2025 WHL Championship Game 5 Player To Watch: Andrew Cristall, Spokane Chiefs

Spokane, Wash.- If there was ever a chance for the Spokane Chiefs to prove themselves, it’s now.

The Western Conference champions are facing a 3-1 deficit against the Medicine Hat Tigers and will battle to stave off elimination on home ice in Game 5 on Friday night.

“It’s a Game 7 for us, so we’re all pretty juiced and ready to play,” Andrew Cristall said pre-game. “You’ve got an opportunity to be in the WHL finals and your back is up against the wall. We’ve got a really close group, and I think we can bond over this and really just put our best foot forward and go out there. Got nothing to lose.”

Reigniting the offence and staying out of the penalty box will be key factors for Spokane as they look to claw their way back into the series.

Spokane is 0-2 at home in the Championship Series and has been outscored 11-2 over that stretch.

Still, Cristall, the WHL’s top regular season scorer and finalist for the WHL Player of the Year award, has faith that there’s more in the tank for the upstart Chiefs.

“It’s just all the stuff that we’ve done prior to this that, I think, gives us confidence,” Cristall, 20, explained. “In Game 2, we had six goals, and in the past rounds, we scored a lot and scored in bunches. It’s definitely something we know we can do. And, you know, we’re as confident as ever.

One thing that we’ve been good at is playing physically. A lot of guys have been throwing hits, finishing checks and playing hard, being hard to play against. But there’s definitely a fine line with being disciplined. That’s something that we’ve got to take care of. Be a little bit more disciplined.”

The 5-foot-10, 183-pound Washington Capitals prospect is second in the WHL Playoff scoring race with 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 points in 18 games, including three assists in the Championship Series.

“The type of year we’ve had, we’ve responded very well when things were maybe not going our way,” Chiefs Head Coach Brad Lauer said. “Sometimes, I think the biggest thing is to bring the effort and keep things simple for us. Don’t complicate the game early on. Got to have a good start, and then we’ve got to keep building on it.”

Win or lose, Friday’s tilt will be the final game played at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in the 2024-25 season, with Games 6 and 7, if necessary, scheduled to be played in Medicine Hat.

The Chiefs just hope to give their fans a fitting send-off.

“I’ve only been here since January, and it’s been nothing short of unreal,” Cristall added. “Every night, it’s been packed and they’re all cheering. They’re all super loud. They bring a lot of passion to the City of Spokane, and they really give us a lot of juice on the ice. We’re going to be playing for them tonight. We’re gonna be playing for our 20-year-olds, last game on the home ice.”

Chiefs legend Ray Whitney is also set to drop the puck on Game 5 at 7:00 p.m. PST.

TSN will carry the match for viewers in Canada, while those in the United States and around the world can stream the action on Victory+.