Randy Feere/Medicine Hat Tigers

By Will Bryant

Sports

Oil Kings hold off late Medicine Hat surge, topple Tigers 5-4

Feb 22, 2025 | 1:02 AM

Despite a late comeback attempt the Medicine Hat Tigers fell 5-4 to the Edmonton Oil Kings for just their third regulation loss since Christmas.

The game began with a strong opening push from the Tigers.

After an early penalty kill, Tigers defenseman Veeti Vaisanen would lay a light point shot towards the Oil King goal of Alex Worthington and past the screened netminder to give the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.

Late in the opening frame, Edmonton would respond.

Oil Kings forward Roan Woodward would send a similar shot towards the Medicine Hat net of Harrison Meneghin, only this time Meneghin would get a piece of the puck, but not enough as it trickled by the Tigers netminder to tie the game at one.

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Less than a minute later the Oil Kings would take their first lead of the night.

Edmonton forward Landon Hanson would send a sharp angle shot towards the Tiger net from below the goal line, and the puck would deflect off a Tigers stick and above the near shoulder of Meneghin to give Edmonton a 2-1 lead.

The Oil Kings would carry that lead into the second period where the Tigers would soon respond to square the game up at two.

Tigers forward Gavin McKenna centered a pass in front of the Edmonton goal for Oasiz Wiesblatt who pulled the puck to the backhand and placed it past the outstretched pad of Worthing to make it 2-2.

Minutes later the Tigers would head to their second powerplay of the night.

Halfway into the man advantage, Tigers defenseman Tanner Molendyk would find Liam Ruck alone at the side of the Edmonton net and fire a pass on the stick of Ruck who tapped it home to get the Tigers in front 3-2.

The goal was Liam Ruck’s 18th of the season and came on his 17th birthday.

The Tigers appeared in control late in the second but would wind up on a four-minute penalty kill when Carter Cunningham got called for high-sticking.

The Oil King powerplay would need less than 30 seconds to respond, tying the game at three with a Gracyn Sawchyn point shot that pinballed under the blocker arm of Meneghin.

Medicine Hat would kill off the remainder of the powerplay and moments after returning to 5-on-5 play, would get a 2-on-0 rush into the Edmonton zone led by Gavin McKenna.

McKenna passed across to Ryder Ritchie, who went to pass it back to McKenna but had run out of room and the play was broken up and the Oil Kings headed back up ice on the counterattack.

A quick shot from the point went off the top of Harrison Meneghin’s glove out to the point where Oil Kings defenseman Josh Mori laid a wrist shot past a screened Meneghin to restore the Edmonton lead making it 4-3.

The Oil Kings would carry that one-goal lead into the third period, holding a record of 24-0-1-1 when leading through two periods of play.

Play would bobble back and fourth for the beginning of the third, but after an early Tiger penalty kill, Medicine Hat would hold play in the Oil Kings zone but fail to put a puck by Worthington.

Eventually the Tigers aggressiveness bit them and the Oil Kings sprung a 3-on-1 rush into the Tigers zone.

Edmonton forward and St. Louis Blues draft pick Adam Jecho would hammer home a one-timer off the 3-on-1 by a sprawling Harrison Meneghin, making it 5-3 Edmonton, securing the Oil Kings the games first two-goal lead.

The Tigers were down, but not out.

With under seven minutes remaining, Edmonton defenseman Parker Alcos would get called for delay of game, sending Medicine Hat to the powerplay down a pair of goals.

Quickly the Tigers would shrink the deficit to one.

Gavin McKenna would seam a pass cross-ice to the right wing circle where Ryder Ritchie sniped the puck by Worthington, making it 5-4 Edmonton with exactly six minutes left in the game.

The Tigers would push but fail to break through.

With under five seconds left and the net empty, Ryder Ritchie would get the puck alone at the top of the left-wing circle.

Ritchie wound up a one-timer on goal, but Alex Worthington sprawled across with the blocker to make the save of the game and secure the victory for Edmonton.

The win gives Edmonton four wins this season against the Tigers, tied for the most of any team in the WHL.

The two teams will play for the final time in the regular season onSunday night in Edmonton at 6:00pm.

The Medicine Hat Tigers (37-17-3-1) are back in action tomorrow night when they play host to the Kamloops Blazers (20-30-4-1) for the first meeting between the two teams since October 20th, 2023.