Randy Feere/Medicine Hat Tigers

By Will Bryant

Sports

Medicine Hat Tigers defeat Swift Current Broncos 6-3 to take a 2-0 series lead

Mar 30, 2025 | 12:26 AM

Led by a three-goal first period, the Medicine Hat Tigers defeated the Swift Current Broncos 6-3 to take a 2-0 series lead.

The win is the Tigers’ twelfth consecutive, tying their season high.

Medicine Hat got the scoring started 46 seconds in when Bryce Pickford whipped a knuckle-puck past Broncos netminder Reid Dyck to score his second of the playoffs and get the Tigers an early 1-0 lead.

That lead would be short-lived as 24 seconds later, Broncos forward Brady Birnie tapped home a Luke Mistlebacher pass to finish a 2-on-1 and tie the game at one.

Two minutes later, Medicine Hat restored their one-goal lead after Ryder Ritchie was sprung on a breakaway and sniped the puck past Dyck.

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One minute later, the Tigers headed to the powerplay and extended the lead to two.

Ten seconds into the man-advantage, a beautiful passing sequence led to an Oasiz Wiesblatt tap-in for his fourth goal of the postseason, making it 3-1 for the Cats

Medicine Hat continued to hold that lead as the game approached its halfway point before the Broncos would get back within a goal.

Broncos forward Rylan Gould was sprung on a short breakaway inside the Tigers’ zone and fired the puck by Meneghin to shrink the Tiger lead back down to one.

Two minutes later, Wiesblatt added his second of the night for the Cats and fifth of the postseason, shovelling home a point shot that trickled through Dyck to restore the Tiger two-goal advantage.

Swift Current continued to pester the Tigers and stuck back within one five minutes later after Clark Caswell wrapped a puck past the pad of a surprised Harrison Meneghin, making it 4-3.

The game remained within one entering the third period which the Tigers would begin shorthanded.

After killing off the early penalty kill, the Tigers controlled the flow of play but still only remained up a goal.

With 3:53 left in the game, Ryder Ritchie extended the Tiger lead back out to two after a Bronco-initiated collision led to Reid Dyck getting knocked out of position.

Swift Current pulled Dyck with under three minutes to go to but it was too little too late.

After an indecisive 3-on-1 rush, Gavin McKenna tucked the puck into the empty net for his first goal of the postseason and fifth point of the game.

Tempers flared in the final minute, but the score remained the same as the final seconds ticked off the clock, as the Medicine Hat Tigers secured the 6-3 win to take a 2-0 series lead.

It is the Tigers’ first 2-0 series lead since 2018 against Brandon, a series they would go on to lose in six games.

On the night, Gavin McKenna added five points to record his 11th consecutive multi-point game, while Oasiz Wiesblatt added a pair of goals and an assist to move his point total to seven through two games.

Wiesblatt now also leads the WHL in goals this postseason with five, while McKenna leads the WHL in points with nine.

Following an emotional Game 1 shutout win, Tigers netminder Harrison Menghin put up another stellar showing, stopping 15 shots en route to the victory.

The series now shifts to Swift Current for Games 3 and 4 where the Medicine Hat Tigers will look to take a 3-0 series lead Tuesday night.

Puck drop for Game 3 is set for 7:00 in Swift Current, and the pre-game show will get underway at 6:30 on WILD 94.5.