The Medicine Hat Tigers are one win away from a WHL championship and booking their ticket to the Memorial Cup for the first time since 2007.

After dropping game two at home, Medicine Hat have regrouped in a big way: taking games three and four on the road, in dominant fashion. With the amount of travel between the two teams, the potentially series-clinching fifth game with also be held in Spokane before heading back to southern Alberta.

Wednesday night, the Tigers got two goals from Bryce Pickford and Ryder Ritchie's first goal of the series to help take down the Chiefs by a score of 5-2. While it certainly wasn't for a lack of effort, with Spokane throwing 30 shots the way of Harrison Meneghin, only Assanali Sarkenov and Shea Van Olm were able to beat the Tigers netminder.

 Special teams will need to be a focus of both teams on Friday night. Medicine Hat went 3/4 on the man advantage, while the Chiefs were able to muster one goal on four attempts. With that said, two of the Tigers' goals were on a major penalty taken by Nathan Mayes, so Spokane will need to remain disciplined throughout the game as well as the remainder of the series.

Players To Watch:

Andrew Cristall:

Similar to the rest of the "big 3" in Spokane, Cristall has been relatively silent in the finals. Through four games, the Washington Capitals prospect has three points, all assists. If he can find a way to click once again, the Chiefs will be dangerous with their backs against the wall.

Bryce Pickford:

Not only is Pickford on a heater right now, with 12 goals in this year's playoffs, he's on the verge of snapping a league record. Passed over in the 2024 NHL draft, the 18-year-old is one goal away from tying Darren Veitch (Regina Pats, 1980) for the most goals in a WHL post-season. If this production continues, Pickford could very well hear his name called to the podium in a few weeks.

Series Scoring Leaders:

Bryce Pickford: 5 G, 1 A, 6 P
Tanner Molendyk: 1 G, 5 A, 6 P
Berkly Catton: 3 G, 2 A, 5 P
Hunter St. Martin: 2 G, 3 A, 5 P
Three players tied at 4 P

Game 5: 

Date: May 16, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm PT
Location: Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena, Spokane, WA

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