WHL Morning Skate- May 1, 2025

NEED TO KNOW

– Mathew Ward scored shorthanded and on the powerplay to push Medicine Hat forward to the WHL Championship Series for the first time since 2007

– The Tigers are 22-1 dating back to February 22, 2025

– Eight different Chiefs skaters found the back of the net as Spokane forced Portland into a 3-0 hole on Wednesday

– Spokane can win the Western Conference Championship and advance to the big dance with a win in Portland on Thursday night

TOP PERFORMER- APRIL 30

Big Willie style’s all in it (IFKYK). St. Louis Blues prospect Will McIsaac had his fingerprints all over Wednesday’s key win over the U.S. Division rival Portland Winterhawks. McIsaac, who is known more for his solid defensive play than for posting flashy offensive numbers, stepped up for his second career four-point night (and first in the postseason). The 6-foot-3, 200-pound rearguard helped open up the scoring after collecting the puck off a blocked shot and ripping it low to a wide-open Chase Harrington to tuck it in the twine. After Portland tied things up, McIsaac restored the lead with a secondary assist on Captain Berkly Catton’s tipped shot late in the first period. McIsaac, from Vancouver, B.C., scored his first career playoff goal in the second period with a sweeping shot from just above the left faceoff dot and capped off his evening with another assist on rookie Mathis Preston’s insurance marker. McIsaac now has seven points (1G-6A) and a +8 rating in 14 matches in the 2025 WHL Playoffs.

RESULTS

Medicine Hat 5, Lethbridge 3

Medicine Hat wins 4-0

Lethbridge put forward a commendable final push, but were unable to overtake the Tigers when it mattered most. Canes alternate captain Logan Wormald opened the scoring before Florida Panthers prospect dished the puck to Tigers alternate captain Mathew Ward for a shorthanded backhander to level the match. The Tabbies didn’t look back from there, with 2025 NHL Draft-eligible defenceman Bryce Pickford giving his team their first lead of the night on the powerplay to close out the first period and Misha Volotovskii hammering an Ethan Neutens rebound into a yawning cage. Ward potted his second goal of the night, which would stand as the series winner, late in the frame with a powerplay strike from a low angle. Kash Andresen and Anthony Wilson mounted a Lethbridge comeback attempt in the final period, but Whitehorse Wizard Gavin McKenna capped off the night with an empty-netter to seal the Eastern Conference Championship. McKenna had a goal and an assist to extend his monster point streak to 53 games.

THREE STARS

1- Logan McCutcheon, LET

– +2

2- Brayden Edwards, LET

– 1A

3- Noah Chadwick, LET

Spokane 8, Portland 5

Spokane leads 3-0

The Chiefs never trailed as they rolled through another high-scoring affair at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum to force the Portland Winterhawks to the brink of elimination. Spokane, the highest scoring team in the postseason, saw eight different players light the lamp, with rookie Mathis Preston and McIsaac chipping in a goal and three helpers each. Portland battled hard to tie the match 5-5 early in the third period, but a nightmare four-minute stretch saw Spokane score three times to ice the win. Coco Armstrong scooped up the loose puck and rifled it through traffic for the game winner and Preston picked up a rebound to score from almost the exact same spot less than two minutes later. 2025 NHL Draft-eligible forward and reigning WHL Rookie of the Week Assanali Sarkenov extinguished Portland’s Game 3 hopes with a wrister from the right faceoff dot. Diego Buttazzoni and Josh Zakreski both scored twice for the Hawks, while Washington Capitals prospect Andrew Cristall snagged his league-leading 18th goal and Captain Berkly Catton (Seattle Kraken) had a goal and an assist. Catton and McKenna are now tied for the WHL Playoff points lead with 35 apiece. The duo is tied for the sixth-most points in a single playoff run in the WHL’s internet era (1996-present).

THREE STARS

1- Mathis Preston, SPO

– 1G-3A

2- Diego Buttazzoni, POR

– 2G-1A

3- Josh Zakreski, POR

– 2G-1A

ON TAP