Medicine Hat Tigers defenseman Jonas Woo carries a puck up-ice in Game 1 of the WHL Championship Series against the Spokane Chiefs. Medicine Hat would go on to win the series 4-1. Photo Credit: Randy Feere/Medicine Hat Tigers

By Will Bryant

Sports

Tigers prepare to battle Chiefs in WHL Finals rematch

Oct 14, 2025 | 12:10 PM

The Medicine Hat Tigers do battle against the Spokane Chiefs tonight in a rematch of the 2025 WHL Championship series.

Tonight marks the first meeting between the clubs since May 16th, 2025, when the Medicine Hat Tigers secured their sixth WHL championship in franchise history with a 4-2 win in Spokane.

The Tigers have begun their championship defense on a winning note, entering the rematch with a 6-2 record and winners of four of their last five.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs enter at 4-3 and sit 2nd in the U.S. division.

Spokane has been better than their record would suggest, with two of their three defeats this season coming by just one goal.

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Leading the way between the pipes for the Chiefs is 2008-born netminder Carter Esler.

Esler served as the backup to Dawson Cowan in last year’s WHL Finals and did not take the ice against the Tigers, but this season, Esler has made up for lost time.

The native of Okotoks, Alta., enters as the top goaltender in the Western Hockey League, boasting a 4-1-0-0 record, 1.00 goals-against-average, 0.964 save percentage, and two shutouts.

Medicine Hat enters the rematch led by a much different core than those who carried the load in last year’s championship run.

Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll comes into tonight’s tilt riding a four-game point streak, having recorded eight points over that span.

Tigers captain, Bryce Pickford, who scored six times in the five-game series against Spokane last season, enters tonight’s matchup with as many goals this season as he had in that series, the most by any defenseman in the WHL.

Jonas Woo will draw back into the Tiger lineup tonight, returning after serving a one-game suspension for a checking to the head major he was assessed Friday, October 10th, in Calgary.

Woo sits tied for third on the club in points with eight through seven games.

Tonight’s tilt will also serve as the final home game of October for the Tigers as they embark on a seven-game road trip after the game, beginning Saturday night in Victoria.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., and you can catch all the action live on WILD 94.5FM or buy tickets online at Tixx.ca.