MEDICINE HAT -- The Medicine Hat Tigers have lived up to expectations through the first two games of the Western Hockey League Eastern Conference semifinal -- but by the closest of margins.
After taking a 6-4 victory in the opening game of the series against the Prince Albert Raiders on Saturday night, the regular season Conference champions overcome a late Raiders rally and scrapped to a 5-4 overtime victory in Game 2 at Co-Op Place in Medicine Hat.
As a result, the Tigers will take a 2-0 series lead into Prince Albert when the series resumes Wednesday at Art Hauser Centre.
The Medicine Hat power play had been lethal in the opening game, and that didn’t change late in the second period when the Raiders took their second minor infraction of the contest.
Oasiz Weisblatt would open scoring with 3:36 to play in the first, with the goal standing as his league-leading ninth of the playoffs.
That’s where the score would sit early in the second period when Gavin McKenna scored what is easily the highlight reel goal of the playoffs so far.
After forcing a turnover in the Raiders zone, McKenna would carry up his wing before cutting to the centre of the Tigers zone, delivering a backhand pass to himself, spinning to pick it up and then burying a shot from the high slot 6:51 into the period.
If you haven’t already seen it all over social media, here’s exactly how it looked:
YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS, GAVIN MCKENNA@tigershockey | #WHLPlayoffs | #FeedingtheFuture | @victoryplustv pic.twitter.com/0lSE73oFIC
— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) April 14, 2025
The goal was McKenna’s fourth and league-leading 18th point of the playoffs.
The Raiders had some pressure on Tigers goaltender Jordan Switzer as the game progressed, and midway through the second they’d break through.
Linden Burrett did the honours, taking a shot from the point that went through a screen by Riley Boychuk and found the back of the net with 9:46 gone in the period.
The one-goal game didn’t last a minute, though, as Mathew Ward scored his first of the postseason for Medicine Hat only 1:12 later to make it a 3-1 game.
Much like Game 1, Prince Albert didn’t sit back, and 2:19 after Ward’s marker, they once again got back within a single shot of tying things up. Harrison Lowedyk was in the right place at the right time to bang in a Boychuk rebound at the front of the net, with the goal coming with 7:43 left in regulation.
That stick-to-itiveness would pay off late in the game.
McKenna scored his second of the contest with 2:15 to play in the third, but a Raiders’ trade-deadline acquisition would come up with a pair of huge late-game goals.
Rilen Kovacevic -- who won a WHL Championship with the Moose Jaw Warriors last season -- scored on the power play with 1:27 remaining, and with goaltender Max Hildebrand pulled for an extra attacker, his shot from the high slot would find the top shelf with 1:02 to play to make it a 4-4 game. The goals were his fifth and sixth of the playoffs.
There things would remain until the 8:42 mark of overtime, when the Tigers power play would strike for the fifth time in the series. With Lodewyk in the box after taking a boarding penalty, Liam Ruck would set up at the side of the net and redirect a Bryce Pickford point shot into the open side of the cage to secure the win.
Switzer finished with 26 saves for Medicine Hat, Hildebrand had 33 stops for Prince Albert.
The two teams are now off until Wednesday, when Game 3 will take place at what promises to be a raucous environment at the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drop is 7 p.m.
