WHL Morning Skate: April 5

NEED TO KNOW

– Cam Parr’s overtime dagger eliminated the Regina Pats and kept Medicine Hat’s title defence hopes alive in Game 5

– No WHL team has repeated as league champions since the dynastic Kamloops Blazers in 1994 and 1995

– Saskatoon and Prince George will try to close out their respective series with wins at home, while Edmonton and Spokane will fight to force Game 7

TOP PERFORMER

One year ago, Cam Parr and the Spokane Chiefs felt the sting of defeat at the hands of the Medicine Hat Tigers in the 2025 WHL Championship Series. Now, the 19-year-old is playing hero for the black and orange. Acquired by the Tigers in a trade in September of 2025, Parr has enjoyed a career-best year and is coming off his biggest goal yet. The 5-foot-9, 187-pound winger scored his first goal of the playoffs with a screened wrister from the point. Parr’s goal clinched the game and Medicine Hat’s first-round series against the Pats. He’s the first Tiger to score in playoff overtime since former captain Oasiz Wiebslatt in Game 3 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Championship.

RESULTS

Regina 4, Medicine Hat 5

MH wins 4-1

Credit to the seven-seed Regina Pats for giving the defending WHL Champions all they could handle in their first-round matchup, but it ultimately wasn’t enough as the WHL’s highest-scoring team roared back for an overtime win. Calgary Flames prospect Andrew Basha had Medicine Hat’s lone goal as they trailed 4-1 in the second period, but the Tabbies slowly chipped away at the deficit. Noah Davidson hammered home a gritty goal from the top of the crease and Montreal Canadiens prospect Bryce Pickford let a one-timer fly for Medicine Hat’s second goal in under two minutes. Regina would nurse a 4-3 lead into the dying minutes of regulation, but on a Tigers powerplay, the puck took a strange bounce off the stanchion and right to the tape of Draft-eligible Liam Ruck (NHL CSS: 26) for a wide-open net to level the game. Less than a minute into overtime, Cam Parr sealed the series with a long wrister to mark four unanswered goals.

THREE STARS

1- Ephram McNutt, REG

– 2 shots

2- Caden Brown, REG

– +1

3- Cam Parr, MH

– 1G

ON TAP