First period eruption powers Spokane past Medicine Hat, WHL Championship Series tied at 1-1

Medicine Hat, Alta.- The Tigers drew first blood, but a monster first-period response powered the Spokane Chiefs to a 6-2 win in enemy territory.

The 2025 WHL Championship Series presented by Nutrien is now tied at 1-1.

Seattle Kraken prospect and Spokane Captain Berkly Catton led the way with two goals and an assist.

In an early case of Déjà vu, Medicine Hat’s returning stars Andrew Basha (Calgary Flames) and Cayden Lindstrom (Columbus Blue Jackets) connected for another opening-minute goal (55 seconds in, to be exact).

Basha sprung Florida Panthers prospect Hunter St. Martin, who sauced the puck to a wide-open Lindstrom for a one-timer and the opening goal.

The tally marks Lindstrom’s first goal since March 30, 2024.

But the similarities to Game 1 ended there.

Spokane got on the board as alternate captain Shea Van Olm carried the puck into the offensive zone and dropped the puck for Berkly Catton to bob and weave through the Tigers’ defence before tucking a rolling puck through the five-hole of Harrison Meneghin.

Washington Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall earned the secondary assist on the play.

Alternate captain Rasmus Ekstrom gave the Chiefs their first lead of the series as he tapped in a pass from a streaking Sam Oremba on a two-on-one rush.

The Chiefs struck again less than a minute later as rookie Mathis Preston stole the puck behind the Tigers net to feed a wide-open Owen Martin in the slot for a quick shot and a 3-1 lead.

Spokane’s top line went to work again as Cristall and Catton worked the puck through the offensive zone before an unusual bounce off the boards saw the puck find its way to Shea Van Olm on the doorstep.

The regular season goals leader lifted the puck high blocker side for his 12^th goal of the postseason and a 4-1 Chiefs lead.

Spokane scored four goals over the impressive 4:46 run.

“It’s a response we wanted,” Chiefs Head Coach Brad Lauer said. “Obviously, we didn’t want to give up that first goal that quick, but I thought our kids… it didn’t faze them. I thought we stuck with it and found a way.”

In the second period, 2025 NHL Draft-eligible Bryce Pickford scored his second goal of the series to cut the deficit in half with a long wrister that was dropped off by Nashville Predators and Tanner Molendyk on the powerplay.

It seemed that Florida Panthers prospect Hunter St. Martin got the Tigers within one for a speedy break in the final minute of the period as he wired a wrister high blocker side on Cowan, but further review found the puck rang off the iron and didn’t cross the goal line.

Spokane took the wind out of the Tigers’ sails in the back half of the final period as Martin chipped a puck past a Medicine Hat defender and teed up Preston for the young gun’s ninth goal of the playoffs.

“It speaks a lot about his character and his drive to be great,” Cristall, the WHL’s top-scoring player of the 21st century, said of Preston. “He’s super young and he’s just unbelievable. Skates like the wind, can shoot it… For him to have that success out there, it speaks a lot about the work he’s put in in summer and all the work that he’s done to get here.”

Catton capped off the night with another stunner as he jumped out of the penalty box and onto a breakaway for a quick snapshot and his 11th postseason tally.

Dawson Cowan stopped 19 of 21 shots to preserve a 6-2 victory for the Chiefs and hold the Tigers to 1/4 on the powerplay.

Spokane’s massive win also saw the Chiefs snap Gavin McKenna’s modern CHL record point streak at 54 games.

McKenna, the projected first-overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, hadn’t been held without a point since November 2, 2024.

“They were quicker than us in the first period,” Tigers Head Coach Willie Desjardins added. “They were just a little bit hungrier. I don’t think there’s much more than that. They just played a really good game and they all played us tonight, and they deserved the game.

I think we’re a fast team, too. I think both teams are really similar. I think both teams play physical. It’s playoff hockey. You’re going to have lots of intensity, and it’ll only grow as the series goes on. So it’s not going to get less, but both teams play hard.”

The series now shifts south of the border to Spokane for Games 3-5.

WHL Championship Series action resumes on Tuesday, May 13, at the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena at 7:00 p.m. PST.

TSN will carry the entire series for Canadian viewers, while fans in the United States and around the world can stream the games on Victory+.