Game Preview: Game 37 vs Calgary Hitmen
Tonight’s Matchup: Tonight’s matchup is the fifth of eight matchups between the Medicine Hat Tigers and the Calgary Hitmen. Calgary travels to Medicine Hat for the second of a home-and-home between the clubs. Medicine Hat looks to bounce back after yesterday afternoon’s overtime loss in Calgary. The Tigers Ryder Ritchie will look to stay hot after potting 2 goals yesterday in Calgary.
2024-25 Season Series:
- Calgary 3 @ Medicine Hat 7 (Nov. 30, 2024)
- Medicine Hat 4 @ Calgary 3 (Oct. 30, 2024)
- Calgary 2 @ Medicine Hat 4 (Oct. 23, 2024)
- Medicine Hat @ Calgary (Dec. 29, 2024)
Last Game: The Tigers came up shorthanded yesterday afternoon in Calgary. The Tigers dominated the first period against the Hitmen but would end the first period tied, 2-2. The Tigers, receving goals from Ryder Ritchie and Bryce Pickford through 20, would continue to trade goals with the Hitmen as Ritchie would pot another in the second period. That would be all for Tiger goals as the Hitmen would take the momentum in the final period with Jordan Switzer doing everything he could to keep the game tied. In overtime the Hitmen would prove to be too much for the Tigers, scoring on a 3-on-1 opportunity a few minutes in, giving Calgary their first win vs Medicine Hat this season.
2024-25 Standings:
20-14-2-0 Central Div. – 1st Eastern Con. – 1st Home (13-5-1-0) Away (7-9-1-0)
2024-25 Tigers Statistical Leaders:
| Skater Stats | Goalie Stats |
| Goals – Hunter St. Martin (23) | Wins – Jordan Switzer (12) |
| Assists – Gavin McKenna (41) | Save % – Harrison Meneghin (.891) |
| Points – Gavin McKenna (60) | GAA – Harrison Meneghin (2.93) |
| PIMs – Oasiz Wiesblatt (87) | Shutouts – Harrison Meneghin / Jordan Switzer (1) |
| Plus/Minus – Gavin McKenna (+24) |
Special Teams:
- Power Play: 32 – 139 – 23.0%
- Penalty Kill: 113 – 149 – 75.8%
Recent Transactions: The Tigers called up three players from SAHA, including Riley Steen, Luke Ruptash and Brayden Ryan-MacKay on December 28.
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 14, while sitting fourth in points by a defenceman with 34. McKenna is the WHL’s league leader in points with 60 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 34 points through 30 games with Medicine Hat this season, placing him tied for second in points by a defenceman and first in goals by a defenceman with 14. Pickford was also named to the CHL’s Team Of The Month for November, showcasing his importance to the Tigers lineup. Pickford’s 34 points through 30 games show significant growth from the 18-year-old having only posted 34 points through his previous 121 games with Seattle.
McKenna Magic: Tigers phenom Gavin McKenna headed to Ottawa for Team Canada’s World Jr. Camp on December 10. The 17-year-old was the only player selected to the camp who wasn’t draft-eligible until the 2026 NHL draft. McKenna currently leads the league in points with 60 through 30 games and is riding a 14-game point streak posting 31 points during his run. McKenna looks to continue his success at the World Jr. Championships and display his excellence to all of the hockey world. On December 13, McKenna was officially named to the squad.
Roaring Runs:
| Player Name | Streak |
| Gavin McKenna | 14 Game Point Streak – (31 Points) |
League Leaders:
| Stat Categories | Player (Rank) |
| Points | Gavin McKenna – 60 Points (1st) |
| Points (Defencemen) | Bryce Pickford – 34 Points (4th) |
| Goals | Hunter St. Martin – 23 Goals (Tied 7th) |
| Goals (Defencemen) | Bryce Pickford – 14 Goals (1st) |
| Assists | Gavin McKenna – 41 Assists (1st) |
| Short Handed Goals | Hunter St. Martin – 4 SHG (Tied 1st) |
| Power Play Assists | Gavin McKenna – 14 PPA (7th) |
| Game Winning Goals | Oasiz Weisblatt – 5 GWG (Tied 4th) |
Roster Makeup: 26 players on the roster – 3 Goaltenders – 7 Defencemen – 18 Forwards
| 20 Years Old (2004) | Meneghin, Ward, Weisblatt |
| 19 Years Old (2005) | Pacheco, St. Martin, Basha, Van Mulligen, Neutens, Zahara |
| 18 Years Old (2006) | Cunningham, Lindstrom, Ritchie, Vaisanen, Muhonen, Pickford, Woo |
| 17 Years Old (2007) | Harsanyi, McCann, McKenna, Kashkowski, Switzer, Moss |
| 16 Years Old (2008) | M. Ruck, L. Ruck, Gordon-Carroll, Ryan-MacKay, Steen |
| 15 Years Old (2009) | Ruptash |
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)
Tigers Schedule:
| LAST FIVE | RESULTS | NEXT FIVE | TIME |
| @ Moose Jaw | 5-1 Win | Vs Calgary, Mon. Dec 30 | 7:00 PM (MT) |
| Vs Lethbridge | 3-2 Win | @ Swift Current Fri. Jan 3 | 6:00 PM (MT) |
| @ Lethbridge | 4-1 Loss | Vs Swift Current Sat. Jan 4 | 7:00 PM (MT) |
| Vs Lethbridge | 4-0 Win | Vs Prince Albert Wed. Jan 8 | 7:00 PM (MT) |
| @ Calgary | 4-3 Loss (OT) | Vs Red Deer Fri. Jan 10 | 7:00 PM (MT) |
Upcoming Milestones:
| Player | Upcoming Milestone | Currently At |
| Marcus Pacheco | 200 Career Games | 187 Career Games |
| Cayden Lindstrom | 100 Career Games | 99 Career Games |
| Cayden Lindstrom | 50 Career Goals | 46 Career Goals |
| Hunter St. Martin | 50 Career Assists | 48 Career Assists |
| Mathew Ward | 150 Career Assists | 149 Career Assists |
| Gavin McKenna | 200 Career Points | 174 Career Points |
| Cayden Lindstrom | 100 Career Points | 88 Career Points |
Where Are They Now?
| Name (Pos.) | Played | Current Team | Stats (Subject to Change) |
| Rhett Parsons (D) | 2020-2024 | Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) | 20 GP – 0 G – 1 A |
| Dru Krebs (D) | 2019-2024 | Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL) | 22 GP – 0 G – 1 A |
| Bogdans Hodass (D) | 2021-2024 | Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL) | 16 GP – 2 G – 3 A |
| Dallon Melin (F) | 2022-2023 | University of Calgary Dinos (USports) | 16 GP – 6 G – 4 A |
| Carter Chorney (F) | 2021-2022 | Grant MacEwan University (USports) | 16 GP – 4 G – 2 A |
| Lukas Svejkovsky (F) | 2019-2021 | Ilves (Liiga) | 10 GP – 6 G – 4 A |
| Beckett Langkow (G) | 2020-2023 | Ontario Tech University (USports) | 10 GP – 7-2-0 – .925 SV% |
| Garin Bjorklund (G) | 2019-2022 | South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) | 7 GP – 5-2-0 – .943 SV% |
Three Star Tracker:
| Position | Player | 1st Star (3) | 2nd Star (2) | 3rd Star (1) | Total Points |
| 1 | Gavin McKenna | 7 | 5 | 3 | 34 |
| 2 | Andrew Basha | 2 | 4 | 1 | 15 |
| 3 | Harrison Meneghyn | 3 | 2 | 1 | 14 |
| 4 | Hunter St. Martin | 3 | 1 | 1 | 12 |
| 5 | Liam Ruck | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 6 | Jordan Switzer | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
| 7 | Markus Ruck | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| 8 | Ryder Ritchie | 0 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| 9 | Oasiz Weisblatt | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 10 | Jonas Woo | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 11 | Mathew Ward | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 12 | Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 13 | Bryce Pickford | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 14 | Brayden Ryan-MacKay | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Matt Paranych | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | Carter Cunningham | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 17 | Veeti Vaisanen | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Gametime is 7:00 PM (MST) You can purchase tickets at the Co-op Place Box Office or Tixx.ca. You can also listen live with the voice of the Tigers, Will Bryant on Wild 94.5 FM or watch on watch.chl.ca
