After game one in Medicine Hat, spirits were high for the home team, perhaps none more than forward Andrew Basha. Less than 60 seconds into the series, the Tigers returnee capitalized on a Hunter St. Martin rebound to open the scoring in front of a raucous home crowd in southern Alberta.
"Yeah, it was unbelievable," said Basha in a post game press conference, "It doesn't get much better than that, I don't think I've ever seen this place like that."
On the game itself, head coach Willie Desjardins mentioned containing the Spokane Chiefs' offense: "They have a high octane offense, you have to take away the middle of the ice. Even if you do, they're still going to create stuff. (Harrison) Meneghin had a great night for us, and that was probably the difference."
Meneghin made 36 stops on Friday to secure the win, while the rest of the team made a handful of key defensive stops in front of him in order to make their goaltender's life a little easier.
On the other side of the coin, Spokane felt they could have done some things differently against the surging Tigers.
"I don't think we managed the puck very well," head coach Brad Lauer said of the team's first period, "they're a team that you gotta make sure you're managing to do the little things." Lauer mentioned that although he felt the team turned the puck over too often in the second, they were still in the game and it eventually paid off with a third period powerplay goal.
"It's just one game." Lauer said, and that's a mentality both teams will need to have heading into Sunday's game two. Chiefs forward Mathis Preston has begun to understand that fact more every game, as the young forward competes in his first WHL Championship series.
"We have a lot more to prove." Preston looks ahead to game two with optimism, saying he doesn't think the team played their best but they will need to show it on Sunday.
After getting a few shifts under his belt, the Penticton, B.C. native seemed to be getting the hang of things. "You're kind of nervous (at first) just trying to get your legs underneath you, trying to make a play. Get into the game as fast as you can." Preston also mentioned the leadership of Andrew Cristall and Berkly Catton, being able to draw from their experiences and pick up on things to expand a young player's toolbox.
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.
2025 WHL Championship Series Game 2 Preview
2025 WHL Championship Series Preview: Medicine Hat Tigers Versus Spokane Chiefs
2025 WHL Draft Recap: Regina Dominates The Top 10
