Wildcats Fall to Tigers, Need a Game 3 Win
May 27, 2025 - Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Moncton Wildcats News Release
Ryder Ritchie (MIN) scored twice as the Medicine Hat Tigers beat the Moncton Wildcats 3-1 at the 2025 Memorial Cup in Rimouski.
Gavin McKenna (2026) scored into the empty-net for the Tigers as Harrison Meneghin (TB) made 21 saves. Dyllan Gill (TB) had the Wildcats' lone goal as Mathis Rousseau turned aside 39 shots.
"I thought our team played well and we're certainly happy with the win," said Medicine Hat head coach Willie Desjardins.
With the victory, it guarantees Medicine Hat at minimum a spot in Friday's semi-final. If they beat London Tuesday, it will punch their ticket to Sunday's final.
"We are grateful for the opportunity and don't take it for granted," Desjardins said. "We know what the games are going to be like and know they are going to be hard."
As for Moncton, their tournament will come down to Wednesday night when they face hosts Rimouski; the winner of that game will advance to Friday's semi to face the loser of Medicine Hat and London.
A pair of goals from Ritchie built the Tigers a 2-0 lead through 40 minutes. He opened the scoring 4:24 into the first as he buried the puck into a wide-open net off of Oasiz Wiesblatt's feed moments after McKenna had been stopped on a breakaway.
His second of the night came at 9:42 of the second period as he hammered home a one-timer on the power play off of Andrew Basha's (CGY) feed.
"I think my linemates are making it easy for me," Ritchie said. "They're finding me and I've tried to put myself in good spots for them."
Moncton cut the deficit in half just 31 seconds into third through Gill who scored for the second straight game after his point shot hit Medicine Hat's Tanner Molendyk (NSH) out front.
"In the third, I thought we pulled through and finished hard," said Cayden Lindstrom (CBJ) who made his tournament debut.
"It's obviously special to be here and I'm super grateful to come in and play with my teammates," Lindstrom said. "Overall, it felt good to be with the guys and compete."
With his two goals tonight, Ritchie now leads the Memorial Cup in goals with three while his four points are tied for the lead alongside McKenna, Wiesblatt and London's Easton Cowan. Wiesblatt's four helpers are a tournament best thus far.
Scheduled from May 22 - June 1 in Rimouski, Québec, every game of the 2025 Memorial Cup will air on TSN and RDS in Canada and be available via live stream on TSN.ca, the TSN app, RDS.ca, and the RDS app. In addition to full coverage in Canada on TSN and RDS, the 2025 Memorial Cup will be available to stream live for free on Victory+ for viewers outside of Canada.
2025 Memorial Cup schedule:
May 23 - Game 1: Medicine Hat 5-4 Rimouski
May 24 - Game 2: Moncton 2-3 London (OT)
May 25 - Game 3: Rimouski 1-3 London
May 26 - Game 4: Moncton 1-3 Medicine Hat
May 27 - Game 5: London vs. Medicine Hat - 7:00pm ET
May 28 - Game 6: Rimouski vs. Moncton - 7:00pm ET
May 29 - Tie-breaker (if necessary) - 7:00pm ET
May 30 - Semi-final - 7:00pm ET
June 1 - Final - 7:00pm ET
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from May 27, 2025
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- Wildcats Fall to Tigers, Need a Game 3 Win - Moncton Wildcats
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