Tigers persevere with Ruck’s OT winner over Raiders

Medicine Hat takes 2-0 series lead over Prince Albert

The Tigers pile up top of Liam Ruck after he scores an OT winner.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – The Prince Albert Raiders had to have had visions of the Art Hauser Centre running through their collective heads.

For a moment, it appeared the Raiders had the host Medicine Hat Tigers right where they wanted them on Sunday night. After Tigers superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna scored on a rush down the left wing for his second of two short-handed goals on the night with 2:15 remaining in the third period of Game 2 of a WHL Eastern Conference semifinal series, the Tigers held a 4-2 lead with the 5,242 spectators at Co-op Place quickly going into full celebration mode.

While the Tigers have showed they have potent offence so far in this series, the Raiders are showing they never say die. In a span of 35 seconds, Raiders 20-year-old right-winger Rilen Kovacevic scored twice to force a 4-4 tie and overtime.

The fans at Co-op Place cheer the Tigers overtime winner.

He tallied on the power play with a mid-range shot with 1:37 remaining in the frame and added the equalizer with 62 seconds remaining on the clock as the Raiders had 20-year-old star netminder Max Hildebrand pulled for an extra attacker.

Following Kovacevic’s second tally, it felt like Tigers rookie netminder Jordan Switzer, who turned 18-years-old in January, might have gotten a little shaky. Medicine Hat came out composed in the overtime period, and Prince Albert never really had a serious chance to test Switzer again.

Liam Ruck (#12) is all smiles after scoring the OT winner.

At the 8:42 mark of the extra session, Raiders gritty centre Harrison Lodewyk nailed Tigers offensive-defenceman Jonas Woo into the boards in the centre ice zone with a huge amount of force. Woo went down and had to be helped off the ice, and Lodewyk was give a minor penalty for boarding.

Just eight seconds into the ensuing power play, Tigers offensive-defenceman Bryce Pickford took a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle that was tipped home by super-rookie right-winger Liam Ruck to give the host Tigers a 5-4 victory. The crowd at Co-op Place exploded into a madhouse once Ruck’s goal entered the Prince Albert net.

The win allowed the Tigers to hold serve at home taking a 2-0 lead in the set, while the Raiders were left to lament they weren’t able to get the series back to their storied and historic home rink locked in a 1-1 tie. The series shifts back to Prince Albert for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday and Thursday respectively. Those contests will be held at 7 p.m. both nights at the Hauser.

Rilen Kovacevic celebrates his second of two goals on Sunday.

In a players’ poll conducted earlier this season, the Hauser was voted as the second toughest road rink in the WHL to play in.

From a Raiders perspective, Game 2 ultimately was the “one that got away.”

Lodewyk, who turned 20-years-old in March, was having a good night until taking his boarding infraction. The Red Deer, Alta., product had goal and won 13-of-19 faceoffs.

For the most part, Game 2 of the series was fairly evenly played. The Tigers went 2-for-5 on the power play, and the Raiders were 2-for-6 with the man advantage. 

Medicine Hat got two short-handed goals from McKenna, while the Raiders didn’t have any short-handed markers.

Tanner Molendyk, left, battles Rilen Kovacevic for the puck.

The Tigers had the only goal in the first period where the shots on goal were even at 7-7. With 3:36 remaining in the opening frame, Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt deflected home a shot from offensive-defenceman Bryce Pickford to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.

At the 6:51 mark of the second, McKenna netted his first short-handed goal of the contest to put the Tigers up 2-0, and it was a highlight reel tally that is sure to be played on most major sports networks and will show up all over social media. It was a goal where you have to see the video to truly appreciate it.

McKenna entered the Prince Albert zone on what ended up being a two-on-two rush, he put a couple of moves on to tie Raiders star 19-year-old defenceman Lukas Dragicevic in knots and proceeded to use Dragicevic as a screen to roof a shot to the top right corner of the Prince Albert net.

Oasiz Wiesblatt had the Tigers first goal on Sunday.

That spectacular tally would allow McKenna to have points in his last 47 consecutive outings including action in the regular season and post-season.

The two teams proceeded to combine for six goals in the final 10:14 of the third period. With 10:14 remaining in the third, Raiders rookie defenceman Linden Burrett wristed a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle to the top left corner of the Medicine Hat net to cut the Tigers lead to 2-1.

Just 72 seconds later, Tigers overage centre Mathew Ward got in alone on Hildebrand, put on a deke move and tucked home his first of the post-season to put the Tigers up 3-1.

The Raider answered back working on the power play 79 seconds later Lodewyk potted his first of the post-season from the front of the Medicine Hat net to cut the Tigers lead to 3-2. Lodewyk converted a nice short pass from Tigers rookie centre Riley Boychuk, who had been positioned by the left side of the Medicine Hat net.

Gavin McKenna had two short-handed goals on Sunday.

That set the stage for the dramatics that happened in the final 2:15 of the third and in the extra session.

Hildebrand turned away 33 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders. Switzer stopped 27 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Tigers.

The Tigers had a 31-30 edge in shots on goal after regulation and outshot the Raiders 7-1 in overtime.

Veteran Medicine Hat star defenceman Tanner Molendyk had three assists in the win.

The Raiders were without star left-winger Tomas Mrsic for a fourth straight contest having suffered a skate cut late in the first period of the Raiders victory in Game 5 in their first round series over the Edmonton Oil Kings. 

Linden Burrett had the Raiders first goal on Sunday.

The Tigers were without star forwards Andrew Basha and Cayden Lindstrom.

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.

The Tigers topped the Eastern Conference and finished second overall in the WHL’s regular season with a 47-17-3-1 mark. They took out the Swift Current Broncos in five games in a best-of-seven first round series.

The Raiders won the WHL’s East Division title with a 39-23-5-1 mark. They overcame a 3-1 series deficit to down the Oil Kings 4-3 in the first round of the playoffs.

The Tigers celebrate a goal from Mathew Ward (#10).

In their last 41 games between the regular season and playoffs, the Tigers are an impressive 34-4-2-1. While the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinal between the Tigers and Raiders have been entertaining and could have gone either way, the Tigers did what they needed to do in winning twice on home ice.

Now, the pressure shifts to the Raiders to hold serve at the Hauser. They know they will get a boost from their faithful in “Hockey Town North.”

Will that be enough to derail the heater the Tigers have been on?

The Tigers enjoy their overtime victory on Sunday night.

No matter what happens, it is safe to expect the remaining games of this series will be must-watch hockey.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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