Photo Credit: Randy Feere / Medicine Hat Tigers

By Will Bryant

Sports

Tigers score four in final forty minutes to defeat Rockets 5-2, extend win streak to five

Mar 4, 2025 | 11:27 PM

The Medicine Hat Tigers scored the game’s final four goals Tuesday night to defeat the Kelowna Rockets 5-2 and extend their win streak to five games.

The two clubs entered Co-op Place having had polar opposite seasons.

The Tigers entered atop the Eastern Conference and in a battle for home-ice-advantage throughout the playoffs.

Meanwhile, Kelowna entered last in the Western Conference and had lost 19 of their last 20 coming into the game.

Despite their differing seasons, the first period saw Kelowna jump out in front.

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After an early Tigers push, Kelowna’s Jakub Stancl would thread a breakaway pass ahead for Hayden Paupanekis. Paupanekis broke in alone on Tigers netminder Jordan Switzer, deked to the backhand, and scored to open the scoring 10:05 in.

Paupanekis’s goal broke a three-game shutout streak for Switzer ending it at 219:48, just six minutes and one second shy of the all-time Tiger record.

Medicine Hat would answer right back three minutes later.

Markus Ruck’s wrist shot deflected off the skate of Rockets defenseman Will Sharpe and past the netminder Rhett Stoesser to square the game at one.

Late in the first, the Rockets retook the one-goal lead on the powerplay.

With five seconds left on the man advantage and 34 seconds left in the period, Paupanekis potted his second of the night.

Paupanekis slipped alone in front of the Tiger crease and shoveled a pair of shots in tight on Switzer, the second of which got by Switzer to restore the Kelowna lead entering the intermission.

The second period got off to a slow start seeing the clubs combine for just three shots through the opening eight minutes.

With just over five minutes left in the frame and a delayed penalty on Kelowna, the Tigers tied the game back at two.

Liam Ruck one-timed a Marcus Pacheco pass past the blocker of an exhausted Rhett Stoesser to square the game at two,.

Kelowna would take a late penalty, and begin the third period shorthanded.

Although the Tigers had a powerplay to begin the third, the Rockets penalty kill held strong and kept the game square at two.

After a series of sensational saves from Rhett Stoesser, Medicine Hat would take their first lead of the night.

Liam Ruck floated a seeing-eye shot past a screened Stoesser for his second of the night, securing the Tigers their first lead, making it 3-2 with 7:20 remaining.

The goal was Ruck’s 21st of the season which puts him in a tie for second among WHL rookies alongside Spokane’s Mathis Preston.

The Tiger offense would keep rolling less than a minute later.

Off a scramble in front of the Rockets goal, Mathew Ward tucked home the rebound for his 17th of the season to make it 4-2 Tigers.

After a late Rockets powerplay went by the wayside, Kelowna would pull the goalie with three minutes remaining, trailing by two.

Their best chance to shrink the lead came from Jakub Stancl who beat Switzer but not the post.

Moments later Ryder Ritchie sent the puck the length of the ice into the empty net to make it 5-2 Medicine Hat and put the game away for the Tigers.

The 5-2 victory is the Tigers’ fifth win in a row, marking their second five-game win streak of the season.

Medicine Hat (42-17-3-1) heads to Red Deer (24-28-5-2) on Friday where Gavin McKenna will be back in the lineup as the Tigers take on the Rebels for the second to last time this season.