Chiefs cruise past Tigers 6-2 in Game 2 of WHL final

Championship series evens up at 1-1 heading to Spokane

The Chiefs enjoy a third period goal by Berkley Catton, centre.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – The Medicine Hat Tigers early jump on the scoreboard didn’t pay the same dividends this time around.

The Spokane Chiefs responded with a nasty counter punch.

Just 55 seconds into Game 2 of the WHL Championship Series at Co-op Place on Sunday night, Tigers star center Cayden Lindstrom scored to give his squad a 1-0 lead. Lindstrom’s goal was his first since returning from a long term back injury in Game 1 of the series.

In Game 1 on Friday, Lindstrom’s linemate Andrew Basha scored 54 seconds into that contest returning from a long term lower body injury as the Tigers skated to a 4-1 victory. A similar story didn’t play out on Sunday night.

Berkly Catton had two goals and an assist for the Chiefs.

Starting at the 6:50 mark of the opening frame, the Chiefs scored four goals in a span of four minutes and 46 seconds to surge ahead 4-1. They cruised to a 6-2 victory from that point to the disappointment of most of the 6,238 spectators in attendance outside of a contingent of Chiefs supporters.

“I think it was the response we wanted,” said Chiefs head coach Brad Lauer. “Obviously, we didn’t want to give up that first goal that quick, but I thought our kids it didn’t faze them.

“I thought we stuck with it and found a way. We had a really good first period. We were able to score four, so it was a good response.

“It was a good start, which is what we wanted.”

Cayden Lindstrom scored 55 seconds into Sunday’s game.

With the win, the Chiefs even the best-of-seven series 1-1. The series now shifts to Spokane. Game 3 is set for Tuesday at 7 p.m. local start time at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.

The Tigers jumped ahead 1-0 just 55 seconds into the opening frame when Lindstrom received a backdoor pass at the right side of the Spokane net from linemate Hunter St. Martin to pop home the first goal of the game. 

Ultimately, scoring the opening goal of the contest proved to be bittersweet for Lindstrom due to the final result of the contest.

“Scoring goals is fun and all, but I think winning is better,” said Lindstrom. “You can score as many goals as you want, but if you don’t win the game, it is not the best.”

Rasmus Ekstrom (#13) scored the Chiefs second goal on Sunday.

At the 6:50 mark of the first, Chiefs star left-winger Shea Van Olm brought the puck into the Medicine Hat zone and dropped the pass to linemate Berkly Catton at the right point. Catton drove to the front of the Medicine Hat goal, deked around a Tigers defenceman and tucked home the equalizer between the legs of Tigers 20-year-old star netminder Harrison Meneghin to even the score at 1-1.

The Chiefs surge continued with goals coming off the sticks of Rasmus Ekstrom, Owen Martin and Van Olm to give the visitors their 4-1 advantage.

“I thought Spokane played really well,” said legendary Tigers head coach and general manager Desjardins. “I thought they were quicker than us in the first period.

Owen Martin (#21) celebrates scoring the Chiefs third goal.

“They were just a little bit hungrier. I don’t think there is much more than that. They just played a really good game, and they outplayed us tonight.

“They deserved the game.”

Lauer said his squad had productive video sessions and meetings following the Game 1 loss, which helped lead to a different result in Game 2.

“With these guys here, it doesn’t take a lot,” said Lauer. “We didn’t have to show them too, too much.

“It was just some conversations that we had, and then we backed it up with a little bit of video. This time of year, a lot of these guys know (what to do). After the game when we lost, we kind of asked them some questions about what we need to be better at.

Shea Van Olm had the Chiefs fourth goal on Sunday.

“They had all the right answers. They kind of knew what we needed to focus on. We don’t try to overload them, but right now, they are good students after this game.”

It appeared the Tigers were going to get some traction in the second period. At the 5:55 mark of the frame, offensive-defenceman Bryce Pickford drove home a mid-range shot from the front of the Spokane net working on a four-versus-three power play to cut the Chiefs advantage to 4-2.

With 55.7 seconds remaining in the second, St. Martin drove down the right wing and fired a shot off the left post of the Spokane net that one of the referees at first pointed to the net and called a goal. The play went to a video review that correctly determined the puck did not go in the Spokane net, which meant the Chiefs would continue to hold a 4-2 lead.

Bryce Pickford scored the Tigers second goal on Sunday.

“I thought we played pretty good in the second,” said Desjardins. “We had a chance and Hunter (St. Martin) hit the goalpost, and that would have put it 4-3.

“Maybe that would have made it different, but in the end, they deserved it.”

Still trailing 4-2 in the third, Tigers star defenceman Tanner Molendyk would ring a shot off the post. Following that scoring chance by Medicine Hat, the Chiefs would put the game away.

At the 12:07 mark of the third, Martin put a backhand pass from the right side of the Tigers net across the face of the goal to 16-year-old rookie right-winger Mathis Preston at the left side of the net. Preston knocked home the backdoor tap to give the visitors a 5-2 advantage.

Ryder Ritchie (#21) battles Andrew Cristall (#82).

Preston finished the night recording one goal, one assist and a plus-two rating in the plus-minus department. He said he enjoyed playing the first two games of the WHL final in Medicine Hat.

“It is a great environment,” said Preston. “They are sold out every night, and it is super fun to play with all these fans.

“Being the away team, it gives you energy too, not just the home team. It is lots of fun, and I think our team feeds off it.”

With 4:42 remaining in the third, Catton scored on a breakaway for his second tally of the night which rounded out the 6-2 final in favour of the Chiefs. To go with his two goals, Catton also posted one assist and a plus-two rating.

Mathis Preston accounted for the Chiefs fifth goal on Sunday.

“He (Catton) was there,” said Lauer. “Obviously, he understood the importance of this game and him being our captain.

“The way he played, and the way he came out and skated with the puck he wanted to make sure that we weren’t going to lose this game. You could see it by his effort tonight.”

Meneghin turned away 19 shots to take the setback in net for the Tigers, who lost for the first time at home in the post-season on Sunday and saw their 11 overall game winning streak come to an end. Dawson Cowan stopped 19 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Chiefs.

Tigers superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna was held without a point. That brought an end to his streak of recording points in 54 straight games played between the regular season and post-season. During the 54 games of that streak that dated back to November 6, 2024, McKenna recorded 137 points coming off 40 goals and 97 assists.

A group of young fans keeps cheering hard for the Tigers in the third.

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.

Looking ahead to Game 3 in Spokane, St. Martin said his Tigers have to play with a little more jump.

Gavin McKenna (#72) was held without a point on Sunday.

“I think they just outplayed us,” said St. Martin. “It was simple.

“They won more battles than us. They got more bounces. I think now we take and reflect what we can.

“We have to rebound. It is a quick turnaround here on the bus, and we have to get to it on Tuesday.”

Chiefs star right-winger Andrew Cristall, who collected a pair of assists on Sunday, said his squad heads into Game 3 with a renewed belief in themselves.

“All four lines played an unreal game,” said Cristall, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Washington Capitals. “We obviously wanted to have a little more of a bounce back game.

The Chiefs celebrate their victory on Sunday.

“I thought five-on-five we played pretty well. It gives us a lot of confidence, especially heading back home and hopefully it keeps going.”

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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Tigers, Chiefs accomplish a lot making WHL final

League championship series starts Friday in Medicine Hat

Oasiz Wiesblatt, left, and Gavin McKenna enjoy a Tigers goal.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. - The Medicine Hat Tigers and Spokane Chiefs have had memorable seasons.

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.

Since winning both the WHL title for the now minted Ed Chynoweth Cup and Memorial Cup in 2008, the Chiefs weren’t able to make it back to the WHL final until this year. They returned to the Western Conference final in 2011 and 2019.

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.

Tanner Molendyk has been stellar on the Tigers back end.

Cristall came to the Chiefs in a blockbuster trade with the Kelowna Rockets on January 8. In 57 regular season contests played between the Rockets and Chiefs, Cristall, who turned 20-years-old on February 4, topped the WHL in scoring to claim the Bob Clarke Trophy with 132 points coming off 48 goals and 84 assists to go with a plus-59 rating in the plus-minus department.

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.

The Tigers salute their faithful at Co-op Place.

What the Tigers and Chiefs have done to this point is special, and it can’t be taken away from either squad.

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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Hitmen emerging as surprise team in WHL

Oliver Tulk leads the Hitmen in scoring with 49 points.

“Shhhhhh. We want to sneak up on people. We are actually good.”

The Calgary Hitmen have flown in under the radar. At the start of the 2024-25 campaign, they were expected to contend for a position in the WHL Playoffs, but they weren’t penciled in to win any division, conference or league titles.

Last season, the Hitmen placed ninth in the WHL’s Eastern Conference with a 28-31-8-1 mark finishing two standings points back of the Prince Albert Raiders (31-32-2-3) for eighth place and the conference’s final post-season berth. Calgary has failed to make the post-season in two of the last three WHL campaigns.

On November 11 of this season, the Hitmen dropped 6-5 overtime decision to the Tri-City Americans in Kennewick, Washington. That result moved the Hitmen’s record to 7-7-3-1 after 18 games.

Since that time, the Hitmen have gone on a tear posting a 10-2 mark to improve to 17-9-3-1. They sit one standings point behind the Medicine Hat Tigers (19-14-1) for top spot in the Central Division and the Eastern Conference.

Calgary is tied with the Saskatoon Blades (17-10-2-2) for second and third overall in the Eastern Conference with 38 standings points. The Blades hold the standings tiebreakers due to topping the WHL’s East Division and posting a win and an extra time setback in two head-to-head meetings with the Hitmen.

The Hitmen have been riding the heroics of returnees Oliver Tulk, Ben Kindel and Carter Yakemchuk. Tulk is in his fourth full season with the Hitmen. The 19-year-old right-winger leads Calgary in scoring with 49 points coming off 15 goals and 34 assists to go with a plus-six rating in the plus-minus department.

Kindel is a 17-year-old sophomore centre who sits second in Hitmen team scoring with 46 points coming off 19 goals and 27 assists to go with a plus-eight rating. He was listed as a B-ranked skater by NHL Central Scouting’s preliminary rankings for the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.

Carter Yakemchuk tops all Hitmen blue-liners with 29 points.

Carter Yakemchuk is a star 19-year-old offensive defenceman who is in his fourth season with the Hitmen. Yakemchuk, who has a signed NHL entry-level contract with the Ottawa Senators, tops the Hitmen in blue-line scoring with 29 points coming off 12 goals and 17 assists in 25 appearances this season.

The Hitmen haven’t been afraid to strengthen their roster via the trade route under the direction of general manager Garry Davidson, who served a strong run as general manager of the Everett Silvertips from 2012 to 2021. At age 73, Davidson is still as sharp as ever.

Just before the regular season started back on September 19, Davidson sent 19-year-old left-winger Connor Dale, a second round selection and a fourth round pick in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft and a second round selection in the 2026 Prospects Draft to the Swift Current Broncos for 20-year-old centre Connor Hvidston. Hvidston sits third in Hitmen team scoring with 30 points coming off 11 goals and 19 assists.

Davidson proceeded to make two blockbuster moves in November. On November 17, the Hitmen sent the WHL rights to 15-year-old centre Nathan Gardiner, a second round selection in the 2025 Prospects Draft and third and seventh round selections in the 2026 Prospects Draft to the Moose Jaw Warriors for 20-year-old offensive-defenceman Kalem Parker.

Just four days later on November 21, the Hitmen acquired now 19-year-old left-winger Tanner Howe from the Regina Pats in exchange for 17-year-old defenceman Reese Hamilton, 18-year-old left-winger Keets Fawcett, a third round pick in the 2025 Prospects Draft and a second round selection in the 2027 Prospects Draft.

On November 19, the Hitmen signed 18-year-old netminder Anders Miller to a WHL scholarship and development agreement. The Anchorage, Alaska, product was playing junior A for the Lloydminster Bobcats of the Alberta Hockey League and immediately joined the Hitmen after signing with the Calgary side.

Calgary elected to go with highly touted 16-year-old rookie Eric Tu as their second netminder. Tu made the Hitmen out of training camp and was selected by Calgary in the second round and 31^st overall in the 2023 Prospects Draft.

Miller and Tu have come up with timely saves for the Hitmen. As they continue to get more comfortable playing in the WHL, you can expect both to continue to improve.

The Hitmen acquired Kalem Parker in a trade on November 17.

Veteran 39-year-old coach Paul McFarland has been able to bring the Hitmen together in his first year as the club’s head coach. He came to Calgary after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.

The exploits of the Hitmen sometimes don’t get brought to the surface as they play in a saturated sports market in Calgary, which has seen major cuts to the sports media. Even with numerous high profile sports teams calling Calgary home, the Hitmen enjoyed great coverage through the 2000s and most of the 2010s from Scott Fisher until he was let go by the Calgary Sun. Fisher covered the Hitmen like an NHL club and was well respected for his work.

It would have been sweet to have Fisher covering the Hitmen in the current day, because they appear to be on a rocket rise. When the dust settles, they could very well top the Eastern Conference standings and be looking at the prospects of going on a long post-season run.

Saskatoon, PA feel at world juniors

Caden Price will play for Canada at world juniors.

A number of folks in Saskatoon and Prince Albert will be paying extra attention to world juniors.

A total of six players have ties to one community or the other or both centres, when the annual hockey tournament hits the ice in Ottawa, Ont., on Thursday, December 26. Canada’s roster includes Saskatoon produces in defenceman Caden Price and centre Berkly Catton.

Price, who is 19-years-old, leads the Kelowna Rockets in defencemen scoring with 32 points coming off six goals and 26 assists to go with a plus-14 rating in the plus-minus department in 26 games. Catton, who is 18-years-old, sits second in Spokane Chiefs scoring with 47 points coming off 14 goals and 33 assists to go with a plus-20 rating in 28 games.

Brayden Yager, who is a 19-year-old centre, started the campaign with the Moose Jaw Warriors before being traded to the Lethbridge Hurricanes. He will also be skating for Canada, and he will be the squad’s captain. In 23 games played between the Warriors and Hurricanes, Yager has 34 points coming off 12 goals and 22 assists.

Brayden Yager is Canada’s captain at world juniors.

Yager resides in the Saskatoon area in the off-season, but he got his start playing hockey skating in Prince Albert’s minor hockey system. Due to having links to both cities, folks in Saskatoon and Prince Albert have followed Yager’s career.

Tanner Howe, who is a 19-year-old left-winger, is a Prince Albert product who will suit up for Canada. Howe started the WHL campaign with the Regina Pats before being dealt to the Calgary Hitmen. In 16 games with both the Pats and Hitmen, has 16 points coming off nine goals and seven assists to go with a plus-eight rating.

Saskatoon Blades offensive-defenceman Tanner Molendyk will skate for Canada at world juniors. The 19-year-old Kamloops, B.C., product leads the Blades in defence scoring with 21 points coming off four goals and 17 assists to go with a plus-four rating in 21 games. Molendyk, who is one of Canada’s assistant captains, is a career member of the Blades skating in 210 career regular season with the Saskatoon side recording 26 goals, 108 assists and a plus-66 rating.

Blades 17-year-old import rookie centre David Lewandowski will play for Germany at world juniors. In 20 games with the Blades, Lewandowski has recorded seven goals, eight assists and a plus-13 rating.

Canada opens the tournament on December 26 taking on Finland at the Canadian Tire Centre (7:30 p.m. eastern time, TSN). Germany also opens play on December 26 facing the United States (2:30 p.m. eastern time, TSN).

Pats struggle with attendance, other notes

The Brandt Centre has a lot of empty seats for Pats games this season.

There was a day when it was believed the Regina Pats would still average over 4,000 spectators per game even in their down seasons.

After 16 home dates this season, the Pats are averaging 2,422 spectators per game at the Brandt Centre, which can hold 6,499 patrons for hockey. That total is the second lowest average attendance in the WHL.

Last season, the Pats averaged 3,219 spectators for their 34 home dates. In 2022-23 the final campaign with phenom centre Connor Bedard, the Pats averaged 4,501 spectators per game for 34 regular season home games and sold out all three home post-season outings.

When the Pats finished first overall in the WHL and advanced and fell in the WHL final to the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2016-17, the Pats averaged 5,456 spectators for 36 regular season home contests. They sold out all 12 home games in the WHL Playoffs with the Brandt Centre configured to hold 6,484 spectators.

Back in the 2017-18 campaign when the Pats hosted the Memorial Cup tournament that crowns a CHL champion, the Pats averaged 6,076 spectators for 36 regular season home contests. They sold out all three of their home games in the WHL Playoffs with the Brandt Centre configured to hold 6,484 spectators. In the five games the Pats played at the Memorial Cup tournament, they skated in front of sellout crowds in their last three contests.

Since hosting the Memorial Cup in 2018, the Pats have only played in the post-season once. While the lack of playoffs appearances has hurt, numerous Pats fans have complained online about ticket prices and how they were increased before the start of the 2021-22 campaign, when the Pats still had Bedard.

Currently, single game tickets for Pats games ranges from $31.31 to $43.27. In most WHL markets, tickets hover around $25 to $27.

• On Friday, the Everett Silvertips home rink in the Angel of the Winds Arena topped a league survey of WHL players as the most difficult building to play in on the road. The WHL surveyed 328 players from all 22 of the league’s clubs and 25.4 per cent of the players said the Angel of the Winds Arena was the most difficult building to play in. The Prince Albert Raiders home rink in the Art Hauser Centre came in second with 15.6 per cent of the votes, the Seattle Thunderbirds home building in the Accesso ShoWare Center came in third at 9.2 per cent, the Red Deer Rebels rink in the Peavey Mart Centrium was fourth at 7.6 per cent and the Swift Current Broncos home barn in the InnovationPlex was fifth at 7 per cent.
• On Friday, Calgary Hitmen star 19-year-old right-winger Oliver Tulk announced he was committing to the NCAA’s storied University of Wisconsin Badgers Men’s Hockey Team for the 2025-26 campaign. In 227 career regular season games with the Hitmen played over four seasons, Tulk has collected 88 goals and 120 assists for 208 points. Tulk’s commitment with the Badgers means he wouldn’t be with the Hitmen for a potential 20-year-old season.
• On Saturday, Everett Silvertips defenceman Landon DuPont topped a league survey of WHL players on who they think will win the Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s rookie of the year. The WHL surveyed 328 players from all 22 of the league’s clubs and 38 per cent of the votes said DuPont would take rookie of the year honours for the circuit. DuPont was granted exceptional status to play in the WHL on a full-time basis as a 15-year-old for the current campaign, and he has been as good as advertised. He sits second in rookie scoring with 32 points coming off six goals and 26 assists to go with a plus-20 rating in 29 games. Gavin Garland, who is an 18-year-old centre with the Tri-City Americans, was second on the survey taking 15.2 per cent of the votes. He leads the WHL in rookie scoring with 35 points coming off 18 goals and 17 assists to go with a plus-20 rating in 29 games.

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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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in. 

Return of the Broncos

Swift Current makes charge at first in Central Division

The Broncos have been enjoying goal celebrations and wins.

The Swift Current Broncos appear set to jump over a few humps in a big way.

Way back in the 2017-18 campaign, the Broncos went all in on a quest to win the WHL championship. They finished second overall in the WHL regular season standings with a 48-17-5-2 mark. In an epic post-season run, the Broncos captured their third league title in team history and appeared in the Memorial Cup tournament that determines a CHL champion held in Regina in May of that year.

Since that campaign, the Broncos haven’t been able to return to the WHL Playoffs until clinching a post-season berth in the current campaign.

They suffered heartbreaks in each of the past two seasons when it came to capturing a WHL post-season berth. Last season, the Broncos needed to win their last regular season game in regulation against the Tigers in Medicine Hat to make the playoffs.

In that contest played on March 25, 2023, the Broncos jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. The Tigers responded by scoring four straight goals and ultimately held on for a 4-3 victory.

Medicine Hat finished eighth in the Eastern Conference capturing the conference’s final playoff berth with a 30-29-8-1 record. Swift Current finished three standings points back of the Tigers with a 31-33-1-3 mark.

In the 2021-22 campaign, the Broncos needed to claim victory in their last regular season game played against the visiting Prince Albert Raiders to lock away a post-season berth. The Raiders came away with a 4-1 victory in that contest played on April 15, 2022 to end Swift Current’s campaign.

The Raiders took eighth place and the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with 28-35-4-1 mark. The Broncos finished two standings points behind the Raiders with a 26-35-5-2 record.

Conor Geekie has been a big addition to the Broncos.

For most of the current campaign, the Broncos were holding a playoff spot in the standings. The team’s management decided to strengthen their roster with a couple of trades in early January in an attempt to ensure a playoff berth wasn’t a question.

On January 4, the Broncos acquired 19-year-old star centre Conor Geekie in a trade with the Wenatchee Wild. In return, the Wild received 18-year-old defenceman Sam Ward, defenceman Josh Fluker, who turned 18-years-old on January 3, rookie 17-year-old left-winger Maddix McCagherty, first and second round selections in the 2025 WHL Prospects Draft, a first round selection in the 2026 Prospects Draft and a seventh round selection in the 2027 Prospects Draft.

On January 10 before the passing of the WHL’s trade deadline, the Broncos acquired overage defenceman Tyson Galloway from the Calgary Hitmen in exchange for a second and a third round selection in the 2026 WHL Prospects Draft.

To make room for Galloway, the Broncos dealt overage right-winger Tyson Laventure to the Victoria Royals for a fifth round selection in the 2026 Prospects Draft.

At first, it didn’t appear the moves were going to do much to improve the Broncos fortunes. On January 28, they dropped a 3-2 decision in overtime to the Blades in Saskatoon. Following that result, the Broncos record sat at 22-18-3-2, and they sat third in the Central Division 11 standings points behind the first place Tigers.

Since that overtime setback, the Broncos have gone 13-2-1 in their last 16 outings to improve to 35-20-4-2 to officially clinch a berth in the WHL Playoffs. They sit one point behind the Tigers (35-22-5-2) for first in the Central and have three games in hand on the Medicine Hat side.

Owen Pickering has 38 points for the Broncos this season.

On Saturday, the Broncos drew their first sellout crowd of 2,890 spectators of the season to their home rink in the InnovationPlex for a 6-3 victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings. The game was a rough one with Broncos 20-year-old defenceman Ryan McCleary being given a double minor for checking from behind in the second period for a hit he threw on Wheat Kings captain Brett Hyland.

The contest ended with a line brawl that saw Dawson Gerwing and Petr Pavelec of the Broncos and Charlie Elick and Carter Klippenstein all being assessed fighting majors. The fight between Gerwing and Klippenstein was tabbed as being a second fight starting after the one between Pavelec and Elick.

Also during that contest, one of the spectators in the crowd threw a big plastic trash can inside the Wheat Kings bench.

As of Monday night, there hasn’t been any news if any disciplinary action will be handed out by the WHL office.

Aside from the extra-circulars, the Broncos have a solid squad. Geekie leads the team in scoring recording 86 points coming off 37 goals and 49 assists to go with a plus-46 rating in the plus-minus department in 48 games played between the Broncos and Wild.

Sophomore left-winger Clarke Caswell is having a breakout season recording 21 goals, 46 assists and a plus-10 rating appearing in all the Broncos 61 games so far this season. Star left-winger Josh Filmon is having another solid campaign posting 26 goals, 35 assists and a plus-12 rating in 58 games for the Broncos.

Offensive-defenceman Owen Pickering tops the Broncos in blue-line scoring with 38 points coming off six goals and 32 assists to go with a plus-15 rating.

Reid Dyck has rounded out as a solid starter in net posting a 22-6-2 record, a 2.66 goals against average, a .911 save percentage and two shutouts.

Josh Filmon has 26 goals and 35 assists for the Broncos this season.

If the Broncos are able to finish first in the Central Division, they will be a tough out in the post-season. The InnovationPlex is traditionally raucous in the post-season giving the Broncos one of the best home ice advantages in the WHL.

The Broncos will try to keep their roll going over their final seven regular season games. They travel to Prince Albert to face the Raiders (30-27-2-3) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

Following that contest, the Broncos face the Tigers in a huge home-and-home series. The two sides meet at the InnovationPlex on Friday at 7 p.m. and on Saturday at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat at 7 p.m. local time.

When the WHL post-season comes around at the end of the month, it might feel like the spring of 2018 for the Broncos.

Blades on cusp of Eastern Conference clinch, other notes

Brandon Lisowsky had a penalty shot OT winner on Saturday.

It is almost academic that the Saskatoon Blades will lock up first place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference, but a little more work is required when it comes to finishing first overall in the WHL.

The Blades lead the WHL standings with a 45-12-2-3 mark. They need to collect just one standings point in their final six regular season contests to lock up first in the Eastern Conference. Their first chance to obtain that one standings point comes on Tuesday when they host the Brandon Wheat Kings (30-27-6-1) at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Finishing first overall in the WHL is another matter. The Blades need to obtain nine standings points over their last six games to lock up top spot overall in the circuit.

Saskatoon sits five points ahead of the Western Conference leading Prince George Cougars (43-15-1-3), who sit second overall in the WHL. The Portland Winterhawks (43-15-2-1), who are second in the Western Conference and third overall in the WHL, sit six points behind the Blades. The Winterhawks have a game in hand on both the Blades and Cougars.

Of course, the amount of points the Blades need to collect in the standings to finish first overall in the WHL could change depending on results involving games with the Cougars and Winterhawks.

The Blades have won their last three games in a row. In their last outing this past Saturday, the Blades downed the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings 2-1 in overtime at the SaskTel Centre. Blades star left-winger Brandon Lisowsky pulled of a rarity scoring the winner on a penalty shot just 42 seconds into the extra session.

That contest saw the Blades retire the #39 of the team’s all-time great in Frank Banham. Banham played four seasons for the Blades from 1992 to 1996 appearing in 278 career regular season games collecting 190 goals and 180 assists for 370 points. He is the Blades all-time leader in career goals and points.

The last time the Blades finished first overall in the WHL was when they posted a 56-13-1-2 mark in the 2010-11 campaign, which is the club’s all-time best record for one regular season.

• On Monday, the WHL handed out its weekly awards for the week ending on Sunday. Kelowna Rockets right-winger Andrew Cristall was the player of the week, Kolby Hay of the Edmonton Oil Kings was the goaltender of the week, and right-winger Terik Parascak was the rookie of the week.
• Spokane Chiefs centre Berkly Catton is having an outstanding sophomore season. The Saskatoon product, who turned 18-years-old in January, sits fourth in WHL scoring with 105 points coming off 49 goals and 56 assists to go with a plus-11 rating. Catton is a top prospect to be selected in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft to be held June 28 and 29 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• Medicine Hat Tigers 16-year-old rookie left-winger Gavin McKenna is going to need a big game or two in his team’s final four regular season outings to hit the 100-point plateau. McKenna has 90 points coming off 31 goals and 59 assists. McKenna is trying to become the fifth 16-year-old in the history of the WHL to record 100-or-more points.
• Saskatoon Blades 20-year-old captain Trevor Wong lead the WHL with 79 assists. He also had 13 goals to go with a plus-20 rating.
• You have to love the battle of the Edmonton Oil Kings. They have been eliminated from playoff contention and are playing out the string with a 23-36-3-1 mark. Still, they are playing every contest like it is Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.
• It is great to see Dave Dawson serving as the play-by-play voice of the Edmonton Oil Kings. He officially became the Oil Kings play-by-play voice on February 1 after former Oil Kings play-by-play voice Andrew Peard took a new role with OEG Sports and Entertainment with the Edmonton Oilers communications department.  Dawson is one of the good guys in broadcasting who has more than paid his dues. It would be cool if this turned into something big for him.
• On Saturday, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature on young right-handed softball pitcher Emma Frisky, who was named to Softball Canada’s Under-18 Women’s National Team. That piece can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that showed the winter season in its stretch run with the spring season peaking around the corner. That post can be found by clicking right here.

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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