The Medicine Hat Tigers have won the 2025 WHL Yukon Showcase. After defeating the Kelowna Rockets 8-4 in Game 1, Medicine Hat captured the WHL Northern Lights Cup with a 5-2 victory in Game 2. Overall, the event was a massive success as fans in Whitehorse had the opportunity to watch future WHL stars go head to head in the pre-season.
Noah Davidson kicked the game off in style, scoring just 59 seconds in to put the Tigers up 1-0. After the goal, the Rockets went on a full offensive press, eventually tying the game at the midway mark thanks to Kalder Varga on the power play. While the two teams entered the period tied, Kelowna had the edge in offensive chances, outshooting Medicine Hat 14-5 in the first.
The Rockets would take the lead early in the second thanks to Kayden Longley's power play goal. Kelowna would hold the lead for just over seven minutes before Davidson, on the power play, scored his second, tying the game at two. Unlike the first, the second was a more balanced period, with the Rockets holding a 14-13 shots advantage over the Tigers.
As for the third, that is where Medicine Hat took control of the game. Gavin Kor scored on the power play 4:29 in before Misha Volotovskii and Liam Ruck both scored empty netters in the final minute. By the end of the period, the Tigers had outshot Kelowna 26-12, with the final shot total ending 44-40 in favour of Medicine Hat.
While there a few standouts, both goaltenders deserve praise for the way they played. Cruz Chase stopped 38 of 40 shots in the win, while Jake Pilon made 39 saves on 42 shots. Pilon's performance was so impressive that he was named the Rockets Player of the Game, while Kor was named Player of the Game for Medicine Hat.
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
00:57- MH: Noah Davidson from Liam Ruck and Markus Ruck
10:03- KEL: Kalder Varga from Levi Benson (PPG)
2nd Period:
5:25- MH: Kayden Longley from Daniel Pekar and Rowan Guest (PPG)
12:32- KEL: Noah Davidson from Liam Ruck and Kyle Heger (PPG)
3rd Period:
4:29- MH: Gavin Kor from Josh Van Mulligen (PPG) (GWG)
19:00- MH: Misha Volotovskii from Carter Cunningham (ENG)
19:57- MH: Liam Ruck (ENG)
Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.
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