Tiger 20-year-olds prepare for one final game on junior hockey’s biggest stage

Acquired by the Tigers this off-season, the change of scenery was a surprise for Ward but one he welcomed.

Now set to play the final game in his WHL career for the grandest prize in all of Canadian junior hockey, Ward said it’s been an “unbelievable” journey.

“Hockey is something my life revolves around, and I don’t know where I’d be without it,” he said.

Meneghin was not a Tigers player to begin the season — in fact, he was down Highway 3 donning the jersey of the Lethbridge Hurricanes just as he had for his entire junior career.

That would change in early October for the netminder when he was traded to Medicine Hat in exchange for long-time Tigers forward Shane Smith.

Meneghin got off to a bumpy start in Medicine Hat, going 7-7 through his first 15 starts.

Just as he and the team seemed to be finding their footing, Meneghin went down with an injury that wound up sidelining the veteran goalie for two months.

In his absence, rookie netminder Jordan Switzer gained some valuable experience and more than held his own, going 11-4-2 in Meneghin’s absence.

When Harrison returned, he returned with a vengeance.

Meneghin went undefeated in the month of January and earned WHL goaltender of the month honours for his efforts.

That stellar play continued throughout the second half as Meneghin posted a 16-2-1-1 record, alongside a 2.31 GAA, 0.908 SV%, and a pair of shutouts.

His masterpiece would come in game 68 of the regular season, in a de facto playoff game that would determine the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Meneghin made 35 saves, including several highlight-reel stops, in a stellar 5-2 victory.

The celebration would be short-lived as post-game, Meneghin learned of his father’s passing.

The tragedy would turn into a rallying point for the entire organization, with the club donning patches in honor of Meneghin’s late father to begin the playoff run.

In the postseason, Meneghin was nothing short of spectacular, putting up a 14-1 playoff record while recording three shutouts en route to a WHL championship.

Wiesblatt, the Tigers captain, has been with the ‘Cats his entire WHL career, beginning in the 2021-22 season, a season in which the Tigers won only 11 games.

Seeing the lows has made the highs that much sweeter for the Tigers captain.

“It was definitely tough back then, but looking back on it, I wouldn’t change a thing,” Wiesblatt said, reflecting on that 11-win season.

After being named captain at the start of the season, Wiesblatt has spearheaded the culture within the Tiger dressing room that has made the team a self-described family.

But he didn’t just talk the talk in the room, he backed it up with his play on the ice.

Wiesblatt tallied 103 points in the regular season and was red hot to begin the postseason, scoring 14 goals through the club’s first 13 games.

There is no better example of the character of Oasiz than when he called fellow 20-year-old Harrison Meneghin to center ice in Spokane to lift the Ed Chynoweth Cup.

A small, selfless act that had a profound impact.

“I just had a hockey feeling the night before,” said Wiesblatt

“It wasn’t just for the city and the team, it was for Harry’s Dad,” added the Tiger captain.

Wiesblatt’s Tigers career will conclude on Sunday, but it won’t be the end of his hockey journey as Oasiz will take his talent to Milwaukee to play alongside his brother Ozzy for the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals.

Despite the new scenery, the Tigers’ logo will always be special to Oasiz.

“It holds a special warm place in my heart,” said Wiesblatt.

“This logo is extremely special, it’s kind of hard for me to describe.”

Wiesblatt, who ranks 14th all-time in regular season games played in Tigers history, will lead his club into battle one final time this Sunday, June 1, with a national championship on the line.

Puck drop from the Memorial Cup final is set for 5 p.m. MST with the pre-game show beginning at 4:45 p.m. on Wild 94.5 FM.

by Will Bryant

Tiger 20-year-olds prepare for one final game on junior hockey’s biggest stage

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