Defending WHL champion Tigers sweep Hitmen, advance to 2026 WHL Eastern Conference Championship

The boys from the Gas City are cooking with diesel.

With a 5-2 win in Game 4 against the Calgary Hitmen on Wednesday night, the Medicine Hat Tigers have completed their second-round sweep and booked a berth in the 2026 Eastern Conference Championship.

The defending champs got ahead on the scoreboard early in the first with some help from 2027 NHL Draft-eligible forward Noah Davidson and didn’t look back.

Five different Tigers skaters lit the lamp, with Defenceman of the Year finalist Jonas Woo netting the series-clinching goal with a dime on the powerplay.

While the reigning WHL Champions are moving on in four games, the Central Division showdown was a hotly contested affair that was highlighted by stellar goaltending performances.

Both teams traded goals in Game 1, with Calgary alternate captain Ethan Moore netting a late game-tying goal to force overtime, where Tigers captain Bryce Pickford scored his second goal of the game in front of a packed Co-op Place.

Game 2 saw the Hitmen surge to a 3-1 lead before Kade Stengrim and alternate captain Woo put things back on even ground.

Alternate captain and hometown boy Josh Van Mulligen sealed a 4-3 win with his first goal of the postseason.

As the series shifted to the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary for Game 3, the Hitmen took another early lead, but the Tigers attacked for four unanswered goals to tee up Wednesday’s win.

Game 3 saw 2026 NHL Draft-eligible Liam Ruck (NHL CSS: 26) net a hat trick and earn the primary assist on twin brother Markus’s (NHL CSS: 31) game-winning goal.

Medicine Hat hopes to become the first team to win back-to-back WHL Championships since the powerhouse Kamloops Blazers did it in 1994 and 1995.

They’ll turn their attention to the WHL Eastern Conference Championship, where they’ll face an old playoff foe in the Prince Albert Raiders.

The Raiders, who led the Eastern Conference in the regular season, are fresh off a second-round sweep of the Saskatoon Blades.

Medicine Hat eliminated Prince Albert in four games in the second round of the 2025 WHL Playoffs.

Both teams also surpassed 50 wins in the 2025-26 regular season- but it’s the next four that matter most.