Eastern Conference Championship Series Preview: Medicine Hat Tigers vs. Lethbridge Hurricanes

Get ready to pour some gasoline on an already fiery Highway 3 rivalry.

The Central Division champion Medicine Hat Tigers and Lethbridge Hurricanes are ready to battle for a berth in the 2025 WHL Championship series, beginning with Game 1 in Medicine Hat on Friday night.

Medicine Hat has been at rest since completing a second-round sweep of the Prince Albert Raiders on Thursday, April 17, while Lethbridge downed Calgary in a Game 7 thriller on Wednesday, April 23.

The series will also see two players at the centre of an impactful early-season trade go up against their former team with the season on the line.

Medicine Hat acquired star netminder Harrison Meneghin in exchange for centreman and WHL Humanitarian of the Year nominee Shane Smith on October 5, 2024.

Meneghin went on to post his second 20-plus win regular season, while Smith has kicked it up a gear in the postseason with three goals and three assists in 10 games.

The Canes will try to snap WHL Player of the Year nominee Gavin McKenna’s tremendous point streak, which sits at 49 games dating back to November of 2024.

McKenna, from Whitehorse, Yukon, has six goals and 16 assists for 22 points in his second trip to the WHL Playoffs to sit sixth in the scoring race and third in points-per-game (2.44).

Tigers Captain Oasiz Wiesblatt sits third in the WHL in goals with 10, while Minnesota Wild prospect Ryder Ritchie has a pair of game-winning tallies- including the Round One series-winner against Swift Current.

Ritchie’s father, Byron, who went on to play eight seasons in the NHL, won a WHL Championship with the Hurricanes in 1997 and led the playoff scoring race with 28 points (16G-12A) in 18 games.

Nashville Predators prospect Miguel Marques has led the charge for Lethbridge with 13 points (3G-10A) in 12 games, while alternate captain Brayden Edwards and Winnipeg Jets prospect Brayden Yager pace the team with six goals each.

Captain and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Noah Chadwick has lived up to his WHL Defenceman of the Year nomination with five goals and seven assists in 12 games, highlighted by a two-goal effort to stave off elimination against Calgary in Game 6.

Home ice looks to be a key factor in this matchup, with the home team winning every game but one (an overtime loss) in eight regular-season meetings.

This is just the third time Medicine Hat and Lethbridge have met in the WHL Playoffs, the last being a 2017 OT thriller that saw current Hurricanes winger Luke Cozens’ older brother, Dylan, score the game-tying goal en route to a Tyler Wong game-winner for the Canes.

Lethbridge also defeated Medicine Hat in seven games in the Division Finals in the 1991 WHL Playoffs.

Puck drops on Game 1 on Friday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. at Co-op Place with Game 2 to follow on Saturday.

The series shifts west to the VisitLethbridge.com Arena for Game 3 on Tuesday, April 29 at 7:00 p.m. MST.

Fans can stream the Eastern Conference Championship for free on Victory+.

 

2024-25 REGULAR SEASON SERIES

Regular Season Series: Medicine Hat leads 5-3-0-0

November 6, 2024: Medicine Hat 6, Lethbridge 7
December 6, 2024: Medicine Hat 3, Lethbridge 4
December 14, 2024: Lethbridge 2, Medicine Hat 3
December 15, 2024: Medicine Hat 1, Lethbridge 4
December 28, 2024: Lethbridge 0, Medicine Hat 4
February 17, 2025: Lethbridge 1, Medicine Hat 5
March 14, 2025: Medicine Hat 6, Lethbridge 5 (OT)
March 22, 2025: Lethbridge 1, Medicine Hat 10

GAME BREAKERS

Lethbridge: Howdy, Captain. WHL Defenceman of the Year finalist Noah Chadwick has come in clutch to help his team reach the Eastern Conference Championship for the first time since 2018. He was one of Lethbridge’s most effective players in Round Two, bagging four goals and three assists in seven games. The 6-foot-4, 203-pound rearguard has been a menace on the powerplay with three powerplay strikes and two assists in the second round. Chadwick was also one of Lethbridge’s most effective weapons against the Tigers in the regular season with four goals and four assists in eight meetings.

Medicine Hat: Gavin McKenna is inevitable at this point. The projected top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft has hit the scoresheet in every game of the playoffs and served up two goal-of-the-year candidates with a lacrosse goal and insane dangle against the Raiders. He missed several games against the Hurricanes in the regular season while he was with Team Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, but still piled up five goals and 11 assists for 16 points in five contests.

GOALTENDING

Lethbridge: Playoff Jackson Unger truly came alive against Calgary in Round 2 with a 33-save shutout in Game 1 and a masterful 34-save effort in Game 7. Unger is 8-2-2-0 in the postseason with a 2.38 goals-against average, a .918 save percentage and his first career playoff shutout. He ranks third among all netminders in postseason GAA and fourth in saves with 326. Of course, we can’t forget that all-important experience he brings to the crease as a 2024 WHL Champion and star of Moose Jaw’s first-ever Memorial Cup appearance. As a Hurricane, Unger went 2-1-1-0 against Medicine Hat in the regular season with a 3.72 goals-against average and a .878 save percentage.

Medicine Hat: Despite wearing Tigers colours, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Lethbridge fan who will hold a grudge against the team’s former goaltender. Harrison Meneghin has been rock-solid under difficult circumstances in the postseason but has saved his best work for the biggest moments. The 20-year-old is 6-0-0-0 in the playoffs with a league-leading 2.00 goals-against average, a .910 save percentage and two shutouts. He dished an 18-save shutout to end Prince Albert’s season in Game 4 of the second round. Meneghin actually hasn’t recorded a loss, though he didn’t finish one game, since February 21, 2025. He’s 3-1-0-0 against his former club in 2024-25 with a 3.50 GAA and a .861 save percentage.

X FACTOR

Lethbridge: Kooper Gizowski has entered the chat. The veteran is breaking new ground in his first trip to a Conference Championship with three goals (including his first-ever postseason tally) and four assists in 12 postseason games. His physicality has been a boon for the Canes, and Gizowski also snagged the game-winning goals in Games 1 and 2 against Calgary to take a commanding 2-0 series lead on the road, while assisting Brayden Yager’s game-winner in Game 6. The Edmonton, Alta. product chipped in three goals and five assists for eight regular-season points against Medicine Hat.

Medicine Hat: Hunter St. Martin is a big cat through and through. The Florida Panthers prospect has been an all-situations go-to for Medicine Hat with four goals and four assists for eight points in nine playoff tilts. He played overtime hero in Game 4 against the Broncos in Round One and has a crafty shorthanded strike under his belt as well. St. Martin led the WHL in regular season shorthanded goals with seven- and two of those came against Lethbridge. The 19-year-old had six goals and four assists for 10 points in eight regular-season tilts against the Canes.

2025 WHL PLAYOFFS SERIES SCHEDULE

Game	Visitor		Home	Day	Date	Time
1	Lethbridge	@	Medicine Hat	Friday	April 25	7:00 MT
2	Lethbridge	@	Medicine Hat	Saturday	April 26	7:00 MT
3	Medicine Hat	@	Lethbridge	Tuesday	April 29	7:00 MT
4	Medicine Hat	@	Lethbridge	Wednesday	April 30	7:00 MT
5*	Lethbridge	@	Medicine Hat	Friday	May 2	7:00 MT
6*	Medicine Hat	@	Lethbridge	Saturday	May 3	7:00 MT
7*	Lethbridge	@	Medicine Hat	Tuesday	May 6	7:00 MT

*- If necessary