Playoff Series Preview - Round 1 vs Regina
Published on March 26, 2026 under Western Hockey League (WHL)
Medicine Hat Tigers News Release
Calgary, AB - The Medicine Hat Tigers will begin defense of their 2025 WHL Championship by battling the Regina Pats in the first round of the 2026 WHL Playoffs.
It has been nearly 20 years since the Tigers and Pats tangoed in the WHL Playoffs. The two teams last met in post-season action during the second round of the 2007 WHL Playoffs. The Tigers swept the Pats en route to winning the WHL Championship.
Medicine Hat, who finished second in the WHL's Eastern Conference, swept the regular season series in 2025-26, going 4-0-0-0 with one win coming in overtime back on November 14, 2025. Over the course of the four games, the Tigers outscored the Pats by a margin of 26-7. Most recently, Medicine Hat skated to a 6-0 triumph on home ice March 10.
The Tigers offense has been fearsome this season, thanks to the twin power of WHL leading scorer Markus Ruck (21G-87A-108 points) and brother Liam Ruck (45G-59A-104 points). The 18-year-old pair from Osoyoos, B.C., are eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, with NHL Central Scouting ranking Liam 26th and Markus 31st among North American skaters.
Finishing seventh in the WHL's Eastern Conference, the Pats have been pushed along by 21-year-old right winger Caden Brown, who enjoyed a career campaign with 61 points (28G-33A) in 64 games to lead Regina in scoring. The veteran forward, a former first-round pick of the Prince George Cougars, has seen action in 289 WHL regular season games, registering 171 points (80G-91A) along the way.
The Tigers cruised through the 2025 WHL Playoffs, winning series by counts of 4-1, 4-0, 4-0, and 4-1 to claim the Ed Chynoweth Cup.
As for the Pats, they return to the WHL post-season following a two-season absence. In 2023, the Connor Bedard-led squad from Regina thrilled fans with one of the most entertaining series of the playoffs, pushing the Saskatoon Blades to the brink before ultimately falling in Game 7 of a first-round barnburner.
The Tigers wrapped up the 2025-26 WHL Regular Season by scratching out an 8-3 win over the Red Deer Rebels on Saturday night, to finish 50-10-5-3.
As for the Pats, their campaign came to a close Saturday in Brandon, where they fell 4-2 to the Wheat Kings, finishing 25-34-7-2 on the season.
The best-of-seven first-round series between the Tigers and Pats gets underway Friday, March 27 (7 p.m. MT) at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat. The two teams will head to the Queen City for Game 3 on Tuesday, March 31 (7 p.m. ST).
By The Numbers
Regular Season
Record
Medicine Hat
Overall - 50-10-5-3
League - 3rd
Eastern Conference - 2nd
Central Division - 1st
Home - 28-3-2-1 (T-1st)
Away - 22-7-3-2 (4th)
Regina
Overall - 25-34-7-2
League - 16th
Eastern Conference - 7th
East Division - 4th
Home - 15-13-4-2 (T-17th)
Away - 10-21-3-0 (18th)
Leading Scorers
Medicine Hat
Markus Ruck - 68 GP - 21 G - 87 A - 108 PTS
Liam Ruck - 68 GP - 45 G - 59 A - 104 PTS
Jonas Woo - 56 GP - 29 G - 57 A - 86 PTS
Regina
Caden Brown - 64 GP - 28 G - 33 A - 61 PTS
Keets Fawcett - 56 GP - 30 G - 29 A - 59 PTS
Zachary Lansard - 68 GP - 24 G - 32 A - 56 PTS
Goaltenders
Medicine Hat
Jordan Switzer - 44 GP - 30-7-2-2 - 2.85 GAA - .889 Save %
Carter Casey - 28 GP - 19-3-3-1 - 3.02 GAA - .882 Save %
Cash Christie - 1 GP - 1-0-0-0 - 2.78 GAA - .870 Save %
Regina
Marek Schlenker - 48 GP - 18-18-6-1 - 3.83 GAA - .884 Save %
Taylor Tabashniuk - 21 GP - 5-9-0-1 - 3.79 GAA - .886 Save %
Drake Mooney - 1 GP - 0-0-0-0 - 13.61 GAA - .778 Save %
Special Teams
Power Play
Medicine Hat - 69/214 - 32.2% (1st)
Regina - 64/257 - 24.9% (8th)
Penalty Kill
Medicine Hat - 213/271 - 78.6% (11th)
Regina - 174/239 - 72.8% (18th)
Head-To-Head
Record
Medicine Hat - 4-0-0-0
Home - 2-0-0-0
Away - 2-0-0-0
Regina - 0-3-1-0
Home - 0-1-1-0
Away - 0-2-0-0
Games This Season
Regina 2 @ Medicine Hat 5 (Sep 20, 2025)
Medicine Hat 4 @ Regina 3 (Nov 14, 2025)
Medicine Hat 11 @ Regina 2 (Mar 3, 2026)
Regina 0 @ Medicine Hat 6 (Mar 10, 2026)
Leading Scorers
Medicine Hat
Liam Ruck - 4 GP - 7 G - 5 A - 12 PTS
Markus Ruck - 4 GP - 0 G - 9 A - 9 PTS
Jonas Woo - 4 GP - 3 G - 3 A - 6 PTS
Regina
Zachary Lansard - 4 GP - 2 G - 0 A - 2 PTS
Jace Egland - 3 GP - 1 G - 1 A - 2 PTS
Ellis Mieyette - 4 GP - 1 G - 1 A - 2 PTS
Goaltenders
Medicine Hat
Carter Casey - 2 GP - 2-0-0-0 - 1.00 GAA - .957 Save %
Jordan Switzer - 2 GP - 2-0-0-0 - 2.48 GAA - .896 Save %
Regina
Marek Schlenker - 3 GP - 0-1-1-0 - 4.74 GAA - .888 Save %
Taylor Tabashniuk - 2 GP - 0-2-0-0 - 8.40 GAA - .800 Save %
Special Teams
Power Play
Medicine Hat - 2/11 - 18.2%
Regina - 2/13 - 15.4%
Penalty Kill
Medicine Hat - 11/13 - 84.6%
Regina - 9/11 - 81.8%
Series Schedule
Game Visitor Home Day Date Time
1 Regina @ Medicine Hat Friday March 27 7pm MT
2 Regina @ Medicine Hat Saturday March 28 7pm MT
3 Medicine Hat @ Regina Tuesday March 31 7pm ST
4 Medicine Hat @ Regina Wednesday April 1 7pm ST
5* Regina @ Medicine Hat Saturday April 4 7pm MT
6* Medicine Hat @ Regina Sunday April 5 6pm ST
7* Regina @ Medicine Hat Tuesday April 7 7pm MT
* = if necessary
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- Series Preview: Hawks Eye Down Silvertips - Portland Winterhawks
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- Playoff Series Preview - Round 1 vs Regina - Medicine Hat Tigers
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