Switzer steals 2-1 Game 3 OT victory for Tigers over Raiders

Medicine Hat leads WHL Eastern Conference final 2-1

Jordan Switzer (#31) and Carter Casey celebrate an OT win.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – So how good was Jordan Switzer?

The sophomore netminder for the Medicine Hat Tigers stole an overtime victory for his team in Game 3 of the WHL Eastern Conference Championship Series on Tuesday night at Co-op Place. Switzer had a spectacular outing making 37 saves as the Tigers downed the visiting Prince Albert Raiders 2-1 in extra time to the delight of most of the 5,204 spectators outside of a noticeable contingent of Raiders supporters.

With the win, the Tigers take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 4 is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Co-op Place.

Legendary Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins admitted it might be accurate to say Switzer’s heroics on Tuesday were up there with Kevin Nastiuk’s work in the team’s run to a WHL title win in 2004, Matt Keetley’s performances in Medicine Hat’s 2007 WHL championship victory run and Harrison Meneghin’s work helping the Tigers take the WHL title last season.

Jordan Switzer (#31) stops Raiders D Linden Burrett. 

“We didn’t know we’d need that at the start, but once it got started, we knew we were going to need something big,” said Desjardins. “He (Switzer) was big.

“That was as good a performance as I’ve seen for a long time. It was the perfect time to have it.”

Switzer was excited to hear about the high praise about his work from his bench boss along with being mentioned in a name drop of legendary Tigers netminders from the past two-and-a-half decades.

Jordan Switzer made 37 saves to backstop the Tigers to victory.

“That is cool,” said Switzer. “He (Desjardins) has seen a lot of goalies play in his time, so to be in that conversation is pretty cool.”

With that said, Switzer said his team really did have to slug out Tuesday’s contest as the Raiders came in with a lot of jump and came at the host side in waves. He was pleased his club found a way to persevere.

“I think it was good for us,” said Switzer. “We stuck with it the whole way.

“We never got down on each other. Obviously, we found a way to win in the end, which was really good.”

Daxon Rudolph scored to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead.

The two club’s entered overtime locked in 1-1 tie after the Raiders played what might have been their best period of the contest holding a 10-2 edge in shots on goal for the third stanza. After 60 minutes, the Raiders held a 37-19 edge in shots on goal and played sizable stretches of time in Medicine Hat’s zone.

The rug was then pulled out from under the Raiders at the 4:07 mark of overtime. At that moment, Tigers 20-year-old star centre Andrew Basha took a shot from the point that changed direction on a deflection from star left-winger Liam Ruck.

Raiders star 18-year-old rookie import netminder Michal Orsulak stopped that shot, and the puck rebounded to sit beside the left post of the Prince Albert goal. Ruck collected the puck and tucked it into the Prince Albert net to give the Tigers their 2-1 victory.

Aiden Oiring had bad luck on some prime scoring chances.

Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald admitted Tuesday’s contest might be the story of the one that got away for his squad.

“I really liked our game,” said McDonald. “I thought we executed quite well.

“We had some really good looks that didn’t end up in the back of the net. I really liked our start, liked our pace, liked our hunt, liked our pucks to the paint and guys just didn’t get rewarded for it.”

Just seconds into the contest, Raiders star 20-year-old centre Aiden Oiring found himself alone in front of the Medicine Hat. He put on a deke, but slid a shot just wide of the left post.

That ultimately foreshadowed Oiring’s night as he would end up with about four other golden scoring opportunities and would be unable to find the back of the net.

Michal Orsulak made 19 saves in goal for the Raiders.

““O” (Oiring) brings a 200-foot game,” said McDonald. “He is a dog in the faceoff circle.

“He plays both sides of the puck from the penalty kill to the power play. He gets jobs on the defensive side plus the offensive side, and again, that is where he was earning his chances right inside the dots and you know those grade-A look situations. He got pucks off his stick and just didn’t get rewarded for them tonight.”

With 4:27 remaining in the first, the Raiders did break through on the scoreboard. Star defenceman Daxon Rudolph zipped into the left faceoff dot and his initial shot was stopped. He followed his shot and picked his own rebound close in and tucked home his sixth of the post-season to put the Raiders in front 1-0.

Kade Stengrim had the equalizer for the Tigers on Tuesday.

The Tigers evened the score at 1-1 with 3:53 remaining in the second, while working on the power play. Tigers 18-year-old standout rookie left-winger Kade Stengrim fired home a shot from the point through a screen for the equalizer.

About 5:40 into the third, the Raiders had a golden opportunity to go ahead. While holding pressure inside the Medicine Hat zone, Switzer got accidentally knocked out of his net by one of his own defencemen.

The Raider got the puck to captain Justice Christensen at the left point, who unloaded one of his “juice bombs” to what looked like an empty cage. Tigers import defenceman Veeti Vaisanen was able to get over to block the shot to allow the contest to remain tied.

Max Heise jets up ice for the Raiders.

As the rest of the third progressed, Oiring was stoned on two prime mid range chances and Raiders 18-year-old import left-winger Alisher Sarkenov was denied in close.

That set the stage for Ruck to come away with his winner in overtime. Orsulak turned away 19 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders.

“It is nice to get it done,” said Ruck. “We know that wasn’t our best game as a group.

“Obviously, it shows a lot of character to find a way to get that win.”

During the regular season, the Raiders topped the Eastern Conference, claimed the East Division title and finished second overall in the WHL with a 52-10-5-1 mark. They were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

Veeti Vaisanen had a big shot block for the Tigers.

The Tigers, who are the defending WHL champions, finished second in the Eastern Conference, captured the Central Division title and finished third overall in the WHL during the regular season with a 50-10-5-3 mark. They were rated fifth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Raiders and Tigers met four times in the 2025-26 regular season. Each side claimed two regulation time wins including one victory at home and one the road. Each side scored 16 goals in those four head-to-head contests.

When the dust settled in Tuesday’s contest, Desjardins said his squad was able to come up with a steal of a victory.

“I think they outplayed us tonight for sure,” said Desjardins. “We hung in there.

“I think that is a big thing sometimes. You just have to find a way to win. Our guys battled hard.

The Tigers celebrate an OT winner from Liam Ruck.

“They got in shooting lanes and lots of stuff. “Switzie” Switzer was really good in net. We were fortunate to get that one, but we got her.”

In looking towards Game 4, McDonald said his Raiders just get back to the grind and work towards pulling even in the series.

“This is hockey, and that is why you are in playoffs,” said McDonald. “It is a seven-game series for a reason.

“We’ll take our time, reflect on it and wipe the slate clean and get ready to get back to work tomorrow.”

Desjardins would like to see his squad assert a little more control of the contest when the two sides meet in Game 4.

“We know it is going to be a hard game,” said Desjardins. “We’re going to have to be ready to go a little bit better than we were tonight.”

Liam Ruck (#12) gives a stick tap thanks to fans along the glass.

NOTE – While the Tigers and Raiders continue to battle in the Eastern Conference final, the Everett Silvertips are waiting to see which one of those two clubs will be their foe in the WHL Championship Series. On Tuesday in Penticton, the Silvertips downed the host Vees 4-2 in Game 4 of the Western Conference Championship Series. With the win, the Silvertips sweep the best-of-seven set 4-0 to advance to the WHL final for the first time since 2018. Everett fell in that WHL Championship Series in six games to the Swift Current Broncos.

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 show tenacity, rebound with 5-0 win over Raiders

WHL Eastern Conference final tied at 1-1 heading to the Hat

Markus Ruck (#26) is all smiles after scoring the Tigers third goal.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – When it comes to handling adversity, it can be argued that no team in the WHL circles the wagons better than the Medicine Hat Tigers.

On Friday, the Tigers opened the WHL Eastern Conference Championship Series by getting trampled 8-3 by the host Prince Albert Raiders at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre. Since Willie Desjardins first joined the Tigers before the start of the 2002-03 campaign, it became common for the Medicine Hat franchise to quickly get over what happened in a bad loss and roar back with a sound victory.

In Game 2 of the series on Saturday played before another sellout crowd of 3,299 spectators at the Hauser, the Tigers rolled to a 5-0 victory and silenced the Raiders faithful for long stretches of the contest. The win allowed the Tigers to even the best-of-seven series at 1-1.

Markus Ruck had one goal and one assist for the Tigers.

The defending WHL champions will now host the next two games of the set in Medicine Hat. Games 3 and 4 are set for Tuesday and Wednesday respectively at Co-op Place for a 7 p.m. start on both nights.

“It is a big win for sure,” said Tigers star left-winger Markus Ruck, who had one goal, one assist and a plus-two in the plus-minus department. “We knew coming in it is a really tough rink.

“To get that one is huge. We knew coming into it we had to get this one.”

The teams started off playing fairly even as the shots on goal were tied 4-4 after the first 11 minutes of the opening frame. Momentum changed when Raiders defenceman Linden Burrett was given a roughing minor with eight minutes remaining in the frame.

Jordan Switzer made 30 saves to earn a shutout win.

The Tigers proceeded to buzz the Prince Albert net forcing Raiders rookie star import netminder Michal Orsulak to make about six huge saves. Tigers star 20-year-old centre Andrew Basha came the closest to scoring by wiring a shot off the crossbar causing a scramble in front of the Raiders net. Raiders star centre Braeden Cootes came up with a clearance to relieve the pressure.

While the Raiders got the kill, the Tigers had a tonne of momentum they would carry through to the end of the second period. Raiders star 20-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube said you could feel that momentum was on the side of the visitors after that power-play chance.

“They got lots of shots and lots of good looks,” said Dube. “They got a jump in their step.

Michal Orsulak makes one of his 36 saves in goal for the Raiders.

“We just have to find a way to go back at them after big kills like that. We have to find a way to get back to our game after.”

Before the first ended, the Tigers went back on the power-play after Raiders standout 16-year-old defenceman Brock Cripps was called for holding with 2:07 remaining in the first. Right after that power play expired, Tigers star defenceman Jonas Woo threw a puck from a bad angle at the right boards by the icing line to the front of the Prince Albert net.

The puck appeared to deflect home off Tigers standout centre Noah Davidson into the Prince Albert goal to give the visitors a 1-0 lead with 5.9 seconds remaining in the frame. Woo, who missed Game 1 of the series with an undisclose ailment, was given credit for the goal. The Tigers exited the first holding their 1-0 advantage and a 16-6 edge in shots on goal.

Jonas Woo was credited with two goals on Saturday.

That opening tally by Medicine Hat marked the first time the Raiders gave up the first goal of a game in the 2026 WHL Playoffs.

The Tigers continued to come hard at the Raiders in the second holding a 17-9 edge in shots on goal for the frame. Medicine Hat finally got a second goal past Orsulak with 3:47 remaining in the stanza while working on the power play.

Ruck swooped down the right wing with the puck and made a backhanded pass to the front of the Prince Albert net to his twin brother Liam Ruck. Liam blasted home his sixth of the post-season to push the Tigers advantage out to 2-0.

“It is pretty cool,” said Markus Ruck about the power-play goal. “I was kind of just wheeling in the zone, and I kind of popped up and saw him there.

Alisher Sarkenov and the Raiders had no luck around the net.

“It is pretty cool playing with him. It is obviously really cool being his brother.”

In the third, the Raider came with a big push forcing Tigers netminder Jordan Switzer, who turned 19-years-old in January, to stand on his head. The Raiders would outshoot the Tigers 15-8 in the third but were unable to put a puck past Switzer, who was making his first start of the series.

“In our room, we knew they were going to battle hard there,” said Switzer. “I think it was only 2-0 for a bit.

“I think we did a good job shutting them down, weathering the storm and then we got a couple in the end.”

With 7:11 remaining in the third, Markus Ruck came up with a dagger goal. Tigers right-winger Carter Cunningham sprung Ruck down the left-wing on a contested breakaway. Ruck lasered home a shot to the short side on Orsulak to give the visitors a 3-0 advantage.

Aiden Oiring of the Raiders jets away from Cam Parr of the Tigers.

Woo proceeded to score a long empty-net from his own icing line with 1:55 remaining in the third, and import defenceman Niilopekka Muhonen netted his first of the post-season with a seeing-eye shot from the left side boards in the Prince Albert end to round out the 5-0 final score in favour of the Tigers.

“This is a hard barn to play in, especially in playoff time,” said Switzer. “It is a sold out rink.

“All the fans are all over us, but I think we handled it good tonight, didn’t get rattled and stuck to our game plan.”

Orsulak turned away 36-of-40 shots to take the setback in net for the Raiders. Switzer stopped 30 shots to pick up the shutout win in goal for the Tigers, which was also Switzer’s first clean slate in post-season play.

Noah Davidson had a strong game for the Tigers.

The Tigers were 1-for-4 on the power play, while the Raiders failed to score on four chances with the man advantage.

“The first period the shots were a little lopsided there from a couple of power-play situations,” said Raiders head coach Ryan McDonald. “I didn’t mind our start.

“I thought we created some opportunities and didn’t get some bounces and got away from it in the second period and started turning some pucks over and feeding into their transition and making it real hard on ourselves. In the third period, we got back to our game and getting pucks in behind and created some opportunities for ourselves. Again, you have to tip your cap to them.

“They played hard. Again, we need to match that intensity and match that level.”

Liam Ruck scored a power-play goal for the Tigers.

During the regular season, the Raiders topped the Eastern Conference, claimed the East Division title and finished second overall in the WHL with a 52-10-5-1 mark. They were rated fourth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Tigers, who are the defending WHL champions, finished second in the Eastern Conference, captured the Central Division title and finished third overall in the WHL during the regular season with a 50-10-5-3 mark. They were rated fifth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Raiders and Tigers met four times in the 2025-26 regular season. Each side claimed two regulation time wins including one victory at home and one the road. Each side scored 16 goals in those four head-to-head contests.

These two traveling fans enjoyed the Tigers win on Saturday.

Due to how even the regular season series was, Desjardins, who is the Tigers legendary head coach and general manager, expects every game of the Eastern Conference final with the Raiders to be a battle.

“I thought we played a little better tonight,” said Desjardins. “I thought the first game they kind of took it away on us.

“We had a really good start and then got on our heels a little bit. They got some power-play goals. Tonight, we got one on the power play.

“One just went in at the end of two (minutes), so that was probably the difference.”

Niilopekka Muhonen had the Tigers final goal on Saturday.

Going into Game 3 of the series in Medicine Hat on Tuesday, Dube said his Raiders have to show their perseverance.

“We just have to wipe this one and play our game,” said Dube. “Today, we were trying to do too much I think.

“We’re at our best when we are playing fast, just getting pucks deep and on our forecheck.”

As for the Tigers, Ruck said everyone on his squad is pumped to continue the series at their home rink.

“Going back 1-1 in the series, we know our fans are going to be awesome,” said Ruck. “We can’t wait.

“Hopefully, we continue what we just had today.”

The Tigers celebrate their win on Saturday.

NOTES – The Raiders had another huge 50/50 pot for Saturday’s game with online sale combined with sales in the building. The take home prize was $98,540 and will go to the person with ticket number C-124720.

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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Raiders survive major scare by Pats’ Tabashniuk

Prince Albert claims 2-1 (SO) victory over Regina

An extremely hot goaltender almost threw a wrench into the Prince Albert Raiders chances for finishing first in the WHL’s Eastern Conference.

On Saturday night, the Raiders traveled to Regina to face the Pats, and were almost stonewalled by Regina’s 18-year-old rookie netminder Taylor Tabashniuk. Tabashniuk was turning away everything including the kitchen sink and looked like he was going to steal a victory to the delight of the 5,558 spectators at the Brandt Centre.

Pats 17-year-old centre Zachary Lansard scored his 23^rd goal of the campaign with 2:13 remaining in the third to give the host side a 1-0 lead. With 50.3 seconds remaining in the frame and the Raiders having pulled star import netminder Michal Orsulak for an extra skater, Raiders star centre Max Heise popped home his 28^th goal of the season to even the score at 1-1 and force overtime.

After playing through a scoreless three-versus-three overtime session, the contest went to a tiebreaking shootout. Ben Harvey and Braeden Cootes scored for the Raiders in the shootout as the visitors took the tiebreaking session 2-0 and the overall WHL regular season contest 2-1.

The victory was a third straight for the Raiders, who improved to 49-10-5-1. They have the identical amount of standings points as the Medicine Hat Tigers at 104 in the race for top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Tigers won their third straight downing the visiting Lethbridge Hurricanes 6-5 in overtime on Saturday night at Co-op Place to improve to 48-10-5-3.

Prince Albert holds the standings tiebreaker over Medicine Hat due to having more wins. The Raiders, who are fourth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, have three games remaining on their regular season schedule, while the Tigers, who are fifth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, have two games left on their regular season slate. If the Raiders win two of their final three games, they will lock up top spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Pats saw their record move to 25-30-7-2 picking up one standings point with the extra time setback to remain seventh in the Eastern Conference. They need to earn one more standings point over their last three games to lock up a berth in the WHL Playoffs.

Along with Tabashniuk’s play and the late rally by the Raiders, Saturday’s clash included a spirited fight near the end of the second period between Raiders 19-year-old import rookie defenceman Matyas Man and Pats 17-year-old rookie right-winger Shea Rollason.

After the Raiders were denied on countless scoring chances, Lansard received a cross-ice pass from linemate Mathis Paul at the right side of the Prince Albert net and popped home the go-ahead goal to give the hosts their 1-0 lead. Lansard’s marker came on the Pats second shot of the period and 14^th shot on goal in the contest.

With 50.3 seconds remaining in the third, Heise received a pass in front of the Regina net from the right corner of the Pats zone from linemate Brayden Dube. Heise fired a shot to the top right corner of the Regina goal to even the score at 1-1 and force overtime. Heise’s tally came on the Raiders 22^nd shot of the period and 51^st shot on goal in the contest.

In overtime, Orsulak allowed the Raiders to stay in the big game making three big saves coming off the sticks of Pats forwards Cohen Klassen, Ellis Mieyette and Ruslan Karimov. Karimov was denied during a power-play chance late in the stanza.

In the shootout, Harvey, who is a 16-year-old rookie right-winger, was the Raiders second shooter, and he scored a highlight reel goal that was absolutely sick. Cootes sealed the win as the Raiders third shooter snapping home a mid-height shot glove side on Tabashniuk.

Tabashniuk turned back 52 shots over 65 minutes and one of three shooters in the shootout. Orsulak stopped 16 shots over 65 minutes and both shooters he faced in the shootout.

The Pats return to action on Sunday when they travel to Moose Jaw to face the 23-35-5-2 Warriors (2 p.m., Temple Gardens Centre).

The Raiders get back at it on Tuesday when they return home to host the Pats (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre).

Tigers rally for 6-5 (OT) win over Hurricanes

The Medicine Hat Tigers nearly didn’t go 8-0 against the Lethbridge Hurricanes.

On Saturday playing at home before 5,209 spectators at Co-op Place, the Tigers found themselves trailing the rival Hurricanes for most of the final WHL regular season clash between the two sides in the 2025-26 campaign. The Hurricanes were holding a 5-3 lead with 11:31 to play in the third after 17-year-old right-winger Kai Anderson scored his second goal of the contest.

With 10:06 remaining in the third, Tigers star centre Markus Ruck deflected home his 20^th goal of the season in front of the Lethbridge net to cut the Hurricanes edge to 5-4. Ruck got a smart stick on a point shot from import defenceman Veeti Vaisanen.

With 4:30 remaining in the third, Tigers 18-year-old left-winger Kade Stengrim potted his hat trick tally of the contest and 23^rd marker of the campaign to even the score at 5-5 and force overtime.

Tigers star right-winger Liam Ruck ended things scoring his second goal of the contest at the 1:56 mark of overtime to give the host side a 6-5 comeback victory.

Tomas Malinek, Oli Chenier and Kayden Longley all had singles for the Hurricanes.

Jordan Switzer stopped 12 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Tigers, who did indeed win all eight head-to-head meetings with the Hurricanes in 2025-26. Leif Oaten turned away 38 shots to take the setback in net for the Hurricanes.

The win was a third straight for the Tigers as they improved to 48-10-5-3 for 104 standings points. They have the same amount of standings points as the Prince Albert Raiders (49-10-5-1) in a battle for top spot in the Eastern Conference. The Raiders downed the host Pats in Regina 2-1 after a tiebreaking shootout on Saturday night.

Prince Albert holds the standings tiebreaker over Medicine Hat due to having more wins. The Raiders, who are fourth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, have three games remaining on their regular season schedule, while the Tigers, who are fifth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, have two games left on their regular season slate. If the Raiders win two of their final three games, they will lock up top spot in the Eastern Conference.

Markus Ruck finished Saturday’s game with one goal and two assists for the Tigers. He leads the WHL scoring race with 102 points coming off 20 goals and 82 assists. Liam Ruck, who is Markus’s twin brother, sits second in the WHL scoring race with 99 points coming off 43 goals and 56 assists.

The Tigers have also eclipsed their wins and standings points total from last season when they topped the Eastern Conference with a 47-17-3-1 mark for 98 points. They have also scored more goals this season at 331 than they did last season at 300.

Last season, the Tigers had superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna on their roster, and he took home honours as the WHL player of the year and the CHL player of the year. McKenna is currently playing in the NCAA ranks with the Penn State University Nittany Lions.

The Hurricanes record moved to 17-44-3-1 to sit second last in the overall WHL standings.

They return to action on Wednesday returning home to host the 25-34-4-2 Red Deer Rebels (7 p.m. local time, VisitLethbridge.com Arena).

The Tigers get back at it on Friday when they travel to Red Deer to take on the Rebels (7 p.m. local time, Marchant Crane Centrium).

Silvertips work over time to clinch first overall in WHL

The Everett Silvertips worked overtime to lock up first place overall in the WHL.

On Saturday, star import centre Julius Miettinen, who turned 20-years-old in January, scored his 32^nd goal of the campaign at the three-minute mark of overtime to deliver the host Silvertips to a 4-3 victory over the Penticton Vees to a raucous gathering of 8,249 spectators at the Angel of the Winds Arena. The victory allowed the Silvertips to increase their winning streak to nine games and improve to 54-7-2-1 to capture the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy for finishing first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings for a second straight year.

The Silvertips 54 wins and 111 standings points equaled team records that were set in the 2006-07 campaign. In 2006-07, the Silvertips posted a 54-15-1-2 mark to finish first overall in the WHL’s regular season standings.

Currently, the Silvertips are rated first in the CHL’s Top 10 Rankings.

In Saturday’s win over the Vees, Tarin Smith scored twice for the Silvertips, while Zackary Shantz had a single. Ryden Evers replied with a pair of goals for the Vees, while Matteo Danis had a single.

Anders Miller stopped 40 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Silvertips. Andrew Reyelts turned away 34 shots to take the setback in net for the Vees.

With the extra time setback, the Vees record moved to 41-14-6-4 to remain second overall in the Western Conference and fourth overall in the WHL. The Vees are rated eighth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Silvertips return to action on Sunday when they travel to Portland to take on the 29-29-6-1 Winterhawks (4 p.m. local time, Veterans Memorial Coliseum).

The Vees return to action on Tuesday when they host the 26-34-4-1 Tri-City Americans (6:30 p.m. local time, South Okanagan Events Centre).

The previous two times the Silvertips finished first overall in the WHL regular season standings in 2006-07 and 2024-25, they were eliminated in a Western Conference semifinal series both times in the WHL Playoffs.

Blades rebound with win over Broncos

One day after suffering a disappointment, the Saskatoon Blades rebounded against the foe that caused the disappointment.

On Friday at the SaskTel Centre, the Blades held a 3-1 lead early in the third period over the visiting Swift Current Broncos only for the Broncos to rally for three straight goals to pull out a 4-3 victory in overtime in a WHL regular season clash. On Saturday playing before 2,488 spectators at the InnovationPlex in Swift Current, those two squads met again, and the visiting Blades pulled out a 4-2 victory scoring twice inside the final two minutes of the third period.

Just 38 seconds into the first, rookie left-winger Carter Moen, who turned 17-years-old in late February, scored his 10^th of the season to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead. The Blades would score twice before the nine-minute mark of the opening frame to take a 2-1 lead with goals coming off the sticks of defenceman Jordan Martin and star centre Cooper Williams.

With 2:42 remaining in the second, Broncos 19-year-old right-winger Hudson Darby scored on a breakaway to even the score at 2-2.

The second period had an increase of feisty play with a couple of fights breaking out in the frame. With 7:01 remaining in the frame, Blades defenceman Jack Kachkowski took on Broncos centre Brock Burch. With less than a minute remaining in the third, Blades offensive-defenceman Brayden Klimpke took on Moen in a spirited bout.

In the third, Blades 17-year-old rookie left-winger Ben Bowtell scored the winner for the visitors with 6:44 remaining in the frame. Blades captain Tyler Parr scored an empty-net goal with less than 35 seconds remaining in the stanza to round out the 4-2 final score in favour of the visitors.

Associate player call up Taye Timmerman, who turned 19-years-old in late February, made his first WHL start and stopped 11 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Timmerman had been playing in the junior A ranks with the Warman Wolverines of the SJHL.

Archer Cooke turned away 34-of-37 shots to take the setback in goal for the Broncos.

Rowan Calvert, Hunter Laing and Klimpke each picked up two assists for the Blades in the win.

The Blades improved to 33-25-5-2 with the victory to remain sixth overall in the Eastern Conference. As the WHL Playoffs near, the Blades can’t finish any lower than sixth in the conference and the highest they can finish is fifth in the conference before opening up play in the post-season.

In order for the Blades to finish fifth in the conference, they need to win their remaining three games and would need the Brandon Wheat Kings (38-25-2) to lose all of their remaining three contests in regulation time.

The Broncos fell to 14-43-4-5 to sit last in the WHL.

The Blades return to action on Wednesday when they host the Wheat Kings (7 p.m., SaskTel Centre).

The Broncos get back at it on Friday when they host the Moose Jaw Warriors (7 p.m., InnovationPlex).

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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Raiders post second statement victory over Tigers

Prince Albert continues to lead Eastern Conference with 5-1 win

Brandon Gorzynski had two goals and an assist for the Raiders.

It felt like a post-season game in January.

Along with that, the Prince Albert Raiders were out to prove that the one time wasn’t an accident. Just seven days ago on January 17, the Raiders ventured into Medicine Hat and downed the host Tigers 8-5 at Co-op Place to end the Tabbies team record 19-game winning streak.

In the first two head-to-head clashes between the two squads in the first half of the current 2025-26 campaign, the Tigers claimed victory. In the first meeting on November 29, 2024, the Medicine Hat edged Prince Albert 3-2 at the storied and historic Art Hauser Centre. In the second clash on December 3, 2025, the Tigers rolled to a 7-1 victory over the Raiders at Co-op Place.

On Saturday at the Hauser, the Raiders and Tigers went at it for their final meeting in the regular season as they are locked in a tight race for first place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. In an encounter that had a feel of a contest meant for the WHL Playoffs, the Raiders would post a solid 5-1 victory before a standing room crowd of 2,892 spectators at the 2,580 seat facility that has been the lone home rink for the Prince Albert side.

The win allowed the Raiders, who have won seven straight games, to improve to 35-6-4 and push their Eastern Conference lead over the Tigers to four points. The Tigers fell to 32-8-3-3 with the setback. Prince Albert sits second overall in the WHL and is rated second in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, while Medicine Hat is third overall in the WHL and is rated fifth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Raiders win over the Tigers on Saturday also completed a stretch where the Prince Albert side played three games in three nights in three different centres.

Saturday’s clash did have its momentum changes as the Raiders built a 2-0 lead in the first period, held off a big Tigers push back in what ended up being a scoreless second frame before the hosts put the contest away in the third. Overall, the Raiders put together a night that sent their faithful home happy.

Early in the contest, Raiders star 20-year-old captain Justice Christensen sent the intensity tone laying a big hit on Tigers breakout rookie import left-winger Yaroslav Bryzgalov.

Aiden Oiring has two goals for the Raiders.

Right at the 10-minute mark of the opening frame, the Raiders went ahead 1-0 off a style of goal you don’t often see. Christensen fired a shot from the point that deflected off the stick of 18-year-old right-winger Owen Corkish and then was deflected home by star 18-year-old left-winger Brandon Gorzynski.

Gorzynski wasn’t done there. Just 3:48 later, Gorzynski netted his second of the night to account for the Raiders first power-play goal of the contest. On a rush going into the offensive zone, Raiders star 18-year-old centre Braeden Cootes rushed with the puck down the right wing and centred a pass to Gorzynski. Gorzynski deflected home the puck to give the Raiders a 2-0 edge.

The Raiders exited the opening frame holding their 2-0 lead while posting a 12-7 edge in shots on goal.

The Tigers mounted a big push back in the second period and started the frame with a couple of early power plays. They held zone time for extended stretches in the stanza.

Medicine Hat had a 15-4 edge in shots on goal for the frame but couldn’t solve Raiders star import rookie netminder Michal Orsulak. Orsulak played one of his best periods of the campaign to ensure the Raiders took their 2-0 lead into the third period.

At the 3:17 mark of the third, the Raiders thought they had delivered a knockout blow. Applying pressure inside the Medicine Hat zone, Gorzynski had the puck at the left side boards and put a pass across the front of the Tigers net to Raiders star 20-year-old centre Aiden Oiring positioned by the right post.

Oiring’s first shot attempt was stopped by Tigers standout netminder Jordan Switzer, but the puck deflected high in the air. Oiring proceeded to tap the puck out of the air into the Medicine Hat net for his 20^th goal of the season to push the host’s lead out to 3-0. The Calgary product now has scored 20-or-more goals for three straight seasons.

Just 75 seconds later, the Tigers answered back on the power play to cut the Raiders lead to 3-1. Tigers star 20-year-old centre Andrew Basha had the puck at the right faceoff circle and put a pass across the front of the Prince Albert net to Tigers star 17-year-old right-winger Liam Ruck positioned by the left post. Ruck tapped the puck home for his 27^th goal of the campaign to get the visitors back into the contest.

Liam Ruck had the Tigers lone goal on Saturday.

The Raiders proceeded to slam their foot on the gas at that point to seal the win. Working on the power play just 2:25 after Ruck’s tally, Raiders rookie 16-year-old defenceman Brock Cripps fired a point shot that deflected off a Tigers player into the Medicine Hat net to give Prince Albert a 4-1 advantage.

With 3:09 remaining in the third, Oiring potted his second of the night to round out the 5-1 final score in favour of the Raiders. Oiring one-timed home a puck from a sharp angle from the right side of the Medicine Hat net converting a sweet setup pass from Raiders 19-year-old star centre Max Heise. Oiring’s second tally accounted for the Raiders third power-play goal of the game.

Orsulak stopped 27 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Raiders. Switzer 26 shots to take the setback in net for the Tigers.

Christensen, Cootes and Daxon Rudolph picked up two assists each for the Raiders.

The Raiders converted on 3-of-5 power-play chances, while the Tigers were 1-for-3 with the man advantage.

Both sides also had big absences due to injury. Raiders star 20-year-old right-winger Brayden Dube is out day-to-day with a minor injury, while standout 19-year-old defenceman Linden Burrett injured his left knee in a 3-2 road victory after a tiebreaking shootout over the Warriors in Moose Jaw on Thursday.

The Tigers were without star 19-year-old captain Bryce Pickford, who was out with an upper body injury for a second straight contest.

The Tigers return to action this coming Tuesday as they return home to host the Saskatoon Blades (7 p.m. local time, Co-op Place).

The Raiders also get back at it this coming Tuesday when they travel to Moose Jaw to take on the 17-23-3-2 Warriors (7 p.m., Temple Gardens Centre).

Braeden Cootes had two assists for the Raiders on Saturday.

The Raiders and Tigers conclude their regular season series with each side claiming two regulation wins and each side scoring 16 goals each in those encounters. If there is a meeting between these two clubs in the WHL Playoffs, that potential encounter would decide the ultimate overall series winner in the 2025-26 campaign.

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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Won’t back down – Tigers fight for 3-1 series lead in WHL final

Chiefs’ backs against wall after 5-2 loss in Game 4

The Medicine Hat Tigers theme song in 2024-25 has been “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds.

They might consider adding “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty And the Heartbreakers to their musical repertoire.

Going into Game 4 of the WHL Championship Series on Wednesday night against the Spokane Chiefs at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, adversity continued to pile up for the Tigers. For a second straight game, they were without superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna due to an undisclosed injury.

The additions to the injury list included star centre Cayden Lindstrom and head turning 16-year-old rookie centre Gordon-Carroll Shaeffer. Both were out with undisclosed injuries. Lindstrom played the first three games of the WHL final after missing the rest of the 2024-25 campaign with a long term back injury.

Despite those big losses, the Tigers roared to 5-2 victory to the disappointment of most of the 7,865 spectators in attendance outside of a healthy contingent of supporters that were present for the Medicine Hat side. With the win, the Tigers take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

They will try to close things out and capture the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL champions in Game 5 set for Friday at 7 p.m. local time at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. The Tigers will be trying to win their sixth WHL championship in team history and first league title since 2007.

If needed, Game 6 is set for Sunday at 7 p.m. local time at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat. If the series gets to a Game 7, it is slated for Monday at 7 p.m. local time at Co-op Place.

In Game 4 on Wednesday, both teams broke on to the scoreboard early. Just 31 seconds into the opening frame, Tigers star right-winger Ryder Ritchie knocked home a puck from the front of the Chiefs net to put the visitors up 1-0.

Just 18 seconds later, the Chiefs evened the score at 1-1. Chiefs 19-year-old defenceman Saige Weinstein fired a shot from the left point that was tipped home by import right-winger Asanali Sarkenov for the equalizer.

The Tigers would take control of the contest in the second period scoring three straight power-play goals to jump ahead 4-1. At the 2:29 mark of the frame, Tigers offensive-defenceman Bryce Pickford drove home a shot from inside the top of the right faceoff circle to put the visitors up 2-1.

The contest took a big turn at the 7:50 mark of the second when Chiefs 18-year-old defenceman Nathan Mayes hammered Tigers defensive centre Misha Volotovskii into the boards, when Volotovskii didn’t have the puck. Mayes was given a major penalty for interference and a game misconduct. Volotovskii left the game favouring his right arm and didn’t return.

The interference major to Mayes will be automatically reviewed by the WHL office for a possible suspension.

Part way through that five-minute power play, the Tigers would go on a two-man advantage when Chiefs 20-year-old import star centre Rasmus Ekstrom was given an unsportsmanlike minor for giving Tigers 20-year-old star netminder Harrison Meneghin a snow shower when Meneghin froze the puck.

Bryce Pickford scored a pair of goals for the Tigers.

Just six seconds into that two-man advantage, Pickford drove home his second power-play goal of the contest to the top right corner of the Chiefs net to push the Tigers advantage out to 3-1.

Before the major penalty to Mayes expired, Tigers super rookie Liam Ruck backhanded home a loose puck in the crease of the Spokane net for Medicine Hat’s third power-play marker to give the visitors their 4-1 lead.

With 2:30 remaining in the second, the Chiefs got a power-play goal of their own to trim the Tigers lead to 4-2. Chiefs superstar right-winger Andrew Cristall had the puck at the left point and passed it to linemate Shea Van Olm at the top of the right faceoff dot. Van Olm wasted little time in one-timing home the power-play marker.

Just when the Chiefs thought they had the momentum, Tigers star 19-year-old right-winger Hunter St. Martin took it away. With 30.6 seconds remaining in the second, St. Martin jetted down the right wing, cut wide around a Chiefs defenceman, drove to the Spokane net on a partial breakaway and roofed a shot to the top right corner of the goal to make the Tigers lead stand at 5-2.

The two squads proceeded to skate through a scoreless third frame.

Meneghin stopped 28 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Tigers. Dawson Cowan turned away 29 shots to take the setback in net for the Chiefs.

Pickford had an assist to go with his two goals. He has scored at least one goal in his last seven straight games, which is the longest consecutive string of games with a goal by a defenceman in the WHL Playoffs since 1996. Pickford had nine goals over his last seven outings.

Tigers star defenceman Tanner Molendyk had three assists in the win. He has points in his last 12 straight games recording four goals and 16 assists over the course of that streak.

Ruck had an assist to go with his goal.

Before entering the WHL Playoffs, the Tigers placed 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.

Including play in both the regular season and post-season the Tigers have won 43 out of their last 51 games. The Tigers are also 11-2-1 during the 2024-25 campaign when they don’t have McKenna in the lineup.

Tanner Molendyk had three assists for the Tigers.

Over the last two games of the WHL final and throughout the 2024-25 campaign, the Tigers have thrived on adversity. That characteristic has them one win away from another WHL title.

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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Eye of the Tiger – Medicine Hat blanks Chiefs 6-0 in Game 3

Tabbies overcome big Game 2 setback and injuries

Adversity seems to make the Medicine Hat Tigers stronger.

After falling 6-2 to the Spokane Chiefs in Game 2 of the WHL Championship Series at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat on Sunday, the Tigers appeared to face a tough challenge in Game 3 of the set played before 7,814 spectators at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on Tuesday night.

The challenge appeared to grow for the Tigers when superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna took warm up, but was scratched from the game with an undisclosed injury. During warm up, McKenna appeared to have a lower body issue as he seemed to have struggles trying to power off his skating stride.

While those things were going against Medicine Hat, the Tiger proceeded to play their best game of the series and roared to a 6-0 victory getting goals from six different players and holding a 45-28 edge in shots on goal. 

That performance included extra adversity in the contest when star centre Cayden Lindstrom went down with an injury late in the second period in a regular hockey collision with a Chiefs player.

The Tigers were holding a 4-0 lead when Lindstrom went down, and he had the game’s first goal and an assist in helping build that advantage. The Fort St. John, B.C., product returned to the Tigers bench in the third period to cheer his squad on as they rounded out their win.

With the victory, the Tigers take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven set. Game 4 of the series is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. local time at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.

In Game 3, the Tigers got the jump on the Chiefs holding a 15-5 edge in shots on goal in the first period and would open the scoring for the third straight contest. At the 11:45 mark of the first, Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt intercepted a pass of a Chiefs player in the left corner of the Spokane zone.

Wiesblatt passed the puck to Lindstrom in the left slot, and Lindstrom quickly buried his second tally in his second straight contest into the Spokane net to give the visitors a 1-0 edge.

Harrison Meneghin stopped 28 shots to pick up the shutout win.

With 1:51 remaining in the first, Lindstrom stole the puck from a Chiefs player at the Medicine Hat blue-line. Lindstrom jetted back up ice and put a long backhand shot on target that was stopped by Chiefs star netminder Dawson Cowan but rebounded out to the left side of the net.

Tigers star right-winger Hunter St. Martin came up the left wing and potted home the rebound to push the visitor’s lead out to 2-0.

Like a racer out at the Medicine Hat Drag Racing Association Drag Strip or the Medicine Hat Speedway, the Tigers kept their foot on the gas pedal in the second.

Just 93 seconds into the second, Finnish import defenceman Veeti Vaisanen showed off his offensive skill. Vaisanen got deep in the Spokane zone and skated behind the Chiefs net going from left to right.

When he came out to the right side, Vaisanen put a pass out to sophomore left-winger Kadon McCann positioned by the right post. McCann quickly popped home his second of the WHL Playoffs to give the Tigers a 3-0 advantage.

With 5:08 remaining in the second, the Tigers were buzzing with all sorts of pressure in the Spokane zone. Tigers veteran right-winger Marcus Pacheco got the puck in the right corner of the Spokane zone and centred a pass out to super rookie linemate Liam Ruck. Ruck fired home his fifth tally of the post-season to make the Tigers lead stand at 4-0.

At the start of the third period, the Chiefs pulled Cowan to let him rest for Game 4. He turned away 28-of-32 shots to take the setback in net for the Chiefs. Carter Esler, who is a 16-year-old rookie, played the third period in relief turning away 11-of-13 shots sent his way.

Just 23 seconds into the third, Tigers star left-winger Andrew Basha jetted down the right side boards of the Spokane zone with the puck, cut across the front of the Chiefs net and tucked home a high shot for his second of the post-season to make the Tigers edge sit a 5-0.

The Tigers picked up their final goal of the night working on the power play at the 9:16 mark of the third. 

Hunter St. Martin had one goal and one assist for the Tigers.

Wiesblatt had the puck at the top of the left faceoff circle and passed it to offensive-defenceman Bryce Pickford just inside the top of the right faceoff circle. Pickford drove a shot to the top right corner of the Spokane net for his 10^th goal of the post-season to round out the 6-0 final score in favour of the Tigers.

With 5:01 remaining in the third, there was a scrum that saw Wiesblatt, Pickford, Chiefs left-winger Cameron Parr and Chiefs right-winger Coco Armstrong all pick up 10-minute misconducts.

Tigers star 20-year-old netminder Harrison Meneghin stopped all 28 shots he faced to pick up his third shutout victory of the playoffs.

St. Martin had an assist to go along with his goal, and Wiesblatt finished the contest with two assists. Tigers star defenceman Tanner Molendyk has points in his last 11 straight games recording four goals and 13 assists over the course of that streak.

The Tigers placed 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.

Including play in both the regular season and post-season the Tigers have won 42 out of their last 50 games. The Tigers are also 10-2-1 during the 2024-25 campaign when they don’t have McKenna in the lineup. During the regular season, McKenna missed 12 games with the Tigers due to activities being a member of Canada’s team at world juniors and a three-game league imposed suspension.

Tuesday’s Game 3 win was arguably the best game the Tigers have played in the 2025 post-season. The Chiefs had arguably their best outing in the playoffs in their Game 2 win on Sunday.

Veeti Vaisanen had a sweet assist for the Tigers.

Now, it is anyone’s guess as to what type of stories these two clubs will write in Game 4.

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 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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