 5-4 overtime decision to their traditional rivals the Lethbridge Hurricanes in Game 7 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series. Hurricanes captain Tyler Wong netted the winner for Lethbridge at Co-op Place, which was then known as the Canalta Centre.
The Chiefs began play in 1985 when the Kelowna Wings franchise was relocated to Spokane. Spokane won the WHL title in 1991 and 2008 and marched to capture the Memorial Cup as CHL champions in both those campaigns.
In 2010-11, the Chiefs were fourth overall in the WHL with a 48-18-4-2 mark and fell to the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Conference Championship Series in six games. Spokane fell in the 2019 Western Conference final in five games to the Vancouver Giants.
Both the Tigers and Chiefs in the current day are loaded with talented rosters.
Some of the big names dressing for the Tigers include and are not limited to Gavin McKenna, captain Oasiz Wiesblatt, Ryder Ritchie, Hunter St. Martin, Tanner Molendyk, Bryce Pickford and netminder Harrison Meneghin.
Fans in “The Gas City” have some extra home that star forwards Andrew Basha and Cayden Lindstrom could return from long term injuries.
Basha last played in the Tigers 4-0 home ice victory over the Lethbridge Hurricanes on December 28, 2024 and has been out with a lower body injury since that time. Lindstrom has been battling a back injury since December 16, 2023 and last suited up on April 5, 2024, when the Tigers fell 5-2 at home to be eliminated from the WHL Playoffs in Game 5 of a first round series against the Red Deer Rebels. Both have been practicing regularly this week with the Tigers.
McKenna has had the most memorable campaign. The superstar left-winger finished second in scoring during the WHL regular season recording 129 points off 41 goals and 88 assists to go with a plus-60 rating in the plus-minus department in 56 contests. On Wednesday, McKenna was named the winner of the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Player of the Year.
He currently has points in his last 53 straight games played between the regular season and post-season. During the 53 games of the streak, McKenna has recorded 135 points coming off 40 goals and 95 assists.
The Chiefs roster is loaded with big names that include and are not limited to Andrew Cristall, captain Berkly Catton, Shea Van Olm, Brayden Crampton, Rasmus Ekstrom, Chase Harrington and Dawson Cowan.
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| Tanner Molendyk has been stellar on the Tigers back end. |
Van Olm topped the WHL with 49 goals during the regular season.
Both teams have outstanding coaching staffs. The Tigers are led by their legendary head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins. The ultra-talented Brad Lauer leads the Chiefs bench staff as head coach. Chiefs general manager Matt Bardsley was named the winner of the Lloyd Saunders Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s executive of the year.
In the WHL Playoffs, the Tigers have posted a 12-1 record so far and swept the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final. The Chiefs have gone 12-3 so far and swept the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Conference final.
The statistical difference that jumps on the page comes in goals against in the post-season. The Tigers have given up 35 goals against in their 13 contests and have a 2.65 goals against average as a team. The Chiefs have given up 59 goals against in their 15 contests and have a 3.57 goals against average.
It should be noted that you can bet Lauer and his coaching staff have been working on team defence during their lengthy stretch of time off.
The Chiefs will have had seven off days leading up to the WHL final, while the Tigers will have had eight off days leading to that series. Both squads should be fresh for Game 1.
Again, both teams should be praised for getting this far and for being two of the six squads across the CHL who are still in action. A total of 60 teams took the ice across the CHL this season, which means 54 clubs have seen their 2024-25 campaigns come to an end.
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| The Tigers salute their faithful at Co-op Place. |
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