Game Preview: Game 42 vs Edmonton Oil Kings
January 11, 2025 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Medicine Hat Tigers News Release
Tonight's Matchup: Tonight's matchup is the sixth of eight matchups between the Medicine Hat Tigers and Edmonton Oil Kings. The Tigers look to get their revenge against the Oil Kings after dropping their previous matchup 7-4 in Medicine Hat after what was a heated game in a fierce rivalry. The Tigers roll into Edmonton after winning their past 3 games and last nights matchup against Red Deer 8-1.
2024-25 Season Series:
Edmonton 7 @ Medicine Hat 4 (Dec. 7, 2024)
Medicine Hat 2 @ Edmonton 3 (Nov. 22, 2024)
Medicine Hat 2 @ Edmonton 1 (Nov. 13, 2024)
Edmonton 4 @ Medicine Hat 2 (Nov. 8, 2024)
Edmonton 2 @ Medicine Hat 4 (Sept. 21, 2024)
Last Game: The Medicine Hat Tigers took control early, building a multi-goal lead and never looking back in their matchup against the Red Deer Rebels. Marcus Pacheco capped off the night with a shorthanded goal in the final minute, completing his first career hat trick. Meanwhile, veteran coach Willie Desjardins earned his 500th career win, adding an extra layer of celebration to the 8-1 victory. Strong play at both ends of the ice and timely scoring defined a dominant performance for Medicine Hat.
2024-25 Standings:
24-15-2-0 Central Div. - 1st Eastern Con. - 1st Home (17-5-1-0) Away (7-10-1-0)
2024-25 Tigers Statistical Leaders:
Skater Stats Goalie Stats
Goals - Hunter St. Martin (26) Wins - Jordan Switzer (15)
Assists - Gavin McKenna (45) Save % - Harrison Meneghin (.892)
Points - Gavin McKenna (65) GAA - Harrison Meneghin (2.82)
PIMs - Oasiz Wiesblatt (104) Shutouts - Harrison Meneghin / Jordan Switzer (1)
Plus/Minus - Gavin McKenna (+29)
Special Teams:
Power Play: 39 - 155 - 25.8%
Penalty Kill: 129 - 168 - 76.2%
Recent Transactions: The Medicine Hat Tigers have acquired Nashville Predators prospect Tanner Molendyk and forward Misha Volotovskii from the Saskatoon Blades in a blockbuster trade. In exchange, the Tigers send forward Hayden Harsanyi, defenseman Jack Kachkowski, and five draft picks, including a 2025 first-round pick. The Tigers also traded a 2028 8th round pick to Regina for 2007 born goalie Cruz Chase.
Real Recognize Real:
Bryce Pickford and Gavin McKenna were both named to the CHL's Team of the Month for November. Pickford currently leads the league in goals by a defenceman with 17, while sitting tied for 5th in points by a defenceman with 37. McKenna is tied for the WHL's league lead in points with 62 and has been on a tear all season.
Picking It Up:
The offseason addition of Bryce Pickford from the Seattle Thunderbirds has been gold for the Medicine Hat Tigers. Pickford currently sits at 37 points through 34 games with Medicine Hat this season, placing him tied for 5th in points by a defenceman and first in goals by a defenceman with 17. Pickford was also named to the CHL's Team Of The Month for November, showcasing his importance to the Tigers lineup. Pickford's 37 points through 34 games show significant growth from the 18-year-old having only posted 35 points through his previous 121 games with Seattle.
Roaring Runs:
Player Name Streak
Gavin McKenna 16 Game Point Streak - (36 Points)
Jonas Woo 7 Game Point Streak - (8 Points)
Oasiz Weisblatt 5 Game Point Streak - (7 Points)
League Leaders:
Stat Categories Player (Rank)
Points Gavin McKenna - 65 Points (1st)
Points (Defencemen) Bryce Pickford - 38 Points (5th)
Goals Hunter St. Martin - 26 Goals (Tied 5th)
Goals (Defencemen) Bryce Pickford - 18 Goals (1st)
Assists Gavin McKenna - 45 Assists (1st)
Short Handed Goals Hunter St. Martin - 4 SHG (Tied 1st)
Game Winning Goals Oasiz Weisblatt - 5 GWG (Tied 3rd)
Roster Makeup: 24 players on the roster - 2 Goaltenders - 7 Defencemen - 15 Forwards
20 Years Old (2004) Meneghin, Ward, Weisblatt
19 Years Old (2005) Pacheco, St. Martin, Basha, Van Mulligen, Neutens, Molendyk, Volotovskii
18 Years Old (2006) Cunningham, Lindstrom, Ritchie, Vaisanen, Muhonen, Pickford, Woo
17 Years Old (2007) McCann, McKenna, Switzer, Moss
16 Years Old (2008) M. Ruck, L. Ruck, Gordon-Carroll
NHL Drafted / Signed Players: Andrew Basha (Calgary Flames), Cayden Lindstrom (Columbus Blue Jackets), Harrison Meneghin (Tampa Bay Lightning), Niilopekka Muhonen (Dallas Stars), Ryder Ritchie (Minnesota Wild), Hunter St. Martin (Florida Panthers), Veeti Vaisanen (Utah Hockey Club), Tanner Molendyk (Nashville Predators)
Tigers Schedule:
LAST FIVE RESULTS NEXT FIVE TIME
Vs Calgary 5-2 Win @ Edmonton Sat. Jan 11 7:00 PM (MT)
@ Swift Current 4-1 Loss @ Calgary Fri. Jan 17 7:00 PM (MT)
Vs Swift Current 5-2 Win Vs Calgary Sat. Jan 18 7:00 PM (MT)
Vs Prince Albert 7-4 Win Vs Regina Tue. Jan 21 7:00 PM (MT)
Vs Red Deer 8-1 Win @ Spokane Fri. Jan 24 7:00 PM (MT)
Upcoming Milestones:
Player Upcoming Milestone Currently At
Marcus Pacheco 200 Career Games 192 Career Games
Misha Volotovskii 200 Career Games 197 Career Games
Cayden Lindstrom 100 Career Games 99 Career Games
Cayden Lindstrom 50 Career Goals 46 Career Goals
Gavin McKenna 200 Career Points 179 Career Points
Cayden Lindstrom 100 Career Points 88 Career Points
Three Star Tracker:
Position Player 1st Star (3) 2nd Star (2) 3rd Star (1) Total Points
1 Gavin McKenna 7 6 4 37
2 Harrison Meneghyn 3 2 2 15
3 Andrew Basha 2 4 1 15
4 Hunter St. Martin 3 1 1 12
5 Jordan Switzer 1 3 1 10
6 Oasiz Weisblatt 2 1 1 9
7 Liam Ruck 1 2 1 8
8 Markus Ruck 1 2 0 7
9 Ryder Ritchie 0 3 1 7
10 Jonas Woo 0 1 3 5
11 Kadon McCann 1 0 0 3
12 Mathew Ward 1 0 0 3
13 Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll 1 0 0 3
14 Marcus Pacheco 1 0 0 3
15 Bryce Pickford 0 1 0 2
16 Brayden Ryan-MacKay 0 0 1 1
17 Carter Cunningham 0 0 1 1
18 Veeti Vaisanen 0 0 1 1
Gametime is 7:00 PM (MST) You can listen live on Wild 94.5 FM or watch on watch.chl.ca
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Western Hockey League Stories from January 11, 2025
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