Tigers rebound in Regina

Medicine Hat praises youthful Pats in playoff battle

Keets Fawcett, left, of the Pats chases Noah Davidson of the Tigers.

REGINA, Sask. – It was a great night to be a fan of the Medicine Hat Tigers.

On Tuesday playing before 3,603 spectators at the Brandt Centre, the Tigers downed the host Regina Pats by a convincing margin of 8-2 in Game 3 of a best-of-seven first round series in the WHL Playoffs. With the win, the Tigers take a 2-1 lead in the set with Game 4 is set for Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Brandt Centre.

The victory was a big one for the Tigers, who dropped a 4-2 decision to the Pats in Game 2 on Saturday at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat. Before that Game 2 encounter, the Tigers had beaten the Pats 12 straight times, where Regina’s previous victory was a 5-4 overtime win on home ice back on January 20, 2024.

Zach Moore was snake bitten with a disallowed goal.

While Medicine Hat won by a convincing final score on Tuesday, Tigers legendary head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins saluted his team’s youthful foes in the Pats.

“I thought Regina played well,” said Desjardins. “They were right there early.

“I thought our goaltending played well early. They’re playing way better than they did in the regular season. It is a different team.

“They’re playing way better than they did in the regular season. It is a different team. We’re going to have to play good.”

Medicine Hat came into the first round series as heavy favourites to beat Regina. The Tigers finished second overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and third in the league’s overall standings at 50-10-5-3. They were rated fifth in the final CHL Top 10 Rankings.

Yaroslav Bryzgalov scored the Tigers first goal on Tuesday.

The Pats finished seventh overall in the Eastern Conference with a 25-34-7-2 mark. The Regina side is a more youthful side that is starting to see positive results from a rebuild. The Pats strength is in their younger age groups seen in forwards Maddox Schultz and Liam Pue, who are playing half-time with the squad as 15-year-old underage players.

Tigers captain Bryce Pickford has been impressed with the young Pats. He was happy his club came up with the rebound win on Tuesday night, but he said he is aware of what the Pats are capable of doing.

“They’re a really good team,” said Pickford. “They came into our barn for the second game, and they stole it from us.

Kade Stengrim scored the Tigers second goal on Tuesday.

“We can’t underestimate them. We knew they were going to be good tonight. We had all the energy.

“We knew what we had to do, and we did it.”

Just 1:48 into the contest, the Pats were snake bitten by some bad luck. Zack Moore, who is a 19-year-old centre, appeared to score on a backhand shot, but the goal was waved off as he scored it using a broken stick. He also received a delay of game penalty on the play for using the broken stick, but the Regina side was able to kill off the infraction.

Bryce Pickford posted one goal, one assist and a plus-three rating.

The Tigers weren’t deterred without being able to score on that power play. At the 7:47 mark of the first, import left-winger Yaroslav Bryzgalov sniped home a shot from low down in close to the left side of the Regina net to put the visitors up 1-0.

With seven minutes remaining in the opening frame, Pats left-winger Keets Fawcett drew a penalty shot on a rush to the Medicine Hat net. On his penalty shot attempt, he was stoned by Tigers starting netminder Jordan Switzer.

After that missed chance by the host side, Tigers left-winger Kade Stengrim scored with 6:06 remaining in the third and Pickford tallied with 34.7 seconds remaining in the frame to push the visitor’s advantage out to 3-0. 

Andrew Basha (#34) celebrates his first of two goals on Tuesday.

The Tigers exited the opening frame holding that 3-0 lead, while having a 13-12 edge in shots on goal.

Pickford said his squad caught a couple of breakings in the opening 20 minutes, especially with Moore’s disallowed goal early in the frame.

“I think that luck was definitely on our side there with that no goal,” said Pickford. “We got lucky.

“We’re lucky the stick broke there. We got a bounce, and then we bounced back and we scored. They’re a really good team.

“They started off hot. They played better than us in the first I thought, and we just found a way to win the game.”

Just 43 seconds into the second, import left-winger Ruslan Karimov scored for the Pats to cut the Tigers lead to 3-1. 

Liam Pue scored his first WHL post-season goal on Tuesday.

Tigers star 20-year-old left-winger Andrew Basha responded with a pair of goals coming at the 9:53 and 12:25 marks respectively to push Medicine Hat’s lead out to 5-1.

Following Basha’s second goal, the Pats pulled starting goalie Marek Schlenker, who turned away 14-of-19 shots taking the setback in net for Regina. 

Taylor Tabashniuk turned away 17-of-20 shots playing the rest of the way in relief in the Pats net.

Regina responded quickly to the netminder change. 

Just 29 seconds after Basha’s second tally, Pue netted his first career WHL post-season goal for the Pats to trim the Tigers lead to 5-2.

Maddox Schultz brings the puck up ice for the Pats.

The Tigers proceeded to stall any momentum the Pats gained. With 30.2 seconds remaining in the second, Tigers right-winger Carter Cunningham wired home a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle to the top right corner of the Regina net to give the visitors a 6-2 advantage heading into the second intermission.

Noah Davidson and Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll added singles for the Tigers in the third to round out the 8-2 final score in favour of Medicine Hat.

Switzer stopped 25 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Tigers.

Pickford said his squad has to continue to be aware of what the Pats are capable of.

Markus Ruck congratulations Jordan Switzer on a good game.

“They’re a young team, but they played really good,” said Pickford, who had an assist to go with his goal and was a plus-three in the plus-minus department for the Tigers. “Their forwards are fast.

“Their “D” are good. We just have to keep it going. After the first game, we kind of let off and then they took the second game. I think the biggest thing that we’ve got to learn from this game is that we’ve got to keep it going more than just one game.

“They are a really good team over there. We’re going to get their best next game, so we’ve got to be ready.”

Desjardins said Tuesday’s game was a lot closer than the final score said it was. He has been impressed with the Pats’ battle, and he expects the Regina side to continue to play hard for the rest of the series.

“They’re giving us everything we can possibly handle,” said Desjardins. “We were worried coming in tonight for sure.

A group of Tigers players close the night with their prayer circle.

“We were taking nothing for granted. They played well at home and in our building. They’ll be playing hard tomorrow.

“We know that.”

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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.

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Biggest win of the season

Blades down Tigers 3-2 after tiebreaking shootout

The Blades celebrate their win over the Tigers on Friday.

If the Saskatoon Blades need a boost in the “believe” department, they got it against one of the best the CHL has to offer.

On Friday night playing before 4,263 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, the host Blades found themselves trailing the visiting Medicine Hat Tigers 2-1 late in the third period of a WHL regular season contest. The Tigers came into the contest sitting third overall in the WHL, leading the circuit’s Central Division and were rated fifth in the latest CHL Top 10 Rankings that were released on Tuesday.

Inside the final minute of the third, the Blades were working the puck in the Medicine Hat zone with star netminder Evan Gardner pulled for an extra skater. The Blades worked the puck down to star 17-year-old centre Cooper Williams, who was positioned off the right of the Medicine Hat net just above the icing line.

Cooper Williams scored with 55.8 seconds remaining in the third.

Williams ripped a shot from that spot past Tigers 18-year-old rookie netminder Carter Casey with 55.8 seconds remaining on the clock to force a 2-2 tie and overtime.

The two squads proceeded to skate through a five-minute three-versus-three overtime still locked in a 2-2 tie causing the contest to go to a tiebreaking shootout. Blades 18-year-old centre Hayden Harsanyi scored in the second round of the shootout and Gardner turned away all three shooters he faced to deliver the Blades to a 1-0 victory in the tiebreaking session and a 3-2 win in the contest overall.

The win allowed the Blades to improve to 24-16-3-1 to sit fifth overall in the WHL’s Eastern Conference. The Tigers saw their record move to 32-7-3-3 to remain third overall in the WHL and second overall in the Eastern Conference.

Hayden Harsanyi had the shootout winner for the Blades.

The Blades victory over the Tigers was both a gutty and surprising one. Saskatoon’s odds of pulling out the upset were hampered due to entering the contest having four defencemen out of the lineup due to injury.

The hosts were missing Derek Thurston and Jordan Martin due to upper body injuries and Isaac Poll and Kaden Allan due to lower body injuries. In order to take the ice with six defencemen, the Blades had to dress a pair of 16-year-old associate player call ups.

Julian Revel skated in his fourth game with the Blades having been brought in from the Edge School Under-18 Prep team in Calgary. Luke Dumas suited up in his second game for the Blades after being brought in from the Northern Alberta Xtreme Under-18 Prep team located in Devon, Alberta, which is just southwest of Edmonton.

Ethan Neutens scored to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead.

The Tigers were missing a key member of their roster as captain Bryce Pickford was out with an upper body injury. Aside from Pickford’s absence, the Tigers had everyone else on their roster ready to be utilized.

While the Blades were incredibly short staffed on defence, they played the Tigers pretty much even up throughout the night on Friday.

The Tigers opened the game’s scoring at the 8:50 mark of the opening frame. Medicine Hat 20-year-old right-winger Ethan Neutens deflected home a point shot from rookie import 18-year-old left-winger Yaroslav Bryzgalov to give the visitors a one-goal edge.

While the visitors got the opening tally, they weren’t able to build their lead. The Tigers held an 11-10 edge in shots on goal after 20 minutes. Casey and Gardner locked things down in their respective nets resulting in Medicine Hat going into the first intermission holding just the one-goal edge from Neutens’ tally.

Hunter Laing scored the Blades first goal in the third period.

The netminders on both sides continued to shine in a scoreless second period that saw the Tigers hold an 11-5 edge in shots on goal. With about 7:40 remaining in the frame, Blades 19-year-old right-winger Hunter Laing appeared to pop home the equalizer, but the play had been blown dead with a scrum around the Medicine Hat net.

With about 30 seconds remaining in the second, 18-year-old centre Kazden Mathies had a pair of chances in close in front of the Medicine Hat net, but he was denied by Casey.

Just before the midway mark of the third period, the Blades were finally able to break through on to the scoreboard to force a 1-1 tie. Laing had the to the right of the Medicine Hat net just above the icing line close to the right side boards. He slipped home a shot to the short side over top of Casey’s shoulder for the equalizer.

Andrew Basha gave the Tigers a 2-1 lead with 8:01 left in the third.

After Laing got the Blades on even terms, it appeared Tigers 20-year-old star centre Andrew Basha delivered what could have been a dagger moment in the contest. With 8:01 remaining in the second, Basha fired a shot from the left side boards in the Saskatoon zone that Gardner got a piece of, but the puck fell into the crease and slowly slid across the goal-line into the Saskatoon net to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead.

That set the stage for the dramatics where Williams netted the equalizer inside the final minute of the third and the Blades proceeded to get the win after the tiebreaking shootout.

Gardner stopped 27 shots over 65 minutes and all three shooters he faced in the shootout to pick up the win in goal for the Blades. Casey turned away 29 shots over 65 minutes and one of two shooters in the shootout to take the extra time setback in net for the Tigers.

Evan Gardner came up with a big performance in goal.

Both teams entered the contest having solid success on the power play only to come up empty in that department. The Blades failed to score on five opportunities with the man advantage, and the Tigers were unable to score on three of their own power-play chances.

The Tigers return to action on Saturday when they travel to Prince Albert to take on the 34-6-4 Raiders (7 p.m., Art Hauser Centre). The Raiders, who are rated second in the CHL Top 10 Rankings, hold a two point lead over the Tigers for first in the Eastern Conference and second overall in the WHL. Prince Albert has a game in hand on Medicine Hat.

The Blades get back at it on Sunday when they travel to Edmonton to take on the 30-9-3-2 Oil Kings (4 p.m. local time, Rogers Place). The Oil Kings are rated sixth in the CHL Top 10 Rankings.

The Blades were in good spirits after their win over the Tigers.

Throughout the 2025-26 campaign, the Blades have had a season that has been a bit all over the map. On Friday, they showed they can rise to the occasion and pick up wins over the elite in the WHL and by extension the CHL.

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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