Kai Brown/Portland Winterhawks

By Will Bryant

Sports

Tigers trample Winterhawks, extend win streak to 12

Feb 1, 2025 | 12:21 AM

The Medicine Hat Tigers scored three times in the first and third periods to bookend a 7-2 victory Friday night in Portland.

The Portland Winterhawks would showcase their speed early, appearing to have scored the games opening goal 3:54 into the game.

Reigning WHL Goalie of the Week, Harrison Meneghin came out to play a puck behind his goal, and had his pocket picked by Winterhawks forward Ryan Miller, who fed the pass in front to Alex Weiermair who put it into the open net.

The players and fans alike would celebrate, but the officials would deliberate and call the goal back, ruling Miller had entered the Tigers zone offside.

A little over three minutes later, the Tigers would get the games official first goal, when Oasiz Wiesblatt tucked home a back-door pass from Ryder Ritche.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Exterior renovations set to continue on Medicine Hat's Monarch Theatre

20h ago

SPORTS

'Come and try the sport': Medicine Hat Curling Centre set to conclude first year back

20h ago

CITY HALL

City of Medicine Hat invites public to transportation planning open houses

Mar 05, 2025

Gavin McKenna picked up the secondary assist on the goal, extending his point-streak to 25 games.

Five minutes later the Tigers would find themselves on the powerplay, and in the dying moments Tanner Molendyk would push a puck past the glove hand of Marek Schlenker to get the Tigers in front 2-0.

Medicine Hat’s success would keep rolling three minutes later.

Oasiz Wiesblatt would knock a puck loose in the corner of Portland’s zone to McKenna, who would center the puck to Ryder Ritchie.

Ritchie fired the puck past the short-side shoulder of Schlenker to get the Tigers in front 3-0.

McKenna’s assist would mark his 200th career WHL point, an incredible milestone for the Tigers superstar forward who only just turned 17 last month.

The Tigers would carry the lead into the second period, but would begin shorthanded.

Medicine Hat would kill off the remainder of the penalty to begin the middle frame, but two minutes later Tanner Molendyk got called for a high-stick to send the Cats back to the kill.

Then things would get weird.

Off a clear, Portland would re-enter the Tigers zone and Winterhawks forward Kyle Chyzowski would get tripped up entering Medicine Hat’s zone and a delayed penalty was pending on the Tigers.

Chyzowski would get back up and carry the puck into the Tigers zone, circle the net, and fire a shot past Meneghin to get the Hawks on the board for the first time on the night….or so it appeared.

To the dismay of the Winterhawk faithful, the referees would again convene in front of the scorers’ box to deliberate the goal.

After several minutes of confusion, the goal was waved off after it was ruled the Tigers had touched the puck and the whistle had sounded.

For the second time in the game, the Winterhawks had a goal called back, and the chorus of boo’s echoed throughout the Veteran’s Memorial Center.

The Tigers remained up 3-0 but headed to a 5-on-3 penalty kill for over 90 seconds.

Medicine Hat would kill off both penalties and continue the game leading 3-0.

The Tigers would head back to the kill with seven minutes left, and once again the Tigers would kill off the penalty.

As the penalty expired, Hunter St. Martin chipped a puck to center ice and led a 3-on-1 rush into the Portland zone.

St. Martin would crack a wrist shot past the shoulder of Schlenker to get the Cats in front 4-0 with Marty’s 30th goal of the season.

Portland would respond late in the period, with a goal that would not be overturned.

Josh Zakreski wired a puck past the shoulder of Meneghin off a face-off win to get the Winterhawks their first goal of the game and make it 4-1 Tigers heading into the third.

The third would begin much calmer than the second with the teams playing fast-paced back and fourth hockey through the opening seven minutes.

Just after the seven minute mark, Schaeffer Gordon-Carroll would lead a 3-on-2 rush with the Ruck twins.

Gordon-Carroll would drop a puck in the right circle for Markus Ruck, who centered a pass to the high-slot for Liam Ruck, who would wire a shot past Schlenker to restore the Tiger four goal lead.

The Tigers would add to the lead a minute later, when McKenna entered the Portland zone and beat Schlenker for his third point of the night, and 26th goal of the year.

Jonas Woo would join the scoring two minutes later, weaving to the slot and picking the corner to get the Tigers in front 7-1, making it the second straight game, and thefifth time over the 12-game win streak the Tigers have scored seven goals or more.

Portland’s Josh Zakreski would add a goal late to make the Portland deficit five for Portland and the final score 7-2.

Medicine Hat (33-15-2-0) will now head to Seattle to take on the Thunderbirds (17-27-2-1) for the final game of their six-game road trip.